It has been a while since I’ve included a zipper in a design, and I wanted to see if I remembered how. Celia McAdam Cahill did an article in the Fall 2017 issue of Cast On, and I used her recommendations.

I used a simple all-over cable pattern for this boxy sweater. Originally, I had planned for set-in sleeves, but the stitch pattern worked better for a modified drop-shoulder construction. Since I don’t like when cable patterns don’t line up with ribbing, and since I used K1P1 ribbing for the bands and the cables would not line up, I used horizontal chains to separate the bands from the body pattern.

The cable pattern reminds me of taffy which is wrapped in wax paper and twisted at both ends. And (before you notice it) I want to let you know, I messed up one of the cables on the back. I could lie and say this it was intentional as an offering to Arachne (see Greek mythology), but it is an example of “Do as I say, not As I do.” I always tell my students to look at the fabric they are creating frequently as it is easier to fix a mistake. Use my mistake as a cautionary tale.