I have no idea how many yards are on this cone. I just entered an estimate of how many yards the pattern requires.

I just feel like using up some of my chenille. I have bunches on huge cones. I should maybe make a blanket or something but I just feel like a cozy cardigan.

If this works out, it will make a great Christmas present.

Pattern says 1869 yards for a size medium. It also says to use light fingering weight yarn. My yarn is a little heavier than that. Working with a D hook and my yarn is a little tough.

Gauge - I want size Medium. Pattern says 44 clusters = 44 inches. With a D hook and my chenille, 44 clusters = 47 inches. Too big.

Next step - I am going to make a size Small with an E hook. This should give me the dimensions of a medium.

Bingo - Size small, 40 clusters with E hook = 44 inches which is the size medium that I want.

Sigh, I forgot. Once you get into the body of something, it will get narrower than the foundation row. I am on the 3rd row of the body stitch and my width is only 41 inches now. I bit smaller than I want it.

My gauge - 4 pattern repeats = 4 inches, 8 rows = 3 inches. So, the height of my pattern repeat is too short. That should work out okay since the pattern goes on how many inches you work.

Weird how my gauge for pattern repeats is 4 inches - which is exactly what it is supposed to be and yet I am 3 inches shorter than I should be for width. I am using heavier yarn and a larger hook, too.

Wrong Side?
Instructions say to continue for 13 inches (seems strange that this is for ALL the sizes!). Then to end on the “Wrong Side”. Hmmm… First mention of a right or wrong side. Seeing as you turn your work at the end of every row, there is no right or wrong side. It would be better if they said “odd or even” row. Even still, what difference does it make?

Ends of rows
In most things that I make, it looks nice to work the last stitch INTO a chain stitch at the end of a row. In this cardigan, it looks best to work the last stitch UNDER the chain stitch.

This allows the side to pull straight vertically. A much nicer look.

I have changed from t-ch 4 to t-ch 3. It looks a lot better.

Yoke
I worked for size small as those are the instructions that I am following. I did 18 rows for 2 side fronts and upper back.

My armhole is 10 inches in diameter.

The length from center back neck to bottom of cardigan is 20.5 inches.

This is very odd. The right front says work 1 last row with no decreases. The left front says work 2 last rows with no decreases. How odd that it works out that way. I believe it’s off by one row because the right front starts with working towards the back so you get one row ‘even’ in the beginning. The left front starts from the back and works to the front for the first row. This is because the decreases are worked in the center and not in the armhole.

Sleeves
I noticed that there are sections in the underarm where there are tr stitches as filler. It clashes with the puff stitches in the stitch pattern. I believe this is done to keep a straight underarm seam.

All sleeves start at the wrist. All sleeves have the same size foundation row. 12 clusters = 12 inches long

Pictures don’t match the instructions, Row 9 says:

Ch 4 (counts as tr). Puff Cluster in next tr. Skip next 4 tr. *Puff Cluster in top of next Puff Cluster…

But the picture on the pattern page of that part of the sleeve has a “Ch 4 (counts as tr). Skip next 2 tr. Puff Cluster in next tr. Skip next 2 tr. *Puff Cluster in top of next Puff Cluster…

This gives a better look because the gap from skipping 4 tr stitches is pretty big. Plus, it makes me wonder why there are so many tr stitches? These sleeve instructions are the same for ALL sizes, from XS - 5X. Until you reach 17 inches in length.

I find this a REALLY huge width for the bottom of the sleeve. It’s huge on me and I am a lot larger than my daughter. I am going to modify this so the wrist is narrower. I know that I need to eventually get to the same number of puff stitches that the pattern calls for to connect the sleeve to the armhole.

I am going to start with a foundation row of 10 clusters. I found the dimensions for wrists in compression sleeves - medium max is 7.5 inches. So, starting at 10 inches seems still a bit large.

Modified sleeve instructions for narrower wrist
Foundation row - 10 clusters = 10 inches
Rows 1-5 - as written
Row 6 - T-ch 3, puff cluster in next tr, sk 1 tr, repeat puff clusters across, end with sk 1 tr, puff cluster in next tr, tr in last tr. (12 puff clusters)
Row 7 - Repeat Row 3 (no increase)
Row 8 - Repeat Row 3 (no increase)
Row 9 - Repeat Row 4

next pattern row repeat
Row 4 - repeat Row 5
Row 5 - T-ch 3, puff cluster in next tr, sk 1 tr, repeat puff clusters across, end with sk 1 tr, puff cluster in next tr, tr in last tr. (14 puff clusters)
Row 6 - Repeat Row 3 (no increase)
Row 7 - Repeat Row 3 (no increase)
Row 8 - Repeat Row 4
Row 9 - Repeat Row 5

Row 4 - T-ch 3, puff cluster in next tr, sk 1 tr, repeat puff clusters across, end with sk 1 tr, puff cluster in next tr, tr in last tr. (16 puff clusters)

Repeat Row 3 (no increase) for 17 inches from foundation row.

This modification gives you a narrower wrist while getting you to the same number of puff clusters in almost the same number of rows.

My width at the place where you stop increases is 15.5 inches. Remember that my yarn is heavier, my hook larger and I am working to Size Small numbers - aiming at a size Medium.

17 inches = 45 Rows

I followed the rest of the sleeve instructions exactly. Unfortunately, there are not very good measurements in the schematics. The schematics are a mix of some measurements and mostly the number of puff clusters.

After finishing all of the sleeve rows for on sleeve, the length of my sleeve is 19 inches. When I searched the internet, a woman’s size medium long sleeve length from shoulder seam to wrist is 25 inches. This seems like my sleeve is going to be a 3/4 length sleeve.

In the pattern photos, the sleeve looks like it drops down over the shoulder. But this could just be the model and how she is wearing the cardigan. Even still that isn’t going to give me 6 inches in length.

The only thing I can think of to do is to continue on and go with 3/4 length sleeves. I will just have to see how it works out since the instructions for this are crap.

Piecing together
This entire sweater is seamed. I imagine this is to keep the puff clusters all going in the same direction. The seaming is not done that well in the photos. I can only hope my seaming looks better.

What I don’t like is seaming the underarm of the seam and then trying to sew the sleeve into the armhole. That reads like it’s going to be awkward to do when I get there.

Setting in the sleeves
The seams are easier to sew in the chenille than in regular yarn. The chenille hides the stitches! Yay!

The instructions have you place 2 stitch markers on each sleeve when making them. But there are NO corresponding stitch markers in the armholes!

Sew in sleeves, placing rows above markers along unworked edges of Front and Back to form square armholes.

Fortunately, I placed stitch markers on each side of the armhole where I started or ended the upper yoke. I did this so that I would remember to hide the ends. It turns out that this is exactly where you are matching the stitch markers from the sleeves into the armhole.

I am a fanatic about using an orange marker for the beginning of a row and a blue marker for the end of the row. It also turns out that I could easily match my blue and orange markers from the sleeves onto the body of the cardigan.

There is no right or wrong side when you are turning your work every other row. So, this actually helped me to place the sleeves correctly. I just matched the colors of the stitch markers and the places. My armholes were perfect.

Because the chenille can be difficult to see, I placed a stitch marker on the wrong side to show where my seams were placed.

Edging

With RS facing, join yarn with sl st to bottom corner of Right Front.

The trick is to turn the sweater as if you are wearing it. The Right Front is then the side on your right side. Then the instructions work.

The instructions tell you to work the small puff cluster edging up to the shoulder seam, across the back, and stop at the left shoulder seam. Fasten off. WHAT?

Then you rejoin at the LEFT shoulder seam and work the small puff cluster edging down the left side. Fasten off. WHAT?

THEN you rejoin your yarn at the right shoulder seam and work the regular puff cluster across the back. Fasten off. WHAT?

That literally makes absolutely no sense at all.

Why not work the small puff cluster up the right side, at the shoulder seam, switch to the regular puff cluster edging across the back, then at the next shoulder seam switch back to the small puff cluster edging down the left front? Well, that’s what I am going to do. Screw those weird instructions!

My method of working the puff clusters all around the inner edge works just fine! The only exception to that is when you work the small puff clusters along the right and left front, you cannot put one for every row (unless you have really tall stitches!). It turned out ruffled.

I ended up having one small puff cluster for about every 2 rows or less. I didn’t worry about matching them up to the rows, and they look much better.

Overall
This has been a pretty easy cardigan to make. I feel like it had places where the instructions and measurements could have been a lot better. The final test will be to see how it fits my daughter.

Dimensions
Sleeve from underarm to wrist - 18.5 inches
center back from neck to lower edge - 19 inches

width from left front, all the way around to right front - 44.5 inches