I finished my sweater!!!

[firecat]

I finished my shawl collar cardigan! At least until such point as I decide to put some kind of closure on it. (I am thinking either a zipper or a couple of i-cord loops with chinese buttons across the front.) And it fits! It doesn't fit exactly like I thought it would, but it still fits.



This is the photo of the cardigan as described in the book Style at Large: Knitting Designs for Real Women:


I knit it in the "3X" size which is supposed to have a bust of 62". I decided I wanted it longer than the finished length shown - 26 1/2" - so I added 3 inches to the back. But then for some reason the lapel shaping needed a lot more rows than I thought it would, so the front pieces came out longer than the back, and I had to add more inches to the back. When I seamed it all up, I added side slits so the length differences would look like a design decision. [giggle]

It's kind of heavy and stretches when I wear it, so at this point I think mine is about 36" long. The front is shorter because the pattern calls for a garter stitch border and that pulls it up a bit. That's one thing I didn't expect, but I like the shape.

I used Yarn Country "maine" worsted weight yarn in wool / rayon / acrylic. I decided to use a different color for the garter stitch border and lapel. I like how that came out.

The assembly instructions left something to be desired. When I went to attach the shoulders and collar, the instructions didn't work and I had to undo and redo it. I used single crochet on the inside to attach the shoulders and collar, which very strong and kind of bulky.

The sleeves were supposed to be knit separately and sewn in, but I didn't trust the shaping that the instructions called for because my arms are short and wide. So I decided instead to seam up the sides and then pick up stitches around the armholes and knit the sleeves from the armhole down. I waffled a lot about how to work the decreases and the cuff, so I ended up redoing the lower half of both sleeves. I basically ended up decreasing 8 stitches every two rows at the top and then switching to decreasing 2 stitches every two rows and then working even for a while and then going back to 8 decreases, then working the cuff in a much smaller needle size. That gave the sleeves what I think is a very nice shape. AND THE SLEEVES FIT!!!!!!!! It's been forever since I had a long-sleeved garment with sleeves that actually fit. The only thing I will do differently the next time is use ribbing for the cuff, it's just a tiny bit too tight on the arm where I wear my watch, even with the special stretchy bind off that I did.

There is kind of a lot of fabric under the arms, and not enough fabric across my belly, so next time I do a sweater I'll do some short rows to add room to the belly.

Here I am in our lovely bathroom, which has good lighting and a ledge to set my camera on:









These are details from a photo taken by jwermont:

Comments

[krasota.livejournal.com]

Oooh! Lovely!

Eet's Fabu!

[the-ogre.livejournal.com]

I really like the colors. Well done!

[okoshun.livejournal.com]

The colours are beautiful! :)

[(Anonymous)]

Wow!

[beaq.livejournal.com]

'Sme!

[weirdodragoncat.livejournal.com]

very pretty!

[angeyja.livejournal.com]

I decided to use a different color for the garter stitch border and lapel. I like how that came out.

It's gorgeous, and suits you.

My arms are overlong.. I usually say monkeylike, and I crochet, not knit. I've sewn since I was little so I mainly use patterns for ideas or stitches I do not know. But I like the crochet for being able to work and adjust as I go on which isn't something I have a head for with fabric.

[firecat]

Thanks! I learned crochet before I learned knitting. I can imagine adjusting as you go must be harder with sewing fabric.

[karenkay.livejournal.com]

Very nice!

[firecat]

Thank you!

[punkmom.livejournal.com]

Very elegant and nice job of modifying to suit- I think that short rows would adjust the fit across the belly nicely in the next one.

[firecat]

Thank you!

[anisoptera.livejournal.com]

Beautiful! And the sweater too. ;)

[firecat]

*blush* Thanks!

[sev]

yummy!

[firecat]

*beam*

[prairierabbit.livejournal.com]

Very nice, and I love the colors and the way you combined them. I also like the longer length a lot.

[firecat]

Thanks! Cropped sweaters don't work with my body shape very well.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

I'm always amazed at the fat lady catalogs that make tops 26" long. That ends just at my waist, which is really not attractive. When they make clothes bigger around, they should make them longer, too.

[firecat]

Waist length looks good on hourglass-shaped fat ladies. But I'm shaped differently.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Great colors! And it looks good on you!

[firecat]

Thank you!

[baratron.livejournal.com]

That's a beautiful yarn (both of them), and it's an impressive garment. Is it heavy?

[firecat]

Thanks! It's on the heavy side (it has about 3 lbs of yarn), but I like that because it feels cozy and warm.

[dandelion-diva.livejournal.com]

Oh, it looks *wonderful* and warm and uber-comfy. Congratulations on finishing it. :)

[firecat]

Thank you! Nice icon.

[bastette-joyce.livejournal.com]

Ooo ooo! You look so cute!! :) The sweater came out so well, it looks great on you, and you in it.

[firecat]

Thanks, sweetie! And thanks for the photographs.

[sarahmichigan.livejournal.com]

That looks so much better on you than the model's looks on her!

Love the colors.

[firecat]

Thank you!

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

That is a beautiful sweater and it really suits you. I bet you feel happy when you're wearing it.

[firecat]

I do! Thanks.

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

Also, P made me this cardigan-jacket thing a few years ago. I was just astonished how differently clothes feel when the shoulder seams and wrist cuffs are both in the same place at the same time; that never happens for me with storebought clothes.

[firecat]

Yeah! When I put it on, I thought "Hm, there really is something to this knitting clothes for myself business, beyond just that I like to knit."

Lovely sweater

[chickenwitch.livejournal.com]

Wow! Wow! and Wow!

The sweater looks great, and it was nice to see your smiling face.

[bettybaker.livejournal.com]

That's a gorgeous sweater. I don't knit- I crochet, but it seems that wearing that sweater would feel like being wrapped in a really comfortable blanket- only with sleeves and pretty trim. =) Someday I'll crochet something other than a large floppy oval or a large floppy rectangle. We'll see.

In any event- hi! I'm friending you. I like the cut of your jib.

[firecat]

Thanks! I crochet too, but I haven't crocheted any fitted garments. Speaking of sweaters that feel like blankets, someday perhaps I will crochet the Philosophers Coat from Donna Cooler's Encyclopedia of Crochet:



[*friends you back*]