Chocolate Diamonds

I know I say this every time, but I have just finished my new favorite sweater...

Printed Silk Cardigan

I'm a little bit behind the curve. Everyone else on ravelry finished theirs in 2010, but I just ran across the pattern late in the year and didn't start working on in until November. I had been looking at this pattern for a while, debating between a few patterns as to which I was going to do next. But, when I saw Heidi's {rav link}, I knew that this was the pattern for me and I also wanted to dark chocolate brown yarn to match too.

The pattern is well written and easy to follow.

I, of course, didn't follow much of it. 

Instead of making a front right, a front left and a back piece to be sewn together in the end {and hope that they all fit}, I decided to work the front and back together as much as I could.

I also didn't start at the bottom and work my way up. I started in the middle with the 1x1 ribbing and worked up. I wanted to make sure it fit the way I wanted it to and didn't want to have finished with everything to have found out that it didn't. Thankfully, the first size I tried {medium} was a perfect fit and there was no un-knitting on this project {a first for me in a long time}.

Another change I made was to add one more stitch to the button band {on the right front}. That shifted the diamond pattern over one stitch so that it would come right out of the 1x1 ribbing.

Once I was finished, I realized that I should have just started the embossed diamond pattern on row 11 {which would have done the same thing}. If only for the reason of having a purl row beside the button band, because that does just looks nicer when it is sewed to the front. Thankfully, only I see little details like that {and it certainly wasn't worth ripping out the entire top to fix!}.

Besides, once I got to this stage, I was already in love with the sweater.

I just love how it just happened to work out that both in the front and in the back, the ribbing around the neck also comes out of the embossed diamond pattern. By the time I had gotten to knitting the ribbing here, I was no longer the perfectionist I was in the beginning otherwise I would have fretted about that little detail. And, look, it worked out perfectly all on its own.

I'm sure its because the pattern was just that well written.

The sleeves were the only thing that I wasn't sure about. They are a 1x1 rib and have more fabric than they really should. I was afraid that they would get stretched out but that fear was unfounded {so far}. But, sewing the sleeves to the sweater did make me regret {for about 8 hours} the decision to knit the piece in the round. It was not easy to make sure the sleeves were set right and after wearing the sweater for a day I can tell you that one of the sleeves will need to be adjusted because it doesn't lay quite right.

But since it took 5 hours to sew the first sleeve to the sweater, I think I have fully been converted to the top-down, circulcar method of making sweaters. Think of all the knitting that could have been done during those 5 hours!

Once the top was finished, I picked up the stitches under the 1x1 ribbing and knitted away. It was then I was thankful and yet disappointed that the 1x1 ribbing for those first 9 stitches didn't continue on the bottom of the sweater. Thankful because I was now knitting downward and the rows wouldn't match up. Disappointed because I knew the edges would curl. I was planning on buying something to attach to the underneath to help stop the curling, but after wearing the sweater, I may not. The curling helps with the way the opening at the bottom lays, so, maybe that was what was intended.

One thing is certain. The next time I see the model holding the bottom of the sweater, I'll look more closely at the pattern beforehand.

One thing that I tried that was new was the tubular cast-on for the sleeves. It looks pretty good, not my best work, but good enough to keep. The pattern called for a sewed cast off which I could not do and didn't even try to perfect after a few hours trying {and failing}.

The seams on the sleeves. The top is the seam that runs down the underneath the arm. The bottom is the one underneath the armpit, where the two bound-off edges came together.

I was not happy with the way they turned out. But, it is not something that will be seen very often...

...at least, that is what I tell myself.

The embossed diamond pattern is made with right and left twists {mini cables} surrounded with stockinette. This gives it a slightly raised diamond pattern. My swatch buckled quite a bit, but the weight of the sweater makes the pattern quite flat.

Another direction that I didn't follow: The directions for the right twist call for:

• K2tog, but do not slip sts from left needle; insert right needle tip between 2 sts just worked and knit the first st again; slip both sts off needle.

But, I found that when I did this, I kept forgetting to 'knit the first st again', effectively dropping stitches. Plus, there was a little hole in the finished knitted fabric. So, I went through the trouble of really knitting a right twist without using a shortcut that just looked like a twist. A pain, but definitely worth the result.

So, even thought we may have just had our last cool days of the season {I do hope I am utterly wrong on this} and the countdown to 100 degrees is on, I am hoping to get to wear this new favorite a few times before it must be packed away until next winter.

I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond.
~ Mae West