Swatching

1. Eights with other cable: too stiff
2. Wooden nines with pattern cables A/C/B
3. Metal nines with pattern cables A/C/B
4. Metal eights with pattern cables A/C/B
5. Metal tens with pattern cables A/C/B

A = 2 3/4 inches (2.75)
B = 2 5/8 inches (2.625)
C = 5 1/2 inches (5.5)

2022-02-26: Collar

Going to start collar first. My formula is (stitches per inch * (head inches + neck inches) ÷ 2)

For me, that’s 23 + 16 = 39 ÷ 2 = 19.5; 19.5 * 4.5 = 87.75. (Call it 88.) Alternate Cable Cast-On 88 stitches on smaller needle, rib for 8 rounds, bind off in larger needle and immediately pick up 1/6 of stitches for shoulder saddle.

(Pattern doesn’t call for saddle shoulders, but I’m doing a lot of stuff that isn’t in the original movie sweater.)

2022-02-26: Saddles

Szabo says saddles are 1/6 of collar, so I’d picked up 14 stitches. But panel C is 24 stitches, 26 with selvage: I’ll need to increase 12. Easiest way to do that is to add a yarnover between each picked up stitch, which I’ll twist closed (à la M1) when I turn and knit work row 12 to set up the chart.

It’s 14.5 inches between my acromion points. I’ll knit the saddles out to that saddles + collar diameter is about that, then block and check fit. (Estimated 3.75 inches per saddle.)

HOWEVER: to preserve the arrangement of panels in the center front/back (ABCBA) I should widen that to 16.25 inches. Another 6 rows per side should do it.

2022-02-27: Back

ABCBA requires 16+14+24+14+16=84 stitches (86 with selvage). When knitting from the top, you have to reverse the direction of the ropes in panel B to match the bottom-up design; the other panels flip with no alterations.

Worked 10 inches, then started fronts. Will block and remeasure when front is at the same length.

2022-03-02: Front

Front is a bit trickier than the back with the short-rows and collar encroachments. I’m not 100% pleased with the top of the ropes nearest the neck, but I can live with them.

Panel C starts at the beginning of the chart in both the front and the back, but of course that start on the front is lower: I won’t be at the same point of the chart when I start working in the round for the torso. Won’t be too difficult, and it looks good this way.

2022-03-06: Sleeves

It’s 19.5 inches up the front, across the shoulder saddle, and down the back. The cables don’t fit neatly into that. Pattern calls for 100 stitches, and I can make that work. Pick up 38 from sides of front and back (+1 on each side for selvage). That’s close to picking up stitches in 4 out of 5 rows.

Work flat for 4 inches before closing sleeve into round.

2022-03-12: Gussets

Thanks to a tip from JeanneHoffman, I decided to add underarm gussets. Just before joining sleeve in the round, I added 12 stitches, worked them in reverse stockinette, reducing them at the sides every third round.

2022-03-19: Didn’t like—too much sleeve bulk.