Durrow Cardigan - Complete

Okay, so I still have to buy and sew on the buttons, but for all intents and purposes, this sweater is done! It's off the needles, all the tails have been hidden, and photos have been taken. I'm SO wearing this to work tomorrow!

This sweater came together amazingly quickly considering all the times I started over, and all the rows I had to frog. A lot of it was math, and the rest was trial and error. I'm rather proud of of it, and I'm secretly hoping to impress a person or two.

As usual, I've already got my next project going. I'm working on the Red Herring Scarf by Yvonne Kao. The Misti Alpaca Suri Silk is a beautiful yarn, but the Hematite is rather tweedy, and so dark it might as well be black. It made choosing a guy pattern rather difficult. This pattern is very subtle, but elegant in its own right. I think it may be a rather unexpected surprise for a guy who asked for a scarf, but wasn't technically serious until I bought the yarn.

Button Shopping

I am so close to finishing my sweater that I can virtually guarantee I'll be wearing the Durrow Cardigan to work on Monday. That being said, I have a hard time forcing myself to complete finishing touches like hiding tails and going button shopping.

Speaking of which, I think I've found the buttons I want to use, but while searching, I also found these killer steampunk buttons cast from the inside of a watch! I think I will have to add this button to my list of purchases just so I have them on hand when that perfect garment comes along.

Durrow Sleeves are attached!

I was dead set and determined that I was going to finish the sleeves this last weekend. I was not about to let my second-sock-syndrome put my coveted sweater on hold. Alas, after much persistence and knitting until my elbows ached, I did manage to finish them.

Getting them attached turned out to be a whole other nightmare. I thought I had it all planned out, and I was anxious to get back to working on the body. I stayed up until 1:30 AM Saturday night attaching them, only to wake up Sunday morning and tear it all out. It wasn't until Sunday night that I finally got everything back together.

I put the project down as soon as I was done. I haven't picked it up since. My elbows need to heal.

My JCrew Gloves

I attempted to make me a set of JCrew gloves. I figured that at least I was knitting, even if I was still trying to recover from my Durrow Disaster. Unfortunately, even though I dropped down to the size needle I was supposed to use, they were still too big for me. I'm thinking I need to go with a lighter weight yarn, and an even smaller needle.

I'm re-thinking my yarn purchases tomorrow. Unless I get my official discount, I can't afford 3 skeins, so I may just spend money on the two skeins, and wait a payday or so to buy more Durrow Cardigan yarn. Once I get back into it, I'm going to fly through skeins!

Frogging Hell

I was sitting at my mother-in-law's house trying to get a few rows knitted on the Durrow Cardigan when I realized the cable I was twisting didn't actually exist on the pattern. After realizing I'd been knitting on autopilot and not actually paying attention to the instructions, I tore out a good 7 rows. Yeah, it hurt a little. I kept knitting.

I got almost back to where I was supposed to be when I proudly held up my sweater to admire my hard work when I noticed one of the 'regular' cables had the 'reversed' cable pattern for the last several rows. I completely spazzed. after taking a couple minutes to get ahold of myself, I stared at the cable, then stared at the pattern. HOW did I screw it up? I thought I'd figured it out, but I had a choice. Do I tear out 12 rows on just that cable, or do I just frog the entire project back 12 rows? Sometimes frogging is actually less work than just working a single cable pattern. All the extra yarn pieces get so mixed up, and in the way, but re-knitting 12 rows didn't exactly sound like a picnic either.

What did I choose? To toss it back in my bag and deal with it when I got home. It was Christmas Day in a living room that was not mine. I didn't think I needed to show my mother-in-law my crazy side.

Alas, I am now home and wary to open my bag. I'm hoping I can really figure out what went wrong and fix it without having to undo so many rows. On an up-side, I could use the fact that I have 4 more skeins than I thought I had, and make the torso a bit longer!

We'll see... just as soon as I get brave enough to face the hellmess. And knitting is supposed to be relaxing.

The knitting continues... sort of

I bought more yarn for the Durrow Cardigan, but I feel a bit guilty for not finishing the Lucky Spider Shawl, so I think I'm going to try to finish it as quickly as I can. If I work on it diligently, I may be able to finish it before Christmas. 

My original plan was to get as close to finishing the Cardigan before Yule and Christmas as I could, but I think I'll be happier knowing I finally got the Lucky Spider Stole finished and delivered. Besides, whats the fun of going on vacation without a project to enjoy?

Here are some new pictures of the Durrow Cardigan in progress. Thank you for the use of your camera Carole! 

Math for Bust Increases

I've completed the increases, and worked an additional 2 inches as established for the waist area. I hit a stopping point when I needed to do the math to figure out the bust increases, and decided to take a break for a couple days. After all, I can only nonstop knit for so long before my elbows give out and take me out of commission for much longer than I would like.

After my couple days of recooperation, I determined I need to increase 1 stitch on each side of the side panels (4 stitches) every 6th row, 7 times.  After that, the major decision on how I'm going to work my sleeves must be decided. 

Raglan or inset? Durrow cable, or Celtic Knot cable? (I've pretty much decided on the Raglan/Durrow combo)

Luckily, due to my running out of yarn before I could get my next set of reinforcements, It'll most likely be until Christmas before I get a chance to continue the bust increases, let alone work on sleeves. 

Speaking of Christmas, if anyone is asking what I want, send them directly to the Stitcher's Haven link on the right of this blog. If you call them, they will add the money to a gift card that I can spend in the store to my little heart's content. At this point, that would be to finish this project!

As a side not, I've decided that on the official pattern, I won't be adding the P1 on each side of the side panels. I'll go straight from seed stitch to k2. It hides the shaping increases/decreases better. 

I've also decided that I hate the two additional rows I added between the celtic knots. I thought it might look cool to have those knots look more like a rope with knots as opposed to just another cabled panel. Sadly, I was wrong. It just points out that I didn't reverse those panels. In the final version, the pattern will not have extra rows, will be reversed, and will probably include a simple 6-stitch braid down the center of the back instead of the celtic knot to keep it as symmetrical as possible. 

You live, you learn, but the question always remains: to frog or not to frog. In this case, I'm far enough along to think of these issues more as ways mine will always be unique as opposed to flaws that need fixing. (That's Jen speak for "I don't wanna start over AGAIN!")

Pictures and Progress

I realized I could post photos of my knitting, so here you go. This fine photo above is the yarn, in its store-bought form, sitting on the community table at A Stitchers Haven. This photo is most like the actual color. I originally bought two skeins and put the rest on a bag with the name of my firstborn that is being kept at the store until I return to retrieve more. These three skeins are the first of my reinforcements. 

This is the sweater in progress. I hadn't taken any yet, and thought you all might want to see what all the excitement is about. I'm LOVING how this is turning out. I don't feel the cables are too cramped, and the seed stitch side panels add an additional texture without making the design too busy. 

Durrow Cardigan Updates

Update:

I frogged and re-knitted a skein adding the ribbing-to-cable twists. I then considered changing the ribbing so that it naturally matched up with the cables (k3, p2, k2, p2, k2, p3, k2, p4, k2, p1...). I decided that I wanted to keep the ribbing consistent so the ribbing on the sleeves and the ribbing on the collar don't look all crazy. 

I then decided that since I'm cutting it really close on yarn, perhaps it would be best to knit it from the top down. I knitted a 5" collar, including an additional 8 sts on each side worked in seed stitch to make the facing and button holes I got all the way down to where I was working short rows to make the front neck lower than the back neck when I realized that I've never in life worked anything from the top down, and I've never made raglan sleeves. 

I don't want to get half way through a project before deciding that it isn't working. I get serious second sock syndrome, so if that happened, I'd put it down, and never pick it up again. I decided this project is one that I really care about. I WANT to finish this cardigan.

I frogged everything. 

I've now knitted up a skein, starting from the bottom. I did learn a few things, so its not like my experimenting went to waste, and it turns out that cashmerino aran holds up amazingly well to being frogged repeatedly. 

Things I've Learned:

1. I need to surround my pattern with two purl stitches, not just one.
2. Since I'm knitting the facing along with the pattern, I only need to begin the pattern by knitting 2, not 3. 
3. My changing the two above things means I'm going to need to change my pattern to allow for more side panneling. Its easier to shape in seed stitch, than it is to shape in a cable. 

Things I'm still considering:

Raglan sleeves - I still think this is a good idea. I like the look and fit of raglan sleeves, I've just never tried them before. I have a while before I have to make my final decision, so I can do some research in between knitting. When I get to where the body parts for the sleeves, I can already have that much worked on the sleeves, so its ready to just keep going. 

Sleeve Cable - I've not decided which cable to use on the sleeve. I am thinking that since the body has the durrow cable, with the celtic knot cable as an accent, that maybe it would be nice to have the celtic knot cable on the sleeves. On the other hand, this IS called the Durrow Cardigan, so maybe that cable should be on the sleeves. However, if I am going to be making raglan sleeves, it would be easier to use the celtic knot cable since my decreases won't get near the cable, thus keeping them as uncomplicated as possible. Alas, reasearch I must do. 

Durrow Cardigan - First Row Reworked Revised

I frogged the skein. I reworked the first row. There were mistakes, but I edited and fixed the post below, so they should be correct. Again, if you find they are not, please let me know! In the mean time, I'm going back to working row 2 even, then perhaps eating an ice cream cone as a reward for my good behavior.

Durrow Cardigan - First Row Reworking

Now that I'm a good dozen rows into the body, I took notice of how the ribbing did and/or did not align with the pattern and wondered if I should have added a few cables to better align them. When evaluating the work of others, this is always an added detail that I feel sets the good designers apart from the ones that didn't want to take the extra effort to polish their design. 

Looking at my pattern, it can be done, and perhaps it should be done. I think I just really don't want to frog an entire skein to change it on my sweater, but that doesn't mean I should avoid polishing my own design for future renditions. Who knows! I may get so desperate between now and when I pick up my next skein that I give in and fix it on my own work. 

I will use the same cables used in the durrow and double knot patterns, so the instructions and naming conventions will stay the same. 

Row 1: 

Right Front: 

K3, P5, k2, P1, twist 3 right, twist 4 right, P5, Twist 3 Right, twist 4 right, P1, twist 3 right, twist 4 right, P2, twist 3 left, P1, K2, P1, add stitch marker.

Work K1 P1 Seed Stitch for 11 stitches. 

Back: 

Continue Seed stitch for 12 sts, add stitch marker, 

P1, twist 3 right, twist 4 right, P2, K2, twist 4 right, P5, twist 3 right, twist 4 right, P2, twist, twist 3 right, K2, P1, twist 3 right, P7, K2, P2, twist 3 left, P1, K2, P2 tog, K2, P5, twist 3 right, K2, twist 3 left, P1, twist 4 left, twist 3 left, P5, twist 4 left, twist 3 left, P1, add stitch marker. Work Seed stitch for 12 sts.

Right Front:

Work K1 P1 Seed Stitch for 11 stitches. Add Stitch Marker.

P1, K2, P1, P4, twist 3 right,  K2, twist 3 left, P1, twist 4 left, twist 3 left, P5, twist 4 left, twist 3 left, P5, K2, P1, K3.

Keep in mind that these instructions are not tested, and may be flawed. If you find they are, please leave a comment or email me so that I may fix them. Like I said, I may yet frog the skein to test it myself, but I'd always rather have someone else double check my work.

Durrow Cardigan - First Row after Ribbing

I have decided this pattern needs a couple rows to set the pattern. 

Row 1: 

Right Front: 

K3, P1, Add Stitch marker, 

P4, k2, add stitch marker, 

P1, K2, P1, Add Stitch Marker, 

(Reverse Durrow Cable) K2, P7, K2, P1, K2, P3, K2, add stitch marker, 

P1, K2, P1, Add Stitch Marker, 

P4, K2, add stitch marker, 

P1, K2, P1, 

Work K1 P1 Seed Stitch for 11 stitches. Add Stitch marker for side seam.

Back: 

Continue Seed stitch for 12 sts, add stitch marker, 

P1, k2, p1, add stitch marker

(Regular Durrow Cable) K2, P3, K2, P1, K2, P7, K2, Add Stitch Marker

P1, K2, P1, Add Stitch Marker, 

P4, K2, add stitch marker, 

(Reverse Durrow Cable) K2, P7, K2 tog, K1, P1, K2, P3, K2, add stitch marker, 

P1, K2, P1, Add Stitch Marker, 

P4, K2, add stitch marker, 

P1, K2, P1, 

(Regular Durrow Cable) K2, P3, K2, P1, K2, P7, K2, Add Stitch Marker

P1, k2, p1, add stitch marker

Continue Seed stitch for 12 sts, Add Stitch marker for side seam.

Right Front:

Work K1 P1 Seed Stitch for 11 stitches. 

P1, K2, P1, 

P4, K2, add stitch marker, 

P1, K2, P1, Add Stitch Marker, 

(Regular Durrow Cable) K2, P3, K2, P1, K2, P7, K2, Add Stitch Marker

P1, K2, P1, Add Stitch Marker, 

P4, K2, add stitch marker, 

P1, K3

Next Row: Work Even. 

Durrow Cardigan - Step 2 - From Ribbing to Bust Shaping

After some playing around with the stitch combinations, I think I found a way to work the pattern to my satisfaction. At this point, there is only one way to find out!

Piece is worked with no side seams. All shaping is performed in the creases of the p1,k2,p1 section surrounding the seed stitch sides.

6 st Double Knot: Start pattern on Row 1 and add an additional 2 rows, working even, after rows 22 and 44.

19 st Durrow Cable: Start on and only work rows 31-94

I suggest adding a ton of stitch markers so you know where the hell you are as you knit along. Color coding those stitch markers might also be a nice touch if you are so inclined.

Next Row (RS): 

Left Front: K3, p1, 6 st double knot, p1, k2, p1, 19 st Durrow Cable, P1, k2, P1, 6 st double knot, P1, k2, P1

Left Side: Seed Stitch for 23 sts

Back: P1, k2, p1, 19 st Durrow Cable, P1, k2, P1, 6 st double knot, P1, k2, P1, 19 st Durrow Cable (Note: On this row, and this particular cable only, P stitches 11 and 12 together and pretend you didn't. This makes up for the fact that the back should only be 117 sts, and not 118. This point is as close to the center of the back as possible without screwing up the rest of the pattern), P1, k2, P1, 6 st double knot, P1, k2, P1, 19 st Durrow Cable, P1, k2, P1

Right Side: Seed Stitch for 23 sts

Right Front: P1, k2, P1, 6 st double knot, p1, k2, p1, 19 st Durrow Cable, P1, k2, P1, 6 st double knot, P1, k3

Continue in pattern decreasing 1 stitch on each side of the Seed Stitch sides (4 sts in total) every 4th row, 9 times. Piece should measure 9" from bottom.

Work even in pattern for 3". Piece should measure 12" from bottom.

Stay Tuned for "Durrow Cardigan - Step 3 - Bust Shaping".

Durrow Cardigan - Step 1 - Cast on and Ribbing

At 8:41 pm EST last night, I cast on a new sweater. I'm using cables I found on Girl from Auntie to create a very celtic cardigan. I'm hoping that after I'm done, it will still be feminine, but not too girly girly. I want a sweater that flatters my curves, shows off my cabling ability, and makes me feel pretty. A lot of heavily cabled sweaters end up being big, bulky, shape destrying masses of warmth and snuggly goodness. I am trying to find the happy medium between the two. 

Yarn: Cashmerino Aran

Color: Bubbles (but... I'm SO not a pink person!)

Needle: US Size 8 (5mm)

Pattern: Except for the cable design, this pattern is mine. 

Gauge: 18 stitches per 4" row, 24 rows per 4" column

Size: XL'ish. This pattern is made for me, so I'm making it to fit my measurements.

I will probably have to post later on a guide to how I come up with my sweater measurements.

Cast On 234 sts (Multiple of 4, plus 2)

Next Row (WS): Work P2, K2 rib across to last 2 sts, P2.

Work in Double ribbing for 3".

Place stitch holders 58 sts from each end. 

To Be Continued...