Cable Down Raglan is done

And I love it!. So much that I want to make another one, now when I know all the tricks. One more picture of the front view can be seen here.
I am also happy that I used only 4 skeins of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece. I returned the fifth unused skein to my LYS today and got more yarn, hurrahh.

P.S. My project is done but I can`t wait to see more. There are so many great Raglans in progress. I love seeing all the different yarn and color choices. I am also happy that there are already more than twenty members of this KAL and hopefully more will keep coming, as we are now listed on the 2007 KALs page and also should be listed among the Interweave Knits Knitalongs.

Back to it!

I haven't been able to get much knitting in lately. We have been super busy working on our house. You can see our work in the picture above. We replaced all the carpet in our house with bamboo. Anyway, I got all the increases completed and got a few rows of the body done. Tried it on and I think I'm really going to like the fit. I went with a smaller size to get a couple inches of negative ease so it's more form fitting. Hopefully that will work for me. This is such a beautiful sweater. I'm knitting it in Cascade 220 Superwash that I happened to have in the stash or I wouldn't have picked this color, but I love the yarn. And after figuring out the cable and increase problems, it's going quickly. I did m1's instead of the kfb's and moved the right/left cables over a stitch.

I have been thinking of turning it into a short sleeve top. I live in Florida and won't get to wear this until next winter. Although being wool, even short sleeve will probably be too hot. I don't like having to wait so long to wear something.

Getting somewhere...

It is amazing how the last few rows of knitting seem to take forever. It took me three days to finish the double border (those 10 rows of knit or purl) on the body of the sweater:



I'd post a picture of me wearing the sweater, but I don't think I can take a good picture by myself, and my photographer is still sleeping. Let's just say that this is a very shape-enhancing sweater, and it hugs all the right curves. I am somewhat amused by the fact that the model in the magazine wasn't particularly curvy, to say the least; this looks amazing, and much better, on real people.

I am particularly pleased and tickled by the waist cables, and the magic they do pulling the fabric in:



Let me also mention that I am very pleased with the Silky Wool. It feels rough and scratchy at beginning, but it is very even and makes beautiful fabric.

And now for the technical stuff. The pattern says you should end the middle cable with row 30 of the chart, but the sweater in their picture obviously does not; it has one ending 3-3 cable crossing. I like that feature, as I feel it "closes" the last repeat and matches the first 3-3 crossing at the beginning.

Gretchen mentioned the problem of the raglan increases, which do not turn out symmetrical at all. Here is the top part of my sweater:



In the first few rows near the neck you can see the jagged line you get if you follow the directions. In the later rows, I got a smooth line by doing the stockinette increase one stitch earlier than the pattern suggested. You still get the increase, but I think it looks better. I hate frogging, so I left the few ragged lines in place, but I wish I'd realized the problem earlier...

Now, about those sleeves... I have a feeling they will take forever.

I give!

After slogging through figuring out the chart corrections, then researching corrections to the corrections of the left/right sleeve cables (thanks to all of you!) I have determined that I don't like how this sweater is turning out. I'm partway into the second diamond and the start of the sleeve cable.

Here's my biggest rub....my raglan increases don't match. It has something to do with them meeting the reverse stockinette. On the lines where you kfb into a purl stich, then purl that increase on subsequent rows, there isn't a nice stacked line of stockinette increases. It almost creates little holes. I have studied your picture posts closely and it appears that everyone's does this. It doesn't bother me so much when I view your progress....maybe if I finished the thing it would be so minor it wouldn't bother me like it does now. But I really don't want to continue all that knitting and find that yes, I still hate it.

Is it just me? Did I miss something in the directions to prevent this?

I'm considering two things, both of which involve a lot of frogging as step one! Then...placing a few more knit stiches before the center diamond cables on the sleeves to make the raglan line bordered by stockinette on both sides, (I haven't actually figured out if there is enough "room" to do this at the top of the shoulders) and eliminating the secondary cables on the sleeves. OR eliminating the center diamond cable on the sleeve entirely, and start the secondary cable at the same point that they begin at the waist shaping.

Thoughts? You are all doing beautiful work. I am getting irritated with myself, which means I need to take a different path instead of continuing down this road!

Underway at last.......

Finished up a much needed jumper for myself, my new interweave arrived so I now have the pattern, went through many yarns in my stash discovering that reverse stockinette has an unique ability to make even yummy yarns look like crap, reworked the math on the pattern so I can change the gauge, let go of the dream that this jumper would be in soft grey and I am finally knitting! Not enough on the needles yet to see in a photo, I tried, I will post in a couple of days when I have something to show. Am loving it already.

Lovely, Lovely

I looked at all of the lovely progress this morning and I decided that I wasn't going to post my woes on the sight. If you'd like to feel even better about how you're doing, you can read about my anti-progress here.
Rosi

Progress!

Well, it's taken me a bit to catch up...here's a blurry picture of my progress!



I love how the rows after the increases just seem to fly by. Anyhow, I had thought that I would start the waist cables at the very end of the third diamond, but I've already reached the underarm length for my size. I'm thinking I might have to take it off the needles and try it on. As much as I would prefer the symmetry, a flattering fit is much more important!

Side Cable Dilemna

After reading Trudy's solution to the increases that have to be knit into the side sleeve cables, I thought I had done the same thing. If I understand correctly, Trudy moved her cables over one stitch, which seems to work brilliantly. I realized that I took another route. Instead of starting the side cables immediately after finishing the first diamond, I waited and started them when I got to Row 3 of the second diamond. This provides that extra stitch and although the cables don't start together, they end together. So for those of you who haven't started this part, this is another work around that seems to work fine. By the way, starting on row 14 of the first diamond repeat (sleeves only), I found it useful to put another marker between the 26 stitches and the new increases on the sleeves. Hope this is helpful.
Rosi

The yoke so far

Hello everyone! This is my progress on the sweater so far:

The yarn I'm using is the pattern yarn, Louet Gems Worsted. The color is off in these pictures, it is actually a deep teal green, and it looks a little shinier than how it appears here, but these ones show the cables off the best. I really like the pattern yarn, I couldn't resist it in the yarn shop. It's soft, but it is still knitting up nice and heavy, so this sweater is really going to be warm. I've completed about 1.5 diamond repeats, which means I've started on the pesky secondary cables on the sleeves.

Here is a view of one of the secondary cables. I adjusted the chart for the R/L cables to account for the increases properly, but then there was still the problem of not having a stitch to KFB into. What I did was shift the whole adjusted chart outline one box to the right for the R cable, and one box to the left for the L cable. This means that my secondary cables are one stitch closer to the diamond cable on either side, I'm not purling the last (R cable) or first (L cable) stitch in the charts, but I think there is still enough room for it to look nice. This also means that I was doing a KFB right before or after the cable for a few rounds, and you can see the result above. I think it looks fine, even when stretched. Once I do a few more rounds I am going to try it on, hopefully it will still look good.
This is the first sweater I have ever knit in the round, and so far I love it. It is requiring a lot of time and concentration, but March Madness is providing an excellent excuse for me to sit on the couch for hours and knit. And seeing everyone else's work is so encouraging.

So Close

Last night I finished the first sleeve only to realize I messed it up. I don`t even know how it happened but the side cables on the sleeves ended up really far from the central cable and so you cannot see them from the front at all. They are placed on the inside of my arm. I must have knitted more stitches between the cable patterns. The trouble is that the side cables start before the sleeves are separated from the body, which means I would have to rip almost the whole sweater. Other than that, I am really happy with the fit of this sweater. I like how the raglan design accentuates the shoulders and how the cables at the bottom of the sweater shape the waist so I don`t think the sleeve bothers me that much for me to rip it all. Only now I have to be careful to mess up the second sleeve in the same way.

My progress so far...

Hey folks, just joined this KAL and am really looking forward to seeing everyone's projects. I decided to do mine in some Rowan Calmer (Coral) I had in the stash as I thought this design would make a great spring/lighterweight sweater. I really love working with this yarn and just hadn't found the right project for this bunch of it (got it on a GREAT sale too!) As I need a 50" finished garment, I'm overgauging just a smidge and so far it seems to be going well. I just started the 2nd repeat on the main cable chart and the side cables on the sleeves. I love working sweaters from top down...somehow they just seem to go faster and of course I love not having seams to sew up. The cables are a little on the loose side but I think (from past experience with this yarn) that they'll sort themselves out nicely after a wash/block.

One diamond minus 4 rows. Using the extra markers has really helped keep me on track. I find myself looking forward to picking up this project, so that's a good omen. Since I'm making one of the "larger" sizes, this may take some time. -Rosi

3 Strikes and You're Out

When I wrote to Anna and asked to join the KAL, I was so excited that I had found enough Gems Merino in my stash for the pattern. Well, it just so happens that my excitement turned to frustration in short order. The Gems I had was sport weight, not worsted. I was still hopeful when I had to move down to a size 4 US in order to obtain the proper gauge. It's been a while since I knit an Aran sweater and I forgot that unless the resulting fabric is dense, the cables are loosey goosey, thin and wobbly. Long story short; after 3 tries with the Gems, I have switched to Elann Peruvian Wool & Silk. (still on size 4 needles) What a difference! I should have pics soon. From what I see on this page, I'm going to have to do some perfect knitting to measure up.
Rosi

More help needed, please! Left/Right Cables

I have reached the point where I need to work the right and left cable on the sleeve, and again, the chart isn't working. Row one is fine; row two is not. For the right cable, I knit into the front and back of the stitch right after the marker, which leaves me 8 stitches to work. However, the chart shows 9 stitches left to work.

Is anyone else to this point? How did you solve it?

Rebecca

Finally, some progress

Boy, it's easier when the chart is correct! Thank you for figuring that out.
I am at row 16 on the first diamond repeat, and it's making sense. I still have gauge, so that's a good sign! The color is off in the pic; it really is a periwinkle (Elann Highland Wool).

Rebecca

Progress so far...

I'm knitting mine in Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool, greenish. As I've been sick with flu this week, I got to stay home and work on it a bunch. I've completed three pattern repeats!



Now, you might think that the sweater is almost done! However, you should know that my gauge is off (finer than the pattern requests). I really wanted to make something with this yarn, though, and the pattern is easy enough to adjust for a slightly different gauge. Also, after you divide the body is a little boring, with lots of stockinette; I'm putting that part on hold, as the sleeves look more interesting. These are the biggest dpn's I've every used!

Waiting, waiting, waiting.............

I am still waiting on my Interweave, any day now I am sure! I need to knit this sweater from my stash and all of a sudden everything I own looks incredibly boring and I have nothing that is right, oh the misery of stash busting. I will post once my IK arrives and I have chosen the yarn. I have a couple of other projects to complete so the delay is a good thing, .....really. It is great to see everyone else's.

First Diamond

I finished the first diamond yesterday. Finally, it seems I am making some progress after two false starts. First I messed up the cables on the sleeves and then I decided to knit the first row of the diamond chart twice to make the cable look more smooth and even. I love how the pullover looks in Cotton Fleece and can`t wait to get to the point when I divide the sleeves from the body and try it on.

Intro

I am so excited to start this. I have told myself that I must finish my current sweater- Thorn and Thistle Cardigan from IK Spring '06- before I cast on. I have the yarn- Cottonease in Popsicle Blue and cannot wait to see everyone's sweater.

What do you think ...

For those of you that have started knitting this, what do you think? I do not like the way the cables are lying. Maybe it's the yarn I'm using, but it just seems lumpier than I'd like ... I guess I prefer a smoother look around the neckline.