When it was time to replace my old, worn out, wear-around-the-house sweater, I decided to make a top-down, saddle-shoulder Aran cardigan. My previous TDSS Arans were made in finer yarn than Bartlett, so being a thicker yarn, I figured I could get by with less yardage. M’mm, not so much. I ran out of the original yarn before the sweater was done, so I tried to get more directly from Bartlett, but they were out of stock, so they kindly referred me to someone in my state to get a couple more skeins. Whew! Saved! Photos do not adequately show the color. It really is the same color as a fresh blueberry – a greyish blue, but also with tweed flecks of white and magenta.

BTW, there is only a slight difference in dye lots. The newer dye lot is slightly darker, but it was used for the neckband and button and buttonhole bands, so it isn’t too glaring.

Cables and Stitch Patterns: This time I decided to try making an Aran with one set of stitch patterns in front and a different set in back.

The layout in front from the side is:
2-st twist cable
S-braid variation
2-st twist cable
Offset open cable panel
2-st twist cable

The back layout is:
Eccentric Rope cable
pattern #22
Eccentric Rope cable
Triple Criss-Cross
Eccentric Rope cable
pattern #22
Eccentric rope cable

The S-braid variation was inspired by the S-hitch in Elsebeth Lavold’s Viking Patterns for Knitting. I wanted 4 continuous ribs gradually moving over each other, and designed it myself.

Pattern #22 is from Annie Maloney’s book, The Cable Knitter’s Guide. The same cable was used in my Blue Spruce Aran as well. What can I say? I love this cable.

The Filler st used at the sides of the body and in the sleeves is #3 Rich Texture out of Annie Maloney’s book The Knitter’s Guide to Stitch Design, also used in the Blue Spruce. Again I love the stitch.

Triple Criss-Cross is called Triple-Braided Diamond in Barbara Walker’s first treasury. I think Triple Criss Cross is the Harmony Guide name for it. I mean the old guide edited by Debra Mountford and out of print.

This sweater also has underarm gussets for ease of movement, and I really like the effect.

How to add gussets
After the Front and Back are knit down to the armholes, and the Sleeves are knit to get the body width, then start the underarm gussets. Generally underarm gussets are about 3 inches wide at the widest part which is in the middle of the underarm “seam”. Since the sleeves and body are made top down, when I start knitting a sleeve down (in the round), I cast on 3 inches’ worth of sts using the e-loop method, then dec 1 st on each side of the gusset every 3rd round (as in a Gansey) until it’s been decreased away. After that, just dec as needed for desired sleeve shaping.

When knitting the Body, pick up 3 inches’ worth of sts from the e-loop cast-on, and dec the same as for the Sleeve until it’s decreased away.

Knit the gussets in Reverse Stockinette so that they recede, conforming to the armpit.

This sweater was knit seamlessly.

Repairs
After wearing this practically every day for several years, I noticed that the cuffs were starting to wear and unravel - eek! - so it was set aside. I thought I didn’t have any more of this yarn, but while looking thru some stuff, I found the leftover! Hurray! Saved! whew.

The leftover yarn is of course of the newer dyelot, so rather than trying to mend the cuffs, I’m going to cut them off and completely re-knit them. The originals were knit in p2/2-st cable, and it’s the cables that are showing the wear. While I might have liked the look of doing ribbing that way, it doesn’t have much elasticity and given the wear issue, the cuffs are going to be re-knit 2/2 ribbing. Also, because I was afraid of losing at yarn chicken, the sleeves are a bit short, so the new cuffs will be knit longer.

9-26-22
Finally, the cuffs are being repaired. I’ve started the right one first since it has the most wear, my being right-handed. Rather than cut off the old cuff, I picked and ripped it out. I found I had to go back farther than I thought at first because the yarn was thin in a few places above the cuff so that was reworked in pattern down to the transition round.

Originally, the cuffs had 54 sts, which is too many for a snug cuff. I think ideally the cuff should have 40 sts, which would be about 10” around if stretched out, so 14 sts needed to be dec’d. For a 2-st rib from the center cable to flow nicely into 2/2 ribbing, at its last crossing, the upper rib was lapped over the lower rib, and the ribs were knitted together with k2tog. 2 sts dec’d. The rest of the ribbing was planned to accommodate that. In the same round as the cable was dec’d, 12 more sts had to be dec’d. For a nice break between the pattern and the cuff, the round was worked in purl except for the center cable dec’s, as follows:

From beg of rd, (p2, p2tog) over 24 sts, work cable dec’s (k2tog twice), (p2tog, p2) over 24 sts. 40 sts.

Cuff patt from beg of rd, (k1, p2, k1) around.