IntSweMoDo2011 # 7

Test knitting “Emma” for jojilocat :-))

Blogged here about the finished project and
Blogged here about the progress.

10.24.11
The cardigan turned out beautiful. I love it :-)) It was a long project for me, but it was worth all the time and effort. It is a beautiful design and a pretty straight forward knit. I did do some modification, but they mostly where done to customize the cardigan for me and represent my personal knitting preferences and the fit I like. The instructions are easy to follow. The lace part is very easy and collar joint to the neck stitches is simple to do as well. The short row cap shaping was new to me and took some getting used to. Read more on that in Mods.

The yarn is just fabulous :-)) First time knitting with it and I love it. Silk content makes all the difference. The knitted fabric after washing became very silky and drapes beautifully. It stretched slightly, mostly in length of cardi, but not in the width. Sleeves did not stretched. The cardigan has luxurious feel to me :-))

Thank you Joji for the opportunity to test-knit “ Emma”. I will surely enjoy wearing this cardi :-))

My Mods:
I am knitting size: 38/40 to fit size 38.

Body

1.Knitted an extra row for the garter edge for the cardigan body to prevent rolling and to have a different CO edge on the RS.

2.Modified the way body decreases are done slightly as such: Worked in pattern to 2nd marker, sl m, k2tog, knit to 2 stitches before next marker, ssk,sl m, work in pattern to the end of row.

3.For the lace pattern, stitch #1 for the left side chart and stitch #10 for the right side chart were purled on the RS and knitted on WS. This was accidental, but I kept it as is.

4.Knitted 20 lace pattern repeats to armholes for the body.

5.Knitted 8 lace pattern repeats for the front halves from armhole to the shoulder joint.

6.Changed the way arm decreases are done
a little, as such:

for the back: Decrease row: K2, k2tog, k to 4 st before end of row, ssk, k2.

for the right front: Decrease row: K3, work lace pattern to last 4 sts, ssk, k2. Last lace repeat pattern was modified to be knitted in lace and not st.st.

for the left front: Decrease row: K2,k2tog, work lace pattern to last 3sts, k3. Last lace repeat pattern was modified to be knitted in lace and not st.st.

Right shoulder/Shawl collar extension:
Picked up neck sts to be connected by both loops, instead of one. I felt that picking up by front loop only will not be enough support for such big cardigan. Also, used ssk to knit sts to be joined. This gives a more symmetrical to the left shoulder look.

Left shoulder/Shawl collar extension:
Picked up neck sts to be connected by both loops, instead of one. Knitted sts to be connected as described in the pattern.

Sleeves:
Picked up number of sts for my size, but only did 1st decrease as described. Sleeves felt too narrow for my upper arm, so I have knitted without decreasing for 38 rows and then made decreases every 9-10 rows. I ended up with 56 sts. at the end of the sleeves. I used the same US4 needle to knit in garter st the sleeve edge.

This was the first time I have knitted sleeves this way, seamless from the top with short row shaping. I have struggled with the first sleeve,since I could not find the best solution for me in terms of what needle to use. I like to knit sleeves in the round on 5 dpns, like socks, but this was not convenient for the short row cap shaping. I have tried to have top cap sts on the circular needle and sts still to be worked in on the short dpns. This did not produce a smooth knitting and was kind of stressful. I asked kuduja, who have knitted many sleeves this way, for the advise on what needles are best to use in this situation. She suggested to use two circular needles. I have knitted second sleeve this way and everything went way more easier. Thank you Anna :-))

Belt:

I wanted the option of having no belt at all and also I would like the belt go through the back when cardigan is belted, so decided to knit belt separate from the body. Also, I prefer to knit belts widthwise and not lengthwise, due to the nature of garter st. stretching in the direction it is knitted.
I had to knit a complete belt twice ;-( First time Co417 sts, but the belt come out too long.
2nd time I CO 360 sts/ Knitted 7 rows in garter st. BO purlwise.
For the belt hoops, picked up a stitch on the side of the cardigan with a crochet hook and did a chain of 12. Then, connected the end of the chain to the side of the cardigan and crochet one row back.