Like The Queen
Whatever happens to strike my fancy, but surely some sort of fiber content.

5 Comments:

Well, I will say in my flat Midwestern-with-a-hint-of-northern-Michigan voice:

"Ribbing is just fine for button bands. I do not see why you should not use ribbing."

I've used plain stockinette, ribbing, garter...I don't really see a difference in them. The key is in how you pick up the stitches, I think.

By Blogger fillyjonk, at 1:29 PM  

You are right, of course. But I like the color stripes in the garter band best with this sweater. In fact, the more I look at it the better I like it.

It's exciting to be so close to the finish!

By Blogger Bess, at 4:16 PM  

My, oh my, it's coming along nicely! This is so fun! Hey, if you need to button shop in Richmond, I'll meet you at Couture!

By Blogger Mary, at 4:58 PM  

The garter stripes are my favorite, and they add a nice vertical element. The color stripes sre an extra special touch.

What a beautiful sweater!

By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:00 AM  

Dearest Bess,
Your sweater is bee-ute-tee-full ^..^
XOXO

By Blogger Marfa's Mewsings, at 6:09 PM  

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Thursday, February 08, 2007  

Well, my dears, here are some more photos with accompanying verbiage. Here is a shot showing the shoulder fit - unblocked, mind you - so pay no attention to the wobbly stitching. Water will smooth this out a lot.

Note that the front neckline looks just perfect for adding a turtle neck. In other words, its way too high and I shall have to put in that collar steek after all. When I was first knitting the shoulder portion I planned to cut out that large chunk of laboriously knit Fair Isle work. Then, when I began the triangular shoulder shaping it looked as if I could just knit the shoulder part starting where the front neck opening should begin and skip the cutting.

Wrong. I would have to have begun the neckline shaping at the top of the green band to do that. I would never (EVER!) have knit that much stranded colorwork flat, but I could have done an Elizabeth Zimmermann kangaroo pouch. Only, I didn’t. So I’ll have to cut. I comfort myself with the knowledge that I had less purling back in stranded colorwork and less cutting to do than originally planned. I am extraordinarily pleased with the back.

Note how nicely the back shoulder and neck area fits since I put in those lovely short rows and sneaky little decreases. Yes. I am pleased with this.

This is how I handled the color changes.

Ooops – forgot to photograph that. I’ll show you next time.

This is how I wish I’d handled the color changes.

Ooops – forgot to photograph that. I’ll show you next time too.

I’ve done a lot of Fair Isle knitting in small things; mittens, hats, pull-over yokes. This is only the second all over the whole durn sweater fair isle I’ve even done and it’s at 8 st. to the inch, not 5. Without thinking I just did what I do when I do what I do: drop one color, pick up another. Weave it in at the end. I wish I’d started wrapping the new colors around the working yarns at the beginning of each steek, swapped colors in mid-steek, and carried the old colors to the end of the steek. Then I could have just snipped off the dangling bits, crocheted my steek and jumped right into button band knitting. Now I have to do something about all those dangling ends and loose stitches and bummer and all.

Eh. So be it. What I will do is:

1. tie off each end
2. machine stitch the center steek stitch
3. snip off all the loose bits close to the machine stitching.

As for the button band, well, hmm. You must know that I am a devoted follower of EZ, though I do not think I am a blind one. I can hear her saying in her clipped English accent, "I can’t see why they use ribbing for button bands. Don’t do it! Gaaaaahtah stitch is the thing for button bands."

Since I have done so few cardigans, I have very little experience and even less of an opinion about it. But I am developing opinions swiftly, for I am swatching. Here is a ribbing swatch done on #2 needles.

And #3’s.

I prefer the ribbing done on #2’s but I don’t really like the ribbing, period. I fear EZ is correct. Certainly, with neither swatch was I tempted to include the color knitting - neither the one suggested in the pattern nor the one I used in the cuffs.

I really like those cuff colors. So here is a gaaaahtah stitch swatch that includes the cuff colors.

Here it is pinned to the sweater front, right down the center, along with a view of the coordinating cuffs.

Here it is pinned around as a neck band. I had thought it might be too wide for a neck band, but I like the width.


I'm pretty confident about what to do next. The only thing I want to check is the gauge on that garter stitch band. I would like to see how it looks knit on #2 needles. If I didn't have #2 needles, I wouldn't bother to check this, but since I do, I'll knit another button band swatch and make a final decision.

I'm also going to check out Meg Swansen's video Cardigan details and watch it tonight. Just to beef up my confidence, you know. I have tomorrow off because I am working on Saturday. Who knows where I shall be on this sweater by Monday?

Goodness! I'm going to need buttons!!

Good knitting to you all.

posted by Bess | 12:19 PM
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