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6×6 – Design Journey Extra Bust Width

I have more techy talk for you. That’s where I am right now.

I had a couple more tech issues that have been swimming around my brain, looking for a solution. I think I have a couple, solutions that is.

It is progressing.

Issue #1 is how to get extra width across the Bust. I need it and maybe you do too.

This cardigan is set up to have 4″ of ease on the body. That’s a really standard amount of ease (ease is the amount that the body of the sweater would be larger than your actual body). This amount of ease generally works for most of us. The ease on this pattern (and most of my other patterns) is added as underarm stitches cast on when your work the Divide Row. Two inches worth of stitches are cast on at each underarm.

This amount of cast on stitches at the underarm means that when you go to work the sleeve, you will pick up one stitch for each of those cast on stitches for 2″ of ease on your sleeve. A really good amount of ease for your sleeve.

But is the 4″ of ease for the body of your cardigan enough across your bust?

It’s not enough for me. I would like a little extra width across the bust area so that the cardigan is not stretched there and buttoning up my cardigan won’t cause gaps at the buttonband.

As I was knitting the yoke I was pondering just this question. This is what I have decided to add to the Modification Pages as an option for added bust width.

I worked 4 increases across each front (3/4″ worth of stitches on each front). That, at my gauge, gives me 1.5″ of extra width across the bust for a total of 5.5″ of ease around my cardigan at the bust. Just what I need. I will decrease these extra stitches away at the imaginary side seam as I get closer to my waist.

I think that takes care of one of my design issues. Next is what to do with those raglan lines when it’s time to do the Divide Row. Can I leave just leave them be? Can I continue the raglan lines down the body in some way?

What do you think? A good idea? Let me know.

Cheers, Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free patterns by Deb

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6×6 Cardigan – Design Journey Lace version

I can’t seem to leave the lace patterns on my swatch alone. I keep looking at them and wondering how they would look in this cardigan.

I ditched the chunky weight red sample. It’s history.

A new lace version is born. I’ve cast on and am merrily working the Double Ridges with eyelets.

This is in DK weight yarn by Shelridge Yarns. A pleasure to knit with. It went sooo fast. It’s actually purple, not blue, but my camera obviously likes blue. I can’t wait to get started on the lace stitch patterns.

More chat if you want to watch:

Two, two, two cardigans in one. I’ve got to get back to them. See ya’. Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free patterns by Deb

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6×6 Cardigan – Design Journey

What do I want this cardigan to look like? That probably matters, right? For me, the challenge is the construction, but in the end the sweater has to be something you want to put on, LOL.

This is the general idea.

Time to do some swatching. Quite frankly, not my favourite activity but I persevered for several mornings, trying out some different ideas.

I did sort out what I liked and didn’t like (more in the video below). Now this cardigan is going places. It’s so much fun to knit.

Here’s the chat.

Cheers, Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free patterns by Deb

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6×6 Cardigan – Design Journey OVERTHINKING

Here’s how it starts in my head (read this really, really fast because that’s how it sounds to me in my head): I should give the knitter an easier version, yes, I could do that, I’ll knit a chunky version, that will be faster, fast is good, it could have a garter stitch neckband, yes, that will work, that’s easier, and where am I going to add in the extra bust stitches that I and lots of knitters need (?), where can I put them … under the last set of double ridges (?), right that would work, I could add in more double ridges and then that would give the knitters some additional control over where that last double ridge lands, yes, ok, I’ll do that on this chunky weight version, that will look great.

And then I start because how long can one listen to all that chatter and not cast on?!

And I hate it.

I’m not enjoying the knitting. I don’t like the garter neckband. I don’t like the garter buttonbands. This looks really plain to me. I had a fancier cardigan in mind, something summery, with stitch pattern panels running vertically down the fronts. The garter stitch is not doing it for me.

On the positive side, I do like the yoke with more double ridges. And I tried adding extra stitches on the Fronts for extra bust width and that worked too. So I’ll be adding those options in the Mods Pages.

And now, don’t look, it’s getting ripped out.

The good new is there is progress on the yellow cardigan. It’s bright and cheerful and a pleasure to knit.

I do have some thoughts on where I want to go from here. Some sort of panel of vertical stitches running down from the double ridges.

Here is some chat about where I am on this cardigan.

Now that the fog has cleared, I’m on to deciding on a stitch pattern. Haul out the stitch dictionaries, here I come. Cheers, Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free patterns by Deb

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6×6 Design Journey – Getting the Neckband right.

I do have some sort of plan for this cardigan, but as usual, the details elude me.

This is my first sample which is basically what it will look like but …

… it’s not quite right.

It took a little knitting and lots of thinking in between, but 3 samples later, I think I have it figured out.

I’m knitting a cardigan. YAY, here we go. Cheers, Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free patterns by Deb

deb.gemmell on instagram

6×6 Square Neck Cardigan

I am on to a new idea: a cardigan with a square neck opening. It will be a pseudo crew neck, I guess.

I’m also experimenting with videos. There are three here. Let me know what you think. It’s so much easier for me to talk, rather than write, about a new idea. (You may have to turn the volume up. No idea how all this works yet.)

The Back of Neck is 2″ narrower than the two fronts added together, as they would be if they were buttoned up. It will be interesting to see how the neck fits.

Here is the cast on with green raglan markers in place and two yellow markers to delineate the buttonbands.

Here we go, my first try with the short rows across the back of neck. They seem to be working fine.

I did a video of a really easy way to work short rows in a ribbed neckband.

I’m excited. Are you on the edge of your seat? LOL!!! Cheers, more next time. Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free patterns by Deb

Deb.gemmell on instagram

Stuck? Cast On to the rescue

Sometimes, when you’re stuck, the best thing to do is cast on something new.

The writing for my v-neck cardigan is not going well. There is nothing wrong with the sweater, it’s done, just the writing part is stuck, stuck, stuck. I am dithering about my next sweater project, and … just generally indecisive. What sweater should I wear? Is it still cool enough to wear wool socks? What’s the weather like today anyway? Should I go for a walk or a bike ride? Is it raining? Sigh, it’s been that sort of week.

So I cast on a shawl. This shawl: The Rain Outside by Sylvia McFadden of softsweaterknits

I know it will keep me busy and calm my brain down so I can get back to work.

It’s a terrific mix of garter stitch stripes and lace windows. I’ve finished my first window.

Looking forward to the next one. Isn’t it great when the knitting pulls you forward?

I hope your knitting is going great. Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free patterns by Deb

Deb.gemmell on instagram

Deadlines

Quite often, when I have a deadline, I lose interest in my project. It becomes work and not play. Does this happen to you?

You would think, that giving myself deadlines wouldn’t work this way but it does. I guess, trying to do anything knitting-wise in a hurry is not a good idea. Making knitting fabric is just slow going and trying to move it along faster is frustrating. I also find the same thing with writing patterns. Forcing the writing doesn’t make it go any faster in the long run.

I have been pushing myself to finish this Any Gauge V-Neck Cardigan. Last night I went on a 5 hour Youtube binge to get the last of the sleeves done. I’m tired today but happy to show you it is done, or mostly. I have to sew in ends and find some buttons but the knitting is finished.

But … I bet you saw that coming, the writing is stalled big time.

If I got you started with the V-neck, I bet, with a few photos, you could finish the rest, right? I’m sure you could.

I’m going to give myself a week off, look for some buttons, maybe sew in the ends (that might be a stretch), knit on my socks and see if the writing improves next week. Note to self: having some finished sweater photos would help a lot.

Wish me luck! Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free patterns by Deb

Deb.gemmell on instagram

Photographing Yikes

I have to be quick here because I spent all morning trying to photograph a couple of shawls. OMG they are hard to do. After taking 34 pics I am settling for what I got.

That was after I spent way too much time deciding I needed a haircut first, then I should cut my nails, make some bread and clean my apartment. OK, none of that got done. I did get some photos.

This is a shawl I knit for Shelridge Yarns in Lyn’s new Silk/Linen (pink) and again in her Touch Fine lace weight wool (purple).

I do need a hair cut!

This shawl is built in 3-Tiers. With lots of different stitch patterns done in recipe style with schematics for which stitch patterns I used where.

How goofy is that!

Anyway the pattern is finished and I’m sending it to Lyn for a final OK and then I’ll publish it. I hope the photos are OK because it was painful to do these.

Cheers, Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free patterns by Deb

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Stabilize the Back of Neck of a Top Down

My favourite way to begin a Top Down garment is with the ribbed neckband. I’m not enamored with picking up stitches around the neck opening and would rather just jump right in and get going.

This is going to be a new Any Gauge project: a V-neck cardigan.

The Back of Neck in this type of Top Down tends to stretch. I have been experimenting with ways to make a firm edge across the Back of the Neck on the last row of the ribbed Neckband. Here it is.

Let me know if you try this. I think it’s working for me.

Cheers, Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free patterns by Deb

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