May 21, 2013

Knitting: Myrtle cardigan pt. 1

I started a new ambitious project. The Myrtle cardigan has fairly good reviews on Ravelry, but underneath all that are subtle negatives. Some Ravelers have been downright vicious. I did fall in love with the all over lace pattern and I'm a sucker for a pretty cardigan. Even so, I was a bit nervous to start this.

One of the negatives on the pattern is the charts. The charts are not done correctly. Despite that, I can see how and why the pattern designer arranged the pattern as she did and there is a bit of genius behind it. In order to accommodate more than one size the pattern has to be changed for each size. So she created a roadmap of sorts with various charts for each size. It does work out well, but it's confusing at first. In fact, I spent a lot of time swatching and studying the pattern instructions. And then I read through the notes of other Ravelers to see what they did to make it easier. One simple help was to cut out the map for the size I am knitting and tape it to the chart pages so I wouldn't have to flip back and forth between so many pages. I'm using lots of markers and life lines.

Anyway, this is being knit in Knit Picks Stroll in Sapphire Heather on US 6.

I'm well into the first repeat and so far it is going pretty well. Fingers crossed as I progress.

2 comments:

  1. I love this pattern and have had it in my favorites for a while. I'll be following your progress with interest! Thanks for the heads up on the charts and sizes. Your yarn is a pretty color and will look beautiful in this pattern.

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  2. That is such a pretty pattern! Hope it goes well. And yes, historically speaking, ladies with needles can get vicious (for better or worse)

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