01.03.24
Swatched on 4mm needles, gauge is 21.5 stitches and I’m not the kind of person to block a swatch so I’m going to stick with knitting size 3 and cross my fingers.

I didn’t want the colour work to be just one colour so the Swatch is the Taupe, the Capri held with an unbranded beige fingering, then Robert Frost, then two strands of Capri, Robert Frost, Capri held with Cascade Heritage Sock in Mango, then Taupe. I do like the effect of the Capri against the blue but am still unsure which combination I’ll use as I can’t fully appreciate the effect just from one pattern repeat. I also have a lovely silky mid-brown from Gongcrafts that I may try instead.

08.03.24
I had a nightmare as I spotted a mistake in the colourwork 6 rows below and it was right next to the raglan so correcting it was not straightforward!

12.03.24
I separated body and sleeves yesterday. I’d somehow gone awry with the increases so the stitch count was off by one, but I managed to sort it out. I was puzzled by the random column of reverse stitches under the arms,then realised it’s to force an alignment of the pattern repeats - if that was explained then I must have missed it!

15.03.24
Just finished the colour work band under the armpits, and I’m looking forward to some plain stocking stitch now! I may move to the sleeves for a change of scenery, especially as I think I’ll need to shorten them - if I do those first I can see how much yarn I have left for the body.

18.03.24
I can’t countenance a snuggly cardigan without pockets so I’m adding them in before I start the final colour work band.
Right side row: knit 16 (to 1st full pattern repeat), put 22 stitches on waste yarn, cast on 22 stitches using backwards loop method, knit to 38 stitches before end of row, repeat from -, knit 16.
Next row: p16, P2, K2 for pocket rib, knit to next pocket & repeat rib, p16.

After working 3 more rows of rib/21 rows after colourwork, I’ve reached the end of the first ball - 252.66g.

24.03.24
Last colour work band finished and I have 21g of the taupe left for the sleeves. Onto the rib!

30.03.24
I finished the rib but then didn’t touch it for a couple of days as I had to gird my loins for the tubular bind-off. The written instructions didn’t sink in but I found a great video (https://youtu.be/mvqp8R02RQA?si=As3A4ksWj8RjYrJh) and went for an alternative finish - same set up to convert from 2x2 to 1x1, but straight to Kitchener rather than tubular. No idea why we’re told to use 3 or 4 times the length in yarn as I used much less and it’s a real faff to pull it all through 280 stitches, but it’s finally done!

02.04.24
I made an Irma hat as a palate cleanser and am now ready for the button band, but the instructions make no sense - starts with right front then references left front, and finishes with the right front. Am awaiting a response from the KAL group.

03.04.24
No-one responded so I just went with picking up stitches from right side to left, but I still need to feed back the error. I picked up 425 stitches and decreased down to 354. Now for the welt…

07.04.24
After much deliberation of the precise placement of the bottom button, I’ve now completed the buttonholes. I needed to do some work on the following row to close sone holes at the corners so I’m not sure this is the best technique for making them.

11.04.24
Used Russian bind-off for button band and about to start on sleeves. 108 stitches seems huge and I like the look of Anoosh’s project so am going to follow her lead and decrease more frequently - I’m going to try every four rows instead of every six.

17.04.24
Right sleeve finished, 68 stitches for cuff and Russian cast-off.

22.04.24
Left sleeve finished, just pocket bags to go! So far I’ve used 556g blue yarn.