Stash-buster alert; the mystery tour starts here!

I’ve been wanting to cast on for this cardigan for a while now, but needed to galvanise myself to do some serious stash-wrangling in the process. I absolutely didn’t want to buy any new yarn to knit it.

The pattern as stated requires 7 colours, and I’ve found enough leftover odds and ends, and a couple of full skeins, to make up the colours as follows: beiges, greys, grey/blues (various remnants), then a full skein of Posh Yarn Sylvia (rust-red coloured), a skein of ECY Bedale in a golden-green shade, some Tabby Cat skeins in a blue/rust wool, and almost of full skein of Posh Yarn Sylvia in a grey/green shade. Most of the yarn has silk content, so it all seems to go quite well together. Colour-wise, again, it seems to blend pretty well, as much as I could work out all chucked together in a heap!

General note! be prepared to often juggle 4 working balls of yarn at a time. I’ve had to make time to settle down to this, and hope that the phone doesn’t ring, no one knocks at the door and that pan of tripe doesn’t boil over…

Pattern: a very simple top-down raglan cardigan with increases every other row on the yoke, then straight down with no shaping. I really like the sequence of colours on each panel and the way they are slightly asymmetric. It’s an addictive knit!

Sizing: I was quite surprised when I started this knit a few weeks ago, that nobody else had knitted it yet. The pattern (a free one) is quite brief, though all the info you need is there; I do wonder if it’s because there’s not much info on sizing, nor a schematic. However, the sizing/measurements are quite simple to work out with a calculator. For the medium size (and assuming you get the correct gauge of 32 sts/42 rows to 4”):

Bottom edge/bust (it’s all the same, with no waist shaping, etc): 284sts/32x4”=35.5” (note that there will be buttonbands added to this measurement)

Yoke depth vertically: 70 rows, so this equates to 70/42x4”=6.6” and then there are 10 rows of neck ribbing to add to this. My measurement diagonally along the raglan seam is just over 8” (excluding the neck rib).

NB: when you finish the yoke increases, the count for the medium size is fronts=68 sts, sleeves=114 sts, back=136 sts.

The panels are both 244 rows deep, which works out as 244/42x4”=23.3”; you have the cast on neck ribbing and the bottom ribbing to add to this length. This panel length is the same for all sizes; it obviously can be adjusted by knitting less rows/stripes.

Sleeves: 18 decrease repeats in total = 82 sts remain for the medium size (armhole pick-up = 120 sts). You end up finishing the whole stripe panel sequence again to get to this point, and then you knit the rib cuffs. My measurement from the armhole, including the cuff, is 20.5” (that’s a full repeat of the panel).

Button bands: I’ve picked up 228 sts each side, from 264 rows (panel = 244 + 20 rows top/bottom rib). This works out at an approx ratio of 7 sts : 8 rows. I’ve picked this number up rather than the 258 sts suggested, which would have meant 1 st for almost every row; I wanted to avoid any potential puckering.

Buttonhole row: for 7 buttonholes (rather than the suggested 6) I’ve knitted 7 sts rib, YOx2, k2tog, rib 33/34 repeat 6 times, then YOx2, k2tog, rib to end. The double YO makes for a larger buttonhole with this fine gauge fabric (rather than my usual YO, k2tog).

27.8: well, as dear Aristotle would say, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts… though having said that, the ‘parts’ were pretty damn good to start with!

I love how this has turned out: fairly roomy (I could have probably knitted the smallest size), quite a lot of work, but the colours are great and I love the fine fabric - I’d kind of forgotten this type of fine gauge knitting, almost a thing of my knitting past. And thank you so very much, Vikki, Christina and Ann, for the gifted skeins!

eta: just looking at the photos and thinking… what would have been wonderful… pockets!!!

Cardigan weight: 440gm, so I’ve used approx 1900yds. Odd buttons from stash.

update 19.9: since finishing this cardigan, I’ve run a row of chain stitch inside the neckline ribbing, which gives a bit more stability. I’m mindful of Techknitter’s really good post about this problem, and that seams are sometimes for the good!

sweater #23 2016