My already beloved ivory cardigan is essentially finished — just waiting for me to have time to sew on the pockets and buttons — so you should be seeing it here soon. Doing the finishing on a voluminous cardigan didn’t sound like a good road-trip project when we were packing up for the recent family extravaganza, so instead I used the drive time to cast on my Cline sweater in Junegrass.* I’m so happy to finally be knitting myself a plain grey sweater, and to have this incredible yarn in my hands.
Through an act of kindness, I got to try on someone else’s Cline while I was in Denver in September, which is what made me a convert to this sweater. (More on that here.) The only change I’ll need to make is that the sleeves were several inches too short for me. They’re rather unusual sleeves, so I need to think through how best to implement a mod, which means I’ve started with the back instead of a sleeve. And as it happens, knitting a big stockinette rectangle has been the perfect thing for me here in the thick of crazy season.
All of that said, I haven’t given up the idea of casting on a big shawl-collar cardigan in a rush — there’s a red-hot debate about it raging in my brain. As I watch our forecast shift from mid-60s to low-40s in the next two weeks, I’m feeling increasingly nervous about having gone from two shawl-collars to none. I know from having knitted it once that I could cast on a Bellows with my blue Harrisville special and be wearing it by New Years’ (if not Christmas), and I would be extremely happy to have it as we roll into January. (The Sourcebook Chunky Cardigan thus being saved for another yarn, another day.) On the other hand, I have so many plates spinning in general right now that I’d rather be finishing things up, not starting new ones. Plus I might be a skein or two short on the yarn for that. Plus I don’t know how the back of my neck and that yarn get along.
Then there’s also the little matter of my planning and swatching for the Log Cabin Knitalong that kicks off in a month and a day. The smart thing to do would be to stick with the Cline and the swatching for the next month, and go straight into my knitalong project. But especially since that means going from stockinette into garter, I have a neurotic urge to cast on some cables in between! Which brings me back to those cable hats, and specifically the Bulletproof Aran Hat.
Decisions, decisions.
*Mine is from last year’s Batch One, no longer available. There’s currently a Batch Two.
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PREVIOUSLY in Queue Check: October 2017
Lovely plans all around! When I knit cline, I increased the ribbing on the sleeves by an inch or so and it still hangs really well. I’m not sure if that would be enough length but it could be a partial solution.
I need more like 3 or 4 inches! Although it’s hard to know for sure because apparently the person who knitted the one I tried on has compact row gauge issues, like me, and I don’t know if she knitted it as written or if she had made any changes? Or what her gauge was. And with how odd this sleeve is, it’s harder to factor for the changes than normal. I’m thinking I might just space out the increases a little bit but do a provisional cast-on (no ribbing) and then go back and knit them downwards from there once it’s all blocked and assembled.
Oh yes, a provisional cast on makes sense. The row gauge on cline is particularly fussy since the decreases at the caps are every other row and create a pattern in themselves – like most people I usually never get row gauge but managed to do so in this one instance! My sleeves are about a cm above my wrists and it seems just right, particularly since the ribbing is stretchy enough that it mirrors the shape of the sleeves without having any increases.
Don’t cast on if you don’t have enough yarn. Trying to find that extra skein is always a nightmare!!
Oh, I wouldn’t!
I’m eager to hear about your Cline mods – I’m a fellow tall, long-limbed, broad-shouldered person and I often look to your adjustments to figure out how to wear and/or adjust patterns for my body type. The fabric of that Junegrass looks so lovely!
Pretty sure sleeves are the only thing I’ll mod here. See my response just above for my thoughts on that!
As an inveterate player of Yarn Chicken, I will say that one skein short can usually be managed: don’t turn over the cuffs for example, maybe skimp two rows along the bottom. As a short person, I find that most Brooklyn Tweed patterns call for far more yarn than is actually used, but since you have already knit this one, you probably know exactly how much you need. On the other hand, you won’t know how much this one may grow when blocked until you test for that. But the other issue: how the yarn will get along with your neck, is easily resolved. Take the band off one skein of yarn; being sure that the skein is tied in more than one place, wear it around your neck like a necklace. After two or three hours of “wearing” the yarn, you will know for sure how you feel about it for this style.
Great suggestions!
I actually kind of don’t know, because I knitted the last one at tighter than pattern gauge and between sizes and used a lot more yarn than the pattern called for. So I need to swatch for this and then account for my intended mods and see if I think it will work. But I love that thought about draping the skein around my neck! Thank you. Normally I just stick my swatch into my shirt collar and wear it around like that for a while.
Two things you said: “red hot debate raging in my head right now” and “I don’t know how that yarn and the back of my neck will get along” made me chuckle. I understand both so well! After reading your post yesterday I took a look at “Bulletproof”, and although I’ve declared my husband not
knitworthy, I decided to give him another chance (mainly because I have enough hats but I still want to knit Bulletproof) so I’ve purchased the pattern and ordered the yarn from Schoolhouse. He’ll be pleased when he figures out that I’m knitting for him, and I’ll be deliriously happy knitting those cables!! It’s a win-win situation.
Can’t wait for the Log Cabin KAL!
Ha! Good plan. And if he doesn’t appreciate the hat, of course someone will.
I have grand plans to knit myself the Tamarack with shawl collar is a yummy hot pink, yarn has been acquired but this time of year is insane for both my jobs. Add on I’m making my husband a sweater right now and want to make one of the dogs a matching sweater for holiday photos…my shawl collar will have to wait perhaps until after the holiday season is over.
Something to look forward to!
Seeing my own design mentioned on a blog I follow… priceless. Thanks for the great shout out. I’m glad the Bulletproof pattern is still checking all the boxes.
One of my all-time faves!
I’ve loved Cline the moment it was released, but I’m really dubious about those huge batwing sleeves and feel like it could swallow me whole. So I just keep dreaming about it, and let it wander and dance in the back of my head …
Right now, I’m fully into shawls collars, with a Little Wave cardigan for myself (with some modifications to make a deeper and larger collar) and an Arlo for my nephew (a 4 years old sweater makes a kick cable project too). In the meantime, Jen’s Exeter has made me totally reconsider this pattern, I love the double-breasted closure, and the colour she chose, it looks so cosy !
Jen’s definitely made me take a second look at that pattern — it’s so good in that green.
I knit bellows this time last year. The yarn I used was probably doomed from the start since I had started and frogged a top down cardigan several times before being like “I need a seamed pattern” so the sweater has just stretched and stretched downwards where I really need it to stretch a little bit side to side :/ I debate between frogging it and starting over or getting new yarn and starting over. I do have half a sweater in imperial columbia but then I might have the same problem!!!
julie hoover’s designs are so smart and tailored that when people say they love their cline I believe them but the model photos are kind of weird! idk I think I have to try on a sample or someone else’s to be sold on it. The sleeves have a wide shape at the shoulders!! I think it would just bag up on me?
Yeah, I was not interested in it until I started seeing it looking great on a bunch of different people on Instagram, and still had to try one on before knowing whether it would work on my frame. I think it’s a rare case where my broad shoulders are an asset in how something fits. But then I’ve seen it looking adorable on narrow/petite people, too!
I have so many WIPs right now but also have the curious urge to cast on a cable hat. I don’t need one and can’t think of anyone immediate who needs one but it sounds like the perfect cozy project.
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When I knitted Cline my row gauge was slightly larger, that helps. And i let more rows between each increases in the first part of the sleeves. Finally they fit perfectly. Can’t wait to see yours !
https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Orlane/cline
For my birthday in November I got the yarn and pattern to knit up Charley from Brooklyn Tweed, a shawl collared cable-licious cardigan. Of course, I should knit my partner’s holiday gift (Brooklyn Tweed pattern Squall) first…
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