Focus on the Zipper

It is a bad plan that admits no modification.
-Publius Syrius

Talking about Ribby Cardi -

Let's start with the positive. You've all correctly identified all the things I love about this sweater:

- The zipper. I did do a fabulous job, if I say so myself.
- The colors. Aren't they cute?
- Cascade 220. A great yarn.
- The pattern. It's just so functional. . . . if it fit.

But you've also helped me figure out what's wrong:
- It's the raglan shape. It's too steep and probably not long enough. This leads to the sleeves being too short (pulled up too high) and the neck being too open (not enough raglan).
- The sleeves are too tight across the upper arm and shoulders. I'm not the only one with this problem.
- Is it gauge? Specifically, row gauge? Nope, seems to be pretty dead on. (For once.)

It seems like I'm not the only one with fit issues. It's a close-fitting sweater with good schematics (three cheers for good schematics in patterns!), but somehow several of us have had issues with the sizing. And mostly across the raglan/arms/shoulders.

Possible contributing factors:
- None of us can measure. Ourselves or our knitting.
- Gauge lies. And row gauge is big in raglans.
- We aren't very good at accounting for the ribbing and how it would stretch out and then shorter (make sense?).
- If, like me, you were measuring off a store-bought ribbed sweater, you didn't take into account that worsted weight and fingering weight need different amounts of ease.

Possible answer:
- Bonne Marie herself emailed me offering suggestions. How fabulous is that? I'll let you know what she says.

And there's one thing you couldn't have known:

- I'll have to use her advice for my next Ribby Cardi. Why? In an attempt to block it out more, I also used it as a trial run for the handwash function on my front-loading washer. Let's just say that it turns out to not be an actual handwash function.

(See the fuzziness at left? Now it's really too small across the shoulders.) Anyone else worry that this is passive aggressive behavior on my part? Might be. But I'll be back tomorrow with the solution to our problems. And then I just might be starting a new Ribby Cardi once I know how to make it right.