Meris - Finished!

I finally decided on buttons and sewed them on this afternoon.  I had to use flash to get a decent picture.  Because of the design of this cardigan you can put a lot or a few buttons on it.  The "button holes" are created by the eyelets, unfortunately that also limits the size of the buttons that you can use.  The buttons that I had originally planned to use were vintage buttons that I had picked up at a Bead & Button show a few years ago but they were just a little too large for the eyelet holes.  I ended up going with some lamp work glass Rosebud buttons that I got from Beadcats.  I decided to only use 3 because sometimes less is more.

A view of the back:

And a close up of the buttons.  No, the cardigan is not crooked, just me.  It's been a long week, thank goodness it is over.

Pattern:  Meris by Elizabeth Doherty
Yarn:  Finch by Quince & Co in Crocus
Needle:  US 2.5 (3 mm)

Meris - Blocking

This is my first top down cardigan with set-in sleeves.  I like the construction technique, but figuring out how many stitches to pick up for the sleeves always throws me at first.  I ended up counting how many rows and stitches I had in the arm hole and comparing it with how many sleeve stitches the pattern ended up with for the size I was knitting.  In the end I picked up one stitch for every other row and then 1 for 1 stitches in the underarm.  That gave me 85 stitches, while the pattern called for 84.  Close enough.  I didn't do any decreases on the sleeve and centered the lace panel. 

Starting the I-cord bind off on the sleeves threw me at first because you're knitting in the round - this means the working yarn is on the right hand needle, but you need those first 3 stitches to be on the left hand needle.  I ended up turning the work so the wrong side was facing me - now the working yarn was on the left hand needle.  I did a knitted cast on of three stitches, then I turned the work so the right side was facing me again, slipped those three stitches to the left hand needle and started my I-cord bind off.

The yarn feels very sturdy when you're knitting with it, but it softens up when you block it.

Pattern:  Meris by Elizabeth Doherty
Yarn:  Finch by Quince & Co in Crocus
Needle:  US 2.5 (3 mm)

Meris - Body Done

These Furlough Fridays are certainly giving me a lot more knitting time.  Even with checking on Fred regularly I was able to finish up the body of my Meris cardigan.  I really the like finishing touches of this pattern.  After finishing the body, you do an I-cord bind off, which creates such a beautiful finished edge.  Then you pick up stitches for the buttonhole band without breaking the yarn and knit that.  After binding off the buttonhole band you pick up stitches around the neckband and leave a tail and break the yarn.  It was at this point that this lovely dance missed a step.  I didn't break the yarn, I just made a loop.  Then you pick up the stitches for the button band and knit that.   After binding off the button band you use that tail you left with the neck band stitches and pick up 6 more stitches across the top of the button band, but to do the I-cord bind off on the neck band you have to start from the button hole side of the band - the opposite side of where your working yarn is.  I didn't want to break my yarn, so I purled back to the other side and then did the I-cord bind off.

Alternatively, you could break the yarn after knitting the button hole band, knit the button band and then pick up the neck band stitches.  The other benefit of doing that is you wouldn't have a needle holding the neck stitches getting in your way while you're knitting the button band.

While I was working all of this finish work, Fred came downstairs - I had left his door open as he had shown that he was consistently using his litter box.  He looked around the room a little, then got up on the daybed - using a pile of knitting magazines as a step - gave himself a thorough bath and settled down for a kitty nap.  He's doing much better.  We're still shutting him up in his room at night and during the day while we're at work.  He's still a little wobbly and we have a pretty big house that is not really kitty proof, I don't want him getting stuck somewhere.

Pattern:  Meris by Elizabeth Doherty
Yarn:  Finch by Quince & Co in Crocus
Needle:  US 2.5 (3 mm)

Meris - Bust Shaping Done

I ordered 3.0 mm needles with a 40 inch cable last weekend and they came during the week.  Until I had that needle I had put this one on hold.  You need to be able to check the fit while working it, and a 32 inch cable was not long enough to do that.  I finished the bust shaping today.  I ended up doing 3 complete repeats of the lace pattern and did the bust shaping on rows 1, 5, 9 and 13 of the 4th repeat of the lace pattern.  Now I knit even until I get to the waist shaping.

So far the fit is perfect.

Pattern:  Meris by Elizabeth Doherty
Yarn:  Finch by Quince & Co in Crocus
Needle:  US 2.5 (3 mm)

Meris - Upper Fronts Done

This weekend I finished both fronts and joined all the pieces so now I am knitting the body.  I don't have a needle (in the right size) with a long enough cable, so the front is a bit scrunched, which is why I took a photo of the back.

Pattern:  Meris by Elizabeth Doherty
Yarn:  Finch by Quince & Co
Needle:  US 2.5 (3 mm)

Meris - Upper Back Done - Really

This time the upper back is really done, all the way through the armhole increases.  I pinned it out on my gridded blocking board using the schematics to check the size.  So far it is looking okay.  Now I get to pick up stitches for the front.  The armhole increases were done with directional lifted increases, which I've always liked and use a lot.  The underarm stitches were cast on using the cable cast on.  This photo was taken with the flash.

Pattern:  Meris by Elizabeth Doherty
Yarn:  Finch by Quince & Co
Needle:  US 2.5 (3 mm)

Meris - Upper Back Done

Because I did not get the row gauge I did not do as many rows for the upper back as the pattern called for.  I did 48 rows instead of 52.  With the gauge specified, 52 rows will get you 4.9 inches (52*4/42).  My row gauge is about 1 stitch short per inch so I only did 48 rows.  Pinned out the measurements look okay, but I will try it on once I get the front knitted down to the armholes.  This one may take several tries to get right.

Pattern:  Meris by Elizabeth Doherty
Yarn:  Finch by Quince & Co
Needle:  US 2.5 (3 mm)

Meris - Cast On!

It doesn't look like much, but this is the beginning of a top-down cardigan with set in sleeves.  I've knit top-down raglans, but this is my first time knitting one with set in sleeves.  That is one of the reasons that I wanted to try this pattern - an opportunity to learn some new techniques.  You start out working the shoulders separately, using short rows to get the shape, and cable cast on to get the extra stitches.  I did shadow wraps for my short rows.  Then you join the shoulders and start knitting the back.  There will be some armhole shaping in there as well.

I ended up going with a US 2.5 needle (3.0 mm).  That got me the correct stitch gauge.  When I tried going with a smaller needle the fabric became too dense.  The pattern is very well written, with everything clearly laid out.  I'm not sure how long I will keep the stitch markers.  I so very rarely use them.

Pattern:  Meris by Elizabeth Doherty
Yarn:  Finch by Quince & Co
Needle:  US 2.5 (3 mm)

Meris - Swatching

I seem to have caught the swatching bug.  I used to hate swatching, but I seem to have become a process knitter and I credit (or blame, depending on your perspective) lace knitting, and maybe age.  I seem to be moving into a mind set of happiness and contentment and peace.  It is nice.  But back to swatching.  Sometime in the past year or so I picked up the yarn for a cardigan with lace inserts called Meris by Elizabeth Doherty.  The yarn is Finch by Quince & Co in the color Crocus.  The yarn tag states 9 stitches/inch on size US 1 and 7 stitches/inch on size US 3.  The pattern calls for a gauge of 26 stitches and 42 rows in 4 inches, presumably on the largest needles called out for in the pattern - US 3.  This works out to 6.5 stitches/inch.

I did the first swatch on size 3 needles.  I like the look of the fabric, the stitch density looks pretty good.  But the gauge is off.  Not enough stitches per inch.  And the hand feels to loose.  I think the cardigan needs a crisper hand.  So, tonight I did another swatch on size 2 needles.  The stitch gauge looks pretty good, but the row gauge is off.  The pattern calls for 10.5 rows/inch, and I'm getting about 9.3 rows/inch.  Frankly, the gauge of the pattern has me a bit flummoxed.  The ratio of stitches to rows just doesn't seem right to me.  I just don't see how you can get that gauge.  At this point all I am going to go for is stitch gauge.  I've never used this yarn before and I wasn't sure I was going to like  working with it, but I find it is growing on me.  It is definitely a fingering weight yarn.