Sometimes, it’s hard to decide what we like and don’t like in a design. Sometimes, it’s hard to know whether you like something until it’s finished. In fact, that’s the problem with knitting: you can spend hours creating a sweater, only to say “Hmm. That was a waste of my time.”
All this is by way of introduction to the modification I made to my Whiteness of the Whale. I confess: I liked the design that runs down the back of this pattern, but was ambivalent about the single “scallop” at the rear. Will this “whale tail” make my ass look like the size of Monstro in Pinocchio? I kept asking myself. But I kept going. I finished the body of the sweater a few days ago. Here is a photograph of Lucy wearing it.
See what I mean? Just.not.sure. I don’t have a photo of me in it, but what I really didn’t like is how it looked from the side. To me, it looked as if I had a droopy tail. My age-related drooping is not really something I want to accentuate.
What to do? I talked about it with Susan, who is also knitting this pattern and had similar concerns about the tail. It was, we decided, fixable. (Keep in mind that this was knitted from the top down, so the bind off is at the hem. Easy to rip back. Otherwise, this whale would be swimming with the fishes.) To understand the fix, you have to understand why and how there is a scallop in the first place. It’s due to the placement of the yarnovers and the decreases relative to each other. When you “pile” the yarnovers on top of each other, but have the corresponding decreases somewhere else, the fabric will bulge where the yarnovers are. That’s the principle behind ye olde favorite feather and fan stitch. So, I needed to place the decreases next to the yarnovers to mitigate the bulge. Fortunately, because the cables in the pattern periodically break up (and “undo”) the bulge build up, I didn’t need to go back too far.
I ripped out about three inches, to just where the last tail pattern started to go straight down instead of continuing to angle outward. (See the photo just above.) I then moved the decreases so that they were just about next to the yarnovers at the center of the pattern. I worked to within two stitches of the first yarnover from the previous right side row. Then I k2tog, k1 (the prior yarnover), yo, p, yo, k1, ssk and then kept working the rest of the row. I left a purl stitch on either side of the tail to help outline it a little bit. Here is what happened:
I am SO much happier with my sweater. Yes, the decreases are now somewhat visible next to the yarnovers in the center of the pattern, but for me that’s a worthwhile tradeoff. Moreover, the decreases were visible before where I had started to work straight, just in a different place, and this way I don’t have the corner that was produced by the curve to straight transition. (Note: If I had kept angling out the stiches as before, I still would have had a scallop.) Instead, the outer curve slopes gently down, and I think it looks more graceful. Susan had initially suggested I try using a central double decrease in between the two yarnovers, but when I swatched several ideas, the central double decrease disrupted the lines of the yarnovers.
It is hard to capture the color of this yarn. It’s closest to the very last picture. Because it’s not blocked, you can see what looks like an abrupt color change near the bottom. That’s because I had lightly blocked the body when I finished knitting it the first time (to check for fit and length), and the new knitting isn’t blocked yet. It will all come out “in the wash.”
What a great job of making the sweater more wearable. I am definitely not looking to accentuate my tail area at my age, so I would need to do the same thing.
Comment by Doris — August 1, 2012 @ 4:52 pm
Excellent job! The “tail” is what would have kept me from making that pattern. You came up with an elegant solution.
Comment by Cheryl S. — August 1, 2012 @ 6:10 pm
What a great redesign!! I am quite impressed!
Comment by Lee Cockrum — August 1, 2012 @ 6:28 pm
That was hyper-clever.
Comment by joanna — August 1, 2012 @ 6:46 pm
The tail was the only thing I didn’t like about this pattern. The modification is a nice change and really enhances it.
Comment by Beverly — August 1, 2012 @ 7:22 pm
Great modification/re-design! The sweater is now so much more flattering and wearable! Great job!!!
Comment by Maureen — August 1, 2012 @ 7:52 pm
Revisions to “tail” look great, and make the sweater look better in my opinion. I, too, am at an age where I don’t need anything accentuated.
Comment by Cathy — August 1, 2012 @ 8:30 pm
Even though the tail didn’t bother me I’m in awe of your super-fix. This is a lovely sweater and I adore it in the spring green!
Comment by Catherine S. — August 1, 2012 @ 9:11 pm
Really lovely. Nice job clever one.
Comment by Pat — August 1, 2012 @ 11:11 pm
Much better w/o the tail.
Comment by sue — August 1, 2012 @ 11:17 pm
Sally, I love your modification. I like this pattern but no the “tail”. You did the great job! 😀
Comment by Vicky — August 2, 2012 @ 1:50 am
If/when I ever make this, I’ll use your great mod– suits me better. Thank you!
Comment by (Not That) Joan — August 2, 2012 @ 6:27 am
I bought this pattern, and yarn for it, at MDS&W, but was planning on changing the ‘tail.’ Thanks so much for having done all the hard work for me!
Comment by Lyn McCormick — August 2, 2012 @ 6:58 am
I loved everything about the sweater except the tail. Thanks so much for telling me how to get rid of it. Now I can make one of my own.
Comment by Kim in NC — August 2, 2012 @ 7:57 am
I looked at the before pix and thought, “Oh, that’s not so bad; it’s kinda cute.” But when I saw the finished mod, I changed my tune. This is SOOO much better!
Comment by Suzan — August 2, 2012 @ 8:09 am
That is a BIG improvement- I disliked the DA (50’s hairstyle) in the pattern but your less pointy solution is wonderful! If anyone has their eyes down there to look at the decreases you have my permission to swat at them!
Comment by Robin F. — August 2, 2012 @ 8:10 am
I am so impressed with your understanding of the construction of knitted garments. I can only hope to achieve such a talent. Thanks for the information. This will come in handy when I make this sweater. Sure don’t want to draw attention to my drooping parts.
Comment by Bertha Mallard — August 2, 2012 @ 11:04 am
Please ! Tell me how you block your sweaters! Thank You!
Comment by Kathy Filkins — August 2, 2012 @ 12:54 pm
Echoing #17 Bertha M., I am in awe of your skills and understanding of how to change / alter / fix a pattern!
Comment by Pamela — August 2, 2012 @ 2:04 pm
Simply brilliant.
Comment by Ruth — August 2, 2012 @ 3:20 pm
That is a really nice sweater and I think your fix turned out just great. I like it much better than the original.
Comment by Suzy — August 2, 2012 @ 3:26 pm
Brilliant!
Comment by PJ — August 2, 2012 @ 4:28 pm
Thank you! I LOVE reading about your thought process and solutions! And how nice to have a sister for a sounding board and solution assistance. Well done!
Comment by Tricia H — August 3, 2012 @ 10:08 am
A very clever solution and one that is is great to have shared with the world!
Comment by skeindalous — August 4, 2012 @ 6:38 am
WOW! Here’s to the knitter triumphing over the pattern details that don’t work for her/him.
Comment by Linda — August 4, 2012 @ 7:46 pm
I like the modification. Can I borrow it for mine?
Comment by Sherlda Milton — August 4, 2012 @ 9:39 pm
I love how you figured this out. Me? Would have been crying for days. Bravo!
Comment by rebecca — August 5, 2012 @ 10:44 am
I will Echo the Hyper-clever and Brilliant comments! Thanks so much for taking the time to document for us!
Comment by Ruth — August 5, 2012 @ 9:37 pm
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing. The revised sweater is wonderful.
Comment by Marie — August 7, 2012 @ 7:25 pm
Really nice mod! Like many of the people who have commented, I liked the concept of this sweater but was turned off by the bum bulge. You’ve come up with a great solution!
Comment by Natalie — August 18, 2012 @ 2:57 am