FROGGED 2020 - Nothing wrong with the sweater except it doesn’t fit any more, so I’m going to re-use the yarn :)

April 2012
FINALLY took some photos of me in the cardigan!

4 November
One last comment now I’ve been wearing this for a while: I found the back was stretching across the base of the hood as there’s no seam there to keep the area stable, so I used a 3mm crochet hook to make a row of slip stitches on the inside from the outer edge of one shoulder right across to the other. That keeps the shoulder and neck area in check, and the whole cardigan now sits more neatly.

31 July
No luck getting a decent self-timed photo of myself wearing the cardigan, so I’m settling for the flat-on-a-table shot!

For my first adult size knitted garment I am very happy with the result. I’ve worn it a few times and the only real ‘problem’ is that the button holes are too big for the buttons I chose so it tends to fly open - but fixing that is just a matter of taking a scrap of wool and needle and putting a stitch into each hole to draw it in a little. I’m getting some pilling under the arms too but that’s OK, I find with most wool garments that once the initial pills emerge and are removed it all settles down.

The cardigan looks flared when laid flat because there are more stitches in the hip than the bust, but that’s just how I am. When I put it on the A-line shape disappears and it’s got the same amount of ‘wearing ease’ all over. I could have gone a little smaller, especially across the shoulders and upper arms, so next time I will choose a smaller size for the top and make even more of an adjustment to the bottom. My gauge was consistent with my swatch, I just overestimated when figuring out the measurements I wanted.

I feel confident to try virtually any intermediate-level knitting pattern after finishing this. Bring it on!

21 July
Tonight I finished the sewn bind-off (which looks great, glad I’ve learned that skill!), sewed on the buttons and wove in the last loose ends. It’s soaking right now, and I will pin it out to block before bed. My first finished sweater for myself! I am beside myself with excitement :)

I used almost exactly six skeins to make my hybrid 1x/3x size with long sleeves, so the eight I bought was definitely overkill. I sense my daughter will be getting a toddler sweater in the same yarn, or maybe I’ll make all the men in my family hats…

17 July
Sleeves finished and sewn in tonight.

Now I can try the cardigan on properly it’s turned out quite big, particularly across the shoulders and upper arms. The cuffs would have been enormous too, had I not noticed early on and reduced them by about 3”. I’m not sure if this pattern just runs large in the arms, or if I need to be choosing sizes based on my high bust measurement and adding extra shaping. I don’t think I have particularly small arms, though I know my shoulders are quite narrow. Next project I will calculate the arm circumference and shoulder width before I start.

Still, can’t wait to finish! I’ve picked up all 294 stitches for the button band and knitted the first row, so I feel like I’m on the home straight.

7 July
Hood completed! I’ve never done a three-needle bind-off before, it’s so NEAT! Wish I’d adapted the shoulders for short rows so I could have used it there too - I’ll know for next time.

When I put it on the hood forms a definite pixie point at the top, which I find very exciting.

4 July
Body completed, and I’ve got a good way into the hood as well. It’s starting to get unwieldy in my lap, so I’m looking forward to moving onto the separate sleeves :)

I was very excited to seam the shoulders so I could try it on. Taking a guess at the results of blocking it seems about right, I think the fit will be fine.

I’ve got eight skeins of yarn, and have barely started on the fourth, so there will definitely be enough to make long sleeves.

22 June
I’ve got about 6” done so far, that’s over a third of the way to the armhole. Woo!

My decreasing-in-pattern seems to be working well. I started each eyelet pattern repeat with 3 k between the eyelets and double decrease (instead of 2), making it a 10 stitch repeat (instead of 8). Each time I get to row 5 of the pattern I bring a few of the repeats down to the original size by adding an extra decrease on each side of the double decrease. There’s 25 repeats, so I’ll be reducing by 50 stitches over the torso area, which my math tells me should result in a nice fit :)

You can see in the photographs that the Denise interchangeable cables I’m using have terrible kinks in them. (Not to mention the needles being plastic, which is not my favourite material.) It’s driving me mildly nutty, but this is the only circular I have in size 10 and I don’t have the means to get another one right now.

15 June
Swatched for this cardigan tonight. I had to go up to a 10 needle to get gauge with Cascade 220. It’s quite a loose fabric, but that’s fine, as my wardrobe needs lighter cardigans as much as heavier ones.

I’m making size 1x for the sleeves, shoulders and bust, but adding a lot of stitches in the torso to give more of a trapeze shape. I’m tired of cardies where only the top buttons close easily! I’m keen to see how my proposed method to add that extra width within the eyelet pattern turns out.

I’m not using a contrast colour, and if I have enough yarn I want to make long sleeves. (I will do those last and weigh the remaining yarn to see how much length I can add.)