Here it is. The Build a Better V, a pattern re-do to make the bottom edges flat instead of pointy.
The first Build A … pattern was the Build a V. A baby and child sized garter stitch pattern for Any Gauge of yarn.
The second one was the Build a Bigger V for adults. I wanted a rounded bottom edge so worked the increases down the front and back further and further away from the centre markers (orange markers). That seemed to work.
So I took what I did for the adult version and applied it to the baby/child sized version and here it is: the Build a Better V.
Each of the different parts of the cardigan is in a different colour. This is totally unnecessary ( I had bits of DK weight yarn so that’s what I used). It would look great in one colour. But I am not knitting another version.
One big check mark on my to-do list. I hope you enjoy making this for a special little person.
I’m sure the knitting rule is that if you finish 2 projects you are allowed to cast on 5 more. That’s right, isn’t it? I’m quite sure it is.
So here are my two finished objects. I’m feeling the joy of being at the finish line.
My tea cozy is done. I used an aran weight plus a sports weight held together for the top and 3 sports weight yarns held together for the straight body section. As I had mentioned, I am an incredibly tight crocheter so the funny horizontal lines are because I can’t get my crochet hook under the 2 legs of the stitches to make a single crochet, so I just go into the top leg. It works for me and I like how it looks. Have I inadvertently stumbled on a real crochet stitch?
My second FO is my Reversible Ribbon wrap/scarf. Yay. It is easy knitting but an 80″/203cm long wrap is still a large project. I’m all set for winter now. I’ll wrap this around my neck, outside my coat, to hold my hood in place and cover part of my face. I am already warm and toasty just thinking about it.
I added a second contrast colour and am really happy that I did. I’m sending an update for the Reversible Ribbon out with the finished photos in it.
Does a little sweater that still needs to be blocked and the buttons sewn on count as a FO? Sure it does.
This is going to be called the Build A Better V, a baby/child sized garter stitch cardigan. It is a redo of the Build a V without the pointy bit at the bottom. I used left-over DK weight yarn (from the rainbow sweater). The extra bonus is that the different colours show the different parts of the cardigan. Four buttons to sew on and I’m done.
Now I am in a dither. What to cast on?! Maybe that, wait this would be good, wow, look at that. You know how this goes.
I made one decision.
I cast on Winter’s Finery by Romni Hill. I wanted to try some rustic sport weight wool I have from Lichen and Lace. I want to see how it works for a shawl. The pattern is written for fingering weight yarn, so with the sports weight I’m using a 4.5mm needle. What a relief to be using a larger needle. Everything else I’ve been knitting lately has been with 3.25mm needles. I’m really happy to be zipping along with this one.
Now, back to ravelry to contemplate some new projects. See ya, Deb
Yup, that’s what’s been happening here. I didn’t realize how frustrated I was until …
I was knitting away on my Build a Better V and everything was going well until I ran out of navy yarn. Yes, arggh, right after knitting one sleeve I realized I didn’t have enough to do a second sleeve. OK, normally that doesn’t bother me that much. I can regroup. I found some yellow wool and made the second sleeve.
Great. I’m happy with that. Then … I tried to unravel the first sleeve and couldn’t do it very easily because of the cast off I used. So, I got the scissor out and I cut it off.
I never do this. I would normally have worked on that cast off edge and unraveled the entire sleeve. I’m not even that upset about this particular sweater. My general frustration is compounded by several projects that are not going well.
I am now working on the second sleeve. I’m astonished at myself. I obviously need to take a vigorous walk or something.
If you want to hear the whole sorry story, here is my youtube podcast.
Last weekend I went to a knitting retreat I have been going to since 2008 (I think that date is right?). Except for the missing covid years, I have only miss it two other times. One of the missing years was last year and I can’t tell you how happy I was to go this year and see all my friends. Even though I only see them once a year it is a joy to be back knitting, chatting, laughing and eating like there was no break at all.
That’s not much of a photo but you get the idea. Imagine all the seats taken with women telling funny stories and knitting or crocheting.
We were in a new location. If you’ve been following me over the last summer you know this sort of place makes me very happy. Knitting, water, trees and friends. Perfect.
Have you been to a knitting retreat? Did you love it? If you haven’t I would highly recommend them.
I got quite a bit of knitting done on my Build a Better V, the re-do of the Build A V baby/child pattern. You may notice that it’s a different colour than the last post. I knit the back panel and half the front panel in blue, thinking the whole time that it was a little stiff and thick. It didn’t occur to me for quite a long time that I was working with worsted weight yarn and I meant to be using DK. Ooops. Duh. There was some mix up of yarn weights in my stash I guess. I should know better than depend on my organizational skills.
So here is the new one. The back panel is green and you can see how working the centre increases further and further apart from each other is creating a flat centre section which will make the bottom edge fairly flat when finished.
The two front panels are red, obviously, with the same increase set up, and the sides are navy. These are all left over balls of yarn.
With the navy I picked up stiches along one of the fronts and down the back. Then I knit the side to the width I will need for the finished cardigan. I have started the sleeve too.
Once it’s folded at the shoulder it will look more like this.
The other side should be finished by next week. Oh my, the pleasure of knitting something tiny!!!
I’m taking another look at one of my older patterns. My daughter’s friend has had a baby and I thought I would knit a Build a V baby sweater. It’s a garter stitch Gauge-Free pattern so you can dive into your stash and start knitting.
But my daughter didn’t like the V at the bottom. I’m not sure I do either.
This is the back view.
If you just look at that back centre panel, you can see the V shape of the garter stitch. The V is formed by increasing 1 stitch on either side of a centre marker, every other row, and working a corresponding decrease at the beginning and end of the same row as you work down the back.
I changed how I did these centre panels when I wrote the adult version: Build a Bigger V.
You can see that it’s slightly rounded at the bottom. At least there is no very deep V at the centre bottom.
So I am going to smash these two patterns together and hopefully come up with a better baby/child version.
Here is the beginning. This is the back panel. It started with an increase on either side of the centre yellow marker. Then as I progress down the back I am working the increases worked before and after the centre marker further and further apart.
You can already see that it’s rounding at the bottom. I am knitting with my fingers crossed (difficult), hoping this is going to work out.
Taking bits and pieces from the adult version and adding it to the baby version is a bit of a trick but I think it will be make a better cardigan in the end.
Meanwhile I am still on sleeve island on two adult sweaters and not enjoying it much. Maybe I will knit vests from now on!!!
Cheers, Deb
Cabin Fever patterns by Deb & Lyn If you are also looking for baby/children patterns, we did a lot of them. Check them out.
Walk away from knitting for a bit? No, no, no, of course not. You cast on something else.
I was thinking about a small project, but what jumped onto my needle was a shawl. Not a small project, sigh.
It wasn’t actually as straightforward as that. I had some navy, hand-dyed sock wool and cast on for socks. A small project, at least small in size, to carry around.
The yarn had cashmere in it, and after I knit the cuff, I thought maybe cashmere is sort of wasted on socks, so I ripped it out and here I am.
This is the Magic Symmetry Shawl, knit starting at the side with 3 stitches with increases worked on the leading edge.
This usually makes an asymmetric shape, but this is going to be symmetrical when it’s done, wider than it is tall. To my mind this makes it so much easier to wear.
I figured out a new stitch to add to the pattern. Doesn’t this show off the contrast colour?
I thought I would knit eyelets in the contrast colour rows. I worked [Yo, K2tog] and found I liked the wrong side better. So now I knit the right side row and on the wrong side row work [Yo, P2tog]. So happy with how this looks.
My goal this year was to knit fingering weight garments. I’m finding it a slow go. So this is a short post to celebrate. I’m so happy to have it finished.
This is my first one. A vest version of the Build A Bigger V. There are fewer changes for the vest than I had thought at first. The biggest change is no sleeves, of course, so the final bit was knitting out to the sides to get the correct fit around the body.
It fits well, it’s light weight and did I mention, it’s Done.
I’m so excited. I just had to show you (over and over again, apparently).
Now it’s time to finish up some small things. They are soooo satisfying after finishing a bigger project.
Are you busy with small knitting or longer projects? I hope it’s going well.
As I have been knitting away on my vest version of the Build A Bigger V cardigan I have been thinking about the armhole. They are rather a big deal when knitting a sleeveless garment, right?
My other concern was getting some extra bust width on the front. Short rows to the rescue. The mods pages for the cardigan has instructions for short rows to make an A-line cardigan. I used the same idea except for where I began my short rows.
I want the extra width to begin high up so I get an outward slant to the line from the shoulder. High on the front (the top pine) and lower on the back (lower pin).
I worked the short rows with 2 ridges in between. I think it worked.
Progress is being made on my vest version of the Build A Bigger V cardigan, and yes I am knitting like a crazy person. The Front is knit as a pullover. Nice and easy since it’s just the Back again without the beginning triangle at the neck. Done.
Now I have to attach them together so I can knit out to the edge of my shoulder.
Both the Front and Back have a 2 stitch I-cord worked along each edge. I’m going to use those I-Cord stitches for the pick up. Hang on, it’s a tricky ride.
Ta, da. Phew, done. Not hard to do. It’s just lots and lots of stitches.
I’m working on the back panel of the Build a Vest with all those markers in place. What are they doing down the centre? I thought you’d never ask.
The first Build a V that I worked on was the baby version.
As you can see it also starts with a front and back panel, then is worked sideways for the sleeves.
The back panel looks like this.
See that nice little pointy V at the bottom? I didn’t want that pointing at my derriere on my vest. Would you?
So … all those markers. They indicate x number of ridges as I worked down the back.
This is my Build A Bigger V cardigan, and you can see that the point has been taken away, creating a rounded bottom to the back panel. At every marker I moved the increases further away from the centre marker.
This is my finished back panel of my vest.
The centre section gets wider and wider. As I approached the bottom I started widening the centre section a little more often.
I think this would work for a triangular shawl too, if you didn’t want that sharp triangle point. What do you think?
Deb Gemmell: Top Down, Gauge Free and more 