I had a block about using a superwash for anything but baby stuff, but Classy made me change my mind. Its richness and subtle coloring as well as its great crispness make it a good choice for cable work. I love how it shows off Norah’s fab cables and even the seed stitch becomes something magnificient in this yarn. I didn’t realize just how wonderfully intricate that front panel was until I knitted it.

Modifications:

1: I switched out the basic twisted cables for braided cables on the sleeves and each side of the R front panel. This switch required a little math on the R front since each twisted cable is 6 stitches wide and each braided cable is 9 stitches wide. See Mod 2.

2: I pulled the braided cables and those cool little twists down into the ribbing of the sleeves and the R front. I did this because (1) I like it and (2) as I’m getting older and rounder, I’m trying to emphasize vertical lines and de-emphasize horizontal lines. Instead of adding stitches to the panels to accommodate the additional stitches, I kept the 6 stitches allotted to the twisted cable. On the first purl row, I increased three stitches evenly spaced in the braided cable. That preserved the ribbing’s flow into the cable design and gave relief to the braided cable. Then, I decreased in the same way before starting the garter stitch rows across the top of the panel.

3: Since I pulled the braided cable down to the cast-on edge on the R front, I had to cast on the facing earlier than the pattern called for. I widened the facing from 4 stitches to 7 to accommodate the additional width of the braided cable on the R front, and I made the change to both facings. I used stockinette stitch for the facings to eliminate some of the bulk. I also slipped the facings’ edge stitch to give sharper definition to the facing fold. This modification worked for the Classy, but I don’t know that I would do it for the alpaca called for in the original pattern.

4: I added darts in the back to allow for my “junk in the trunk”.

5: I got so bored doing the straight knitting on the back. I just had to add one of those cool little twists to the upper back to get me through it.

And doesn’t my favorite model, Miss D, perfectly show off this fierce green cardi in her fierce green boots?