Had enough of me in a swimsuit?

Sorry about that. I didn't mean to leave that post up there at the top of the blog for so long, but sometimes it happens, doesn't it?

Here's the cardigan progress. It's a brick red, not a burn the retina out red, but I just can't face the photo editing right now I'm afraid. Don't you think it looks angry with me?




Let me say it's a good thing that twisted rib looks so good, because it's as slow as a wet week to knit. There's no way it'll be finished by the end of November. NaNoSweMo Fail.

I've decided that this cardigan is going to be like a little technique sampler for me. I've already cast the bottom off using an invisible cast-off once (I used the technknitting tubular bind off instructions) but I did it too tight, so I ripped it back and am doing it again a little looser.

I'm then going to do some front bands and sew them on (I think they can sit better like this) and then a collar of some kind. I like a picot hem, so maybe I'll do that for the collar.

I'll think about this while I sort this tubular cast-off business out (properly this time) and get back to you.



BTW, check out the Techknitter's great post about the 'work to glory' ratio of knitting projects. I'm not into the greater glory for minimum work project - I get my knitting kicks from the self satisfaction of the maximum work project - some people like minimum effort projects that finish quickly, some just like to knit the same way they'e always done it. The whole idea of 'glory' for knitting projects is absurd of course, but sometimes it's what drives the blogging knitter, isn't it? It's all very interesting.

Oh, and I've started another cardigan, another of my attempts at maximum work for minimum glory. Want to know which one it is? It's this one here.

Just checking in

My ravelry profile wish came true today for an hour or two. Except for the part about being in the Loire. You can't have everything I s'pose.



Raglan is now as long as the waist. I think I want a long-ish cardigan, and the sun's still shining, so I think I'll just keep going.

Hope you had a good afternoon too.

Raglan Update

I've been plugging away a little each night on the raglan cardigan. It's grown a little, see?


When I got very bored with the raglan increases, I started a little 'feature' - I incorporated a twisted rib into the increases. This means that the cardigan will have vertical panels of twisted rib in the sides. I'm really loving the look of the twisted rib!

I kept going until I had around 63 stitches or so for the arms - 43 or so across the fronts and 86 in the back - then I put it all on waste yarn and tried it on. Unfortunately, it was still a little snug under the arms, so I put it all back on the needle and did two more increases. I tried it on again and it was much better.

Keeping the sleeve sections (and 1 stitch from the 'seam') on the waste yarn, I put the rest back on the needle and kept knitting, casting on 7 stitches in each of the armpits, and keeping the twisted rib panel as established across the cast-on stitches.

In addition to this, I started to incorporate two stitches of twisted rib across the fronts and back from the outside in every fourth row. This will make a deep V in the centre of the back and the front (when fastened) of the rib, and hopefully mean that the whole thing will be in twisted rib when the cardigan reaches waist length.

So now, while I'm doing this next bit, I'll be thinking about how I'd like to finish the neck edge, the front bands and the hem.


Things that are concerning me right now about this cardigan:

1. I wish I had have incorporated the rib a little earlier, I think it looks great, but you can't really see the start of it from the front, it's too far down the raglan seam.

2. At first, I forgot that twisted rib has two sides to the pattern (because I usually do it in socks, where there is no wrong side) - so it doesn't look that good for the first few rows. I ignored it and didn't frog it back when I first noticed it, and now I wish I had have.

3. The neckline is a little boxy. Maybe I should have started with less stitches and increased the front at each end for a while, giving me a V neck or at least a tapered neckline. I don't know if this is going to be a problem when it comes to the collar part - I'll have to take this into account when I decide what to do with the neck.

So - this is what I'm up to now - I'll see you all on the flipside of the weekend with some more progress, and hopefully some resolutions to the issues I have with it.

I'll leave you with a picture of a future project. Wollmeise stripes, but first I need to gather a few more colours.