Cropped Raglan Cardi/Weekend Retreat Cardi - Completed

Wow, it's been awhile since I posted my last knitted garment review. I have been busy with other WIPs and of course, had to frog my first version of this cardi and start over.

I present my Weekend Cardi and review:



Name of Pattern:
Cropped Raglan Cardi or Weekend Retreat Cardi

Designed by:
Lion Brand Yarn - called Weekend Retreat Cardi

Also published in the Knit 'N Style April 2008 magazine - called Cropped Raglan Cardi

Pattern/Garment Description:
Raglan sleeve cardigan. Knitted from the top down.

Size(s):
Small (35), Medium (38), Large (41), X-Large (44), and XX-Large (48)

I ended up knitting a size small after I frogged the first version which was in a medium.

Yarns Used:
Bernat Denim Style in Heathered Rose color

I ended up using about 2-3/4 skeins of yarn for this project.

Gauge:
18 sts x 24 rows = 4" using size 8 needles

Knitting Tools Used:
- Circular needles: 47-inch in size 7 (Ribbing the neckline, sleeves, and bottom. Really need this or 40" length for ribbing the bottom of the cardi). Ended up using 24-inch, which made for very cramped knitting. Lesson learned...don't loan out needles until my project is completed. :)
- Circular needle: 40-inch in size 8 (stockinette stitch-body)
- Stitch markers
- Yarn remnants used as stitch holders for the sleeves
- Tapestry needle

Techniques I used:
yo
SSK
k2tog
SSP
p2tog
pick up stitches (sleeves and front edges)

What I Like About this Pattern:
I enjoyed knitting this top down cardigan.

What I Dislike About this Pattern:
The only dislike I have is the armhole depth. It's deep and makes the cardigan very loose fitting. You can tell more so from the front and back when I extend my arms. The next version I try, I will reduce the number of rows before sleeve separation. Sasha on Ravelry..."decreased the number of increases (made a total of 24) so it wouldn't hang so loose under the arms..." The other thing I might try is to knit less ribbed rows around the neckline/shoulders. While being worn, that would raise the cardigan further up the body and reducing the armhole depth somewhat. Being a sewist at heart, these are alterations/changes I look for.

I should have paid more attention to the picture of the model in the Knit 'N Style magazine. She's posing as if to hide the long armholes.

My Pattern Rating (Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, Hard):
This pattern is rated 3 out of 4 bars in relation to difficulty which translates to intermediate knitters. I found this pattern easy to knit only as a result of knitting a similar shrug pattern before this one.

Conclusion/Additional Comments:
I saw this pattern in the Knit 'N Style magazine and thought it would be a great cardigan to knit. I didn't let the "bland-looking" cardigan on the model sway me from attempting this project. I was thankful to find some yarn that had been marinating in my yarn stash for years. The Bernat Denim Style yarn was a perfect match for this pattern.

This was my 2nd attempt at this project. My first attempt had some operator errors and I had separated the sleeves and tried it on. I had knitted a size medium which ended up rather large on me. Way too much positive ease. So, I frogged the whole cardigan and started again. This time I knitted a size small. Much better fit.

I knitted about 48 rows (280 stitches) before sleeve separation. A total of 80 rows at BO at the bottom. For my next version, I may end up knitting 40 rows before sleeve separation and then knitting the sleeves in St st for a few rows before ribbing.

Also, I need to avoid doing the long tail cast on when I'm knitting from the top down. After wearing the cardi at work, I noticed the neckline growing out a bit. I'm sure if I did my normal cable knit cast on, the neckline would not have stretched out. I've noticed on Ravelry, that some of the cardis sit higher up on the neckline. Also, some folks have added a button or two to the front. Since I can't add a button, I may add a snap or better yet, I could make my own cardi pin. :)

The only seam sewing needed is to sew the sleeve seams.

The armholes are deep depending on how the cardi sits on the neckline. Again, lesson learned. Not to use a loose cast on method.

There are no errors in this pattern.

My final comment: I love the style of this cardigan. The profile from the side is very slimming.

You can see how long the raglan sleeve area is. I think removing a couple of increases would make the fit much better



I will be back to post some live model pictures.