Options for the test included 1 strands of super bulky yarn, 2 strands of bulky or 4 strand of worsted. I had some Brava Worsted remaining from the Very Hungry Caterpillar project, so I thought this would be perfect. I decided to mix Hunter, Tidepool, Wine and Umber Heather together for this cardigan. I started testing my gauge with 4 strands of worsted weight yarn on size 15 needles.
The size 15 needles gave a gauge of 9 sts/4", which is too tight. I switched to size 17 needles. Much better, I hit 8 sts/4"!
At the end of the yoke, the stitch count lines up perfectly. This is something that is always a pleasure to tell the designer! The stitch count is also perfect after setting the sleeve stitches aside.
After knitting the yoke I realized that there are some differences between the instructions and the sample shown at the beginning of the test. The instructions have you making buttonholes every 8 rounds, which means 2 on the yoke of the smallest size. The sample, however, appears to have buttons every 4 rounds. The buttons I have for the sweater are a little small for my buttonholes anyway, so I was considering sewing the buttons on and then adding snaps to the back. We'll see what happens as the knitting goes forward.
I knit 18 rounds after setting aside the underarms to measure 5". I bound off in seed stitch on a WS row for a total of 19 seed stitch rounds.
On the underarms, I picked up an extra stitch on either side of the 2 picked up to decrease to help avoid a hole. I then knit a total of 16 seed stitch rounds for a total of 4.5" before binding off in seed stitch.
The cardigan sample showed three buttons above the seed stitch bottom, much closer than the 8 rounds written in the actual pattern. My 3/4" buttons are a little small for the button holes anyway, so I decided to sew the button holes closed, sew buttons to the top and snaps to the back for a closure.
This project consumed 57-58 g of each yarn color, ~127 yards. Final measurements: 9.5" collar to hem; 10" wide when buttoned at hem; 6" wide collar when buttoned; sleeves 3.5" wide; sleeves 8" long from the cuff to the neck.
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| 11 day old Lucky, modeling the cardigan on his due date. |
I signed up for the test knit on 10/6. I started having contractions at 2:30 AM on 10/7. What was I doing in between contractions? Finishing the body and knitting most of the first arm. My baby boy was born 10/8. Thankfully I was able to complete the project by the testing deadline. (Interestingly I finished the cardigan on my original due date of 10/19!)
