Monday, February 26, 2007

Well Underway

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I began this cardigan about a month ago, but set it aside to work on baby gifts. At that time I had finished about half of the back. Last week I picked up where I left off and after a couple of marathon knitting sessions, I've progressed as far as finishing the back, the two fronts and part of one sleeve. If all goes well, I may have a new sweater to wear by the end of the week!

I've come across a few errors in the pattern instructions for Cotton Cardigan from Sarah Dallas Knitting. The first snag I found was in the start of the garter rib panel on the left front. If you follow the instructions as written, it will not use all the stitches on the needles. I decided to do an online search to find out if there were any corrections published for this sweater. I found corrections for other patterns in the book, but not any for this one.

I did however, find many opinions and reviews that may have dissuaded me from purchasing this book in the first place had I read them. I'm glad I didn't know about them though, because I really like the items in this book and plan to knit several of them. The biggest complaint most people have is that the photographs, though beautiful, do not show the knitted items clearly. I had noticed this myself and it is a little frustrating, but not a huge problem for me.

The most troubling complaint is that many people commented on the large number of errors in the patterns. I assume they were speaking from the personal experience of knitting these patterns, but they never elaborated on what the errors were. Perhaps they were just repeating something they had heard others report. So far I have knitted only two patterns from this book. The first, a pair of mittens, was error free. The second, is the sweater I'm working on right now. Here are the corrections I've made to the pattern so far (corrections are in red bold caps):

Corrections
Sarah Dallas Knitting
Cotton Cardigan

Page 22
Left Front
Row 1 K14 (19: 18: 23), *P2, K2, rep from*
FOUR times, P2, K10 (8: 12: 10).

Page 23
Shape neck
Bind off 8 (9: 9: 10) sts, PURL to end. Dec 1 st at
neck edge on next 6 rows.

Page 23
Sleeves
Row 1 K16 (17: 18: 19) *P2, K2, rep from*
THREE times, P2, K16 (17: 18: 19).

When I'm finished knitting this sweater, I'll submit these mistakes and any others I may find to the publisher. I think I have corrected the mistakes as the designer intended the pattern to be in the first place, but who knows? These corrections work though and result in a look exactly the same as the photographed sweater in the book.

The yarn I'm using is Cestari, 75% cotton, 25% wool. It is manufactured by the sheep and shepherds of Chester Farms in Churchville, Virginia. I like the description on the label: An all natural, very unique yarn. I'm enjoying knitting with it, but I have to be careful about not knitting too long in one sitting as cotton can give your hands more of a work out than wool. The texture of this yarn is a little on the rustic side and I really like that.

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12 comments:

  1. The sweater looks beautiful and classic. Good work in correcting the pattern and making the sweater work for you.

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  2. Regardless of how much trouble you've had with the pattern, that is really going to be gorgeous when you've finished it. That sleeve is great!

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  3. I bought some of this yarn when we were in Falls Church, VA. I was excited because the wool was from actual Virginia sheep! I haven't knit anything with it yet, but I know I've got enough for a warm vest or baby blanket. I'm amazed at the patience you had with making so many corrections with the pattern. I couldn't do it.

    Donna

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  4. I've used the Cestari wool for a cardigan, but I've never used the cotton-wool blend. Your cardigan is beautiful!

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  5. The sweater looks really nice. I have just started working with a wee bit of a wool and cotton blend. I notice that it doesn't have the same grab as wool. I would love to knit myself some cotton socks for the summer months when I have to wear socks. I love that you got wool from VA since I live here. I just might have to get some for myself.

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  6. It's beautiful yarn and it's going to be a lovely sweater. I find wool sweaters to be too warm and prefer cotton, this yarn sounds like it would be perfect for me.

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  7. Anonymous9:59 PM

    It's so beautiful! I can't wait to see it all finished and ready to go out on the town.

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  8. wonderful as usual, Tracy! I very much like the color and look of the yarn.

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  9. Ooh, I can't wait to see it all done. I bet it's going to look great! I love when I finally pick up a UFO and get it done quickly.

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  10. That is going to be beautiful! I have no discipline when it comes to sweater knitting, I always quit them. I have to get my cardigan back out and get going!

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  11. The sweater is looking great...can't wait to see it completed.

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  12. I agree - that is a great yarn. I hope you blocked your swatch, though, because I've seen it grow a lot!

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Thank you for commenting!
~Tracy

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