One of the advantages of having an embarrassingly large number of projects already on the needles is that you can go back to them months or years later and feel as if you’re starting something new, but that you have a head start. Nina, a sweater designed by Debbie Bliss, is one of those projects.
I liked the notched front of this sweater/jacket and its length. When I started knitting it, however, I ran into several obstacles. First, I could not get the recommended gauge (nor am I sure I would have wanted to). The sweater was designed in Bliss’s Alpaca/Silk, which has a usual gauge of about 17-18 stitches over four inches using a U.S. 7 or 8 needle. According to the directions, the gauge for Nina was supposed to be 20 stitches over four inches of pattern using a U.S. 8. The pattern is a kind of “false” rib; K1 p1 on the right side and purl all of the stitches on the wrong side. In my experience, this pattern does not draw in the way ribbing does. As I swatched, I was getting closer to 16 stitches over four inches, even using a 7. I decided it would be difficult for me to get 5 stitches to the inch, and I was concerned that the fabric might feel too heavy and dense. There was also a second problem: the length, according to the directions, was only 24 inches. Say what? Is that model extremely short? To me, this sweater was going to have to be at least 28 inches long in order to have the “look” I wanted. That meant — given the gauge issues and the difference between how the sweater looked and how the directions were written — that I would have to rewrite the entire pattern. I would actually have to think, especially given that this sweater is knitted from cuff to cuff (sideways).
So, I knit one sleeve and then abandoned it until early this week when I remembered how pretty the yarn is. I made my calculations and forged ahead — and it felt “fast” since I already had the left sleeve finished. Here’s a photo. The color does not resemble mine in the least. (My camera is having “issues” and I used my husband’s.) The true color is a deep steel blue. I’ve finished the sleeve (note the strand of Koigu yarn running up and down one side to mark the increases) and cast on what will become the side seams. I used a provisional cast on (that’s the red yarn you see) so that I can either graft the live stitches later or do a three-needle join at the side (the way you would knit together a shoulder).
Here’s another view, which I’ve included because the color is a little bit truer.
I just have a few more rows to knit before I’ll start some shaping for the back neck. My only fear now: running out of yarn.
How many inches did you add to it? And unless that girl is under 5 foot tall, there is no way that’s 24 inches. Cheater photos. Isn’t it amazing how cameras can completely change a sweater color? At least it is to me. There’s probably some scientific light wave theory explaining it but I prefer to think of it as my camera being deliberately capricious.
Oh, I like that way of looking at UFO’s. Projects with a ‘head start’.
Comment by Carrie K — October 5, 2006 @ 1:55 pm
I had knit this poor sleeve a year ago at least (maybe two? I’m trying NOT to remember) and was really second-guessing how off that pattern could be. (Of course, I’m sure there must be some people out there who knit it to gauge and would be surprised I thought it seemed off.) To answer your question, Carrie — I had a lot fewer stitches on the top of the sleeve than the pattern calls for. In my size, you are supposed to have 245 stitches, which gives you the front length, back length, and shoulder. I have (I think, I’m not by my pattern) 223. Even so, I expect my sweater to be about 4 inches longer because my gauge is larger.
Comment by surly — October 5, 2006 @ 6:36 pm
If you are worried about running out of yarn, do not read the latest two posts at http://www.masondixonknitting.com.
Comment by kmkat — October 6, 2006 @ 12:06 am
I’m a regular lurker, but my interest in knitting Debbie Bliss sweaters cuff to cuff brings me out of the shadows to ask what is, I’m sure, a simple question. Last time (I did her Garter Stitch Jacket, in Aurora 8) the instructions said simply to note how many rows you had upon reaching the correct cuff length and beginning the sleeve increases. Can you explain to me about the Koigu yarn and how that works to track increases?
I can see that the provisional cast on on the sides would be a great improvement when it comes to the side seams. The jacket I did had shaping on the sides as well, so there were multiple cast-ons. I’ve yet to tackle the provisonal cast-on but want to try it. Would it work when you have a staggered edge rather than a straight one? Seems you might end up with a whole lot of loose ends, losing the advantage of the better seaming.
Ali
Comment by Ali — October 6, 2006 @ 10:37 am