reswatching

rip-it, rip-it, rip-it

Last night I tried on the big red swatch and the news wasn't good. The front of the sweater was too big although the back and sleeves were okay, and the depth of the yoke was too short. But more than that, I didn't like the way it looked. Not at all. The scooped front looked saggy and sloppy and the neckline was uncomfortably wide. Feeling deflated I put it aside and went back to knitting my sock.

This morning I took out my sewing kit with the idea of pinching a dozen stitches out of the front and back to simulate the sweater two sizes smaller. Eureka! The neckline is much better and the front drapes without drooping. It really makes all the difference!

So tonight I'm casting on a second swatch. My plan is to knit the smaller size but add to the yoke to make it about an inch and half longer. If I can find a few quiet moments at work today, I'll sit down to calculate how many rows are involved and plan how to evenly redistribute the raglan increases. All in all, I'm feeling very positive about it again. And now, on my second attempt, I am going to follow the example of other Ravelers and work the increases as yarn overs rather than M1s. Hopefully I'll have something more sweater-ish to show for all of this next week!