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Gargilia — Celtic Cabled Sweater

It was time for something cabled again—but now with contrast. This sweater is a seamless top-down raglan suitable for beginners, as the cables are mock cables worked after you are finished knitting, so you will not have to knit with two colors at the same time. You will, however, have to make a few calculations so the sweater will perfectly fit and flatter your very own figure. But no worries, I will guide you through the calculations with an example in the pattern in case you usually do not bother calculating.

I wanted something fun for the time in between the change of summer and winter season, something for spring and autumn or chilly summer evenings. You can also wear the sleeves rolled down (picture as schematic in pattern), but the trumpet cuffed sleeves and their very particular shape was thought to add a little extra, which is mainly visible when worn as in the photos. This design will work best with either two solid color yarns or with one gradient and one solid color yarn. Two gradient color yarns may make the look too busy for the eyes to enjoy the details. (The beret is part of my Rousonia pattern.)

I have used yarn leftovers from my Rousonia and Dubrogena patterns: the DROPS Loves You III, which has been discontinued unfortunately. This yarn had always been tricky in that its thread thickness varied so significantly (which also made it a suboptimal yarn choice for cables), but I always loved the only slight but frequent changes of color. You can use any yarn listed with 20-22 sts per 4 in / 10 cm. I have given yarn options when uploading, but you can also try Ravelry’s yarn search option yourself (see at the very end of this note for search criteria and related info concerning yarn substitutes).

Pattern files include

• written instructions,
• schematic,
• tables,
• four photo tutorials illustrating techniques and
• close-up photos for visualization of construction.

What you will learn (if not already familiar with it):

• to work a top-down raglan in the round,
• to include waist and hip shaping by making a few simple calculations,
• to work button holes,
• to work i-cords, arrange them in cables and attach them to your garment, and
• some minor techniques such as joining as you go, casting on by making backward loops, etc.

Yarn Usage

Usage will depend on your choice of yarns. The DROPS loves you III had a yardage of 1.8 oz / 50 g = ~ 164 yd / 150 m, so please make the necessary calculations if your yarn has a different yardage. After the size, first the main color is listed (gray), then (after the asterisks) the contrasting color is listed (plum).

Size S: 7.45 oz / 690 yd - 210 g / 630 m *** 4.25 oz / 395 yd - 120 g / 360 m
Size M: 8.15 oz / 755 yd - 230 g / 690 m *** 4.60 oz / 430 yd - 130 g / 390 m
Size L: 8.85 oz / 825 yd - 250 g / 750 m *** 5.15 oz / 475 yd - 145 g / 435 m
Size XL: 9.90 oz / 920 yd - 280 g / 840 m *** 5.50 oz / 510 yd - 155 g / 465 m
Size XXL: 10.95 oz / 1020 yd - 310 g / 930 m *** 6.05 oz / 560 yd - 170 g / 510 m
Size XXXL: 12.00 oz / 1120 yd - 340 g / 1020 m *** 6.75 oz / 625 yd - 190 g / 570 m

Other Material

• US 4 / 3,5 mm circular and double-pointed needles
• 4 buttons: ~ 0.6-0.8 “ / 1,5-2,0 cm (here: light metal)
• 8 stitch markers in 2 different colors if possible (4 + 4 – or otherwise distinguishable)
• small stitch holder (one closable stitch marker is sufficient)
• tapestry needle

Possible Yarn Substitutes

Some of the yarns I have given as possible substitutes have—aside from the same tension—the same yardage or are very close (Mirai, Rastita, Premium Marvel). Others have a significantly higher (DROPS Sky) or lower yardage (many of the others given) than the DROPS loves you III. If you wish to search for a substitute at Ravelry, try the following link with the given criteria below first:

https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/search#photo=yes&weight...

discontinued: no
gauge: 20-21
has photo: yes
needles: US 6 or 7 / 4 or 4.5 mm (although you will be using US 4 / 3.5 mm)
weight: dk
yardage: 300-360 (meant to be per ~100 g; DROPS loves you has 328, so go from here if you do not like the substitutes)

The official DROPS Loves You III tension is 20 sts x 26 rows. My tension of 21 x 35 is a result of using needles two sizes smaller than recommended, for I wanted a more dense appearance than usually achieved with this yarn. The smaller needles had little influence on st count, but a greater influence on row count. I suggest you pick a yarn that is listed with 20-22 sts and choose needles one or two sizes smaller than recommended for your first swatch as I have done. I have also given tips, should you still be too far off my tension.