This is my second attempt to make a Flax sweater that fits me! My first attempt resulted in a perfect sweater… until I blocked it and it grew a few sizes. I had to roll the sleeves multiple times and it was sliding off my shoulders. I knew I’d never wear it in that state, so I frogged it and now I’m trying again.
Pattern gauge: 18 st & 22 rows
Flax attempt #1: size S, US 8 needles, final sweater gauge after blocking 16 st & 16 rows 
Flax attempt #2: size XS, US 7 needles, gauge of blocked swatch 20 st & 25 rows
(US 7 needles worked for a baby version of the sweater that I knitted, so here’s hoping that it will work for an adult-size version!)
…
Blocked when the body was about 70% complete to see how much the sweater would grow. Before blocking: 20-21 stitches per 4 inches and 29-30 rows per 4 inches. After blocking: 20 stitches per 4 inches and 27-28 rows per 4 inches.
Knit until stockinette body is 15.5 inches from underarm to bottom hem, then 10 rounds of ribbing to finished.
…
11-Dec-2018
Cast off body using stretchy bind-off (k2tog tbl, slip stitch back to LH needle, repeat) but it’s still way too tight (user error!) so I’ll pull it out and try to be more relaxed about it on the second try!
21-12-2018
Almost done sleeve #1: from stitch pick-up, knit 54 rows, then 6 sets of 6-round decrease sequence (36 rows) for a total of 90 rows. My blocked row gauge is 27 rows per 4 inches, so to get 16.5 inch sleeve length (measured from underarm), I need 111 rows total from sleeve join. Aiming to finish by end of 2018!
28-12-2018
At bind-off for second sleeve. Knitted 117 rounds (not 111), then 11 rounds of 1x1 rib for cuff, then stretchy bind-off. Next step: blocking and the moment of reckoning. Will I have made a sweater that fits me?
31-12-2018
Finally dry, ends woven in, and… it fits!!
I am overall pretty happy with it. When I decided to re-knit this sweater, I made 2 changes to try to improve the fit, which I knew in my heart at the time was just bad science (one should change only a single variable to properly test a hypothesis.) Even so, I changed both needle size AND dropped a size in the pattern (from ‘S’ to ‘XS’.) It fits, but it’s a wee bit snug. I can wear it with a camisole underneath, but that’s about the limit. I expect I’ll be able to get a bit more room inside when I get to pin it out and block it properly on blocking mats.
A great first sweater project that is easy to execute and makes for great telly-watching knitting. It taught me about the importance of gauge, swatching, blocking, and garment weight.
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