I’m enraptured with Gemini. I don’t think it makes me a boring person to admit that some of the projects I adore most are the ones with row after row of stockinette. I am hooked on the rhythm of this project. I love sitting still, catching up on some True Blood episodes or devouring a book on my iPad while my fingers, hands, and wrists create a symphony of tiny movements I find extremely soothing and satisfying. I know I’m preaching to the choir. If you’re reading a blog that’s 97% about knitting, I’m pretty sure there’s something you like about it too.

gemini-3I’ve made a few modifications to the pattern. I love searching through Ravelry projects with “helpful notes.” In case you’re not familiar, this is in the drop down menu on the far left when you’re looking at the projects tab. The helpful projects have the lifesaver red and white ring like the example on the left. I also enjoy using the search bar on the right to limit to just the size I’m making to check for issues or modifications.

2013-08-12_1412I decided I would make a couple of modifications after studying some notes.

Many Ravelers changed the sleeve size. At 66 stitches I compared the sleeves to my Goodale, which has a good sleeve fit for me, and is also a top-down Raglan. I liked the look of things, so I stopped increasing on the sleeves at that point and continued with increases on only the front and back.

gemini-2

Some people reported that the raglan increases seemed too rapid and created a puckered effect they didn’t like. In this sweater, after the lace portion at the top, the raglan increases are done every row, rather than every other row. I’d never done increases every row on a raglan, so I kept doing them every other row until I got to 74 on the front and back sections. Then I decided to make them every row until I got to 84 on the front and back, as specified for the 30.5 inch size.

According to this book, my raglan depth is 5 3/4 inches. The book recommends making your raglan 1/2″-2″ bigger than that measurement according to how you would like the garment to fit. I think my raglan depth is about 6 1/4″. I stuck to the shorter end because I like the way it looks and the cotton will likely stretch.

I measured from my armpit to the start of the curve of my waist. That’s about 7 inches, so I’ll probably start a little bit of waist shaping at about 6 3/4″, maybe 2 rows for a total of 8 sts decreased (about 1 1/2″), then I can increase again around 9 3/4″ when my waist curves back out. The original pattern has no waist shaping.

I’m considering crocheting one row around the collar if it seems like the collar will stretch out with wear. I’m a little bit allergic to crocheting, so I think I’ll wait and see.

This pullover kick I’m on is pretty fun. I am curious to try Blank Canvas by Ysolda Teague. It seems like a well thought out design that I can learn some shaping tricks from. Many that have made it compliment the raglan shoulder shaping. It also looks like the kind of simple pullover that could fit into several seasons of a wardrobe.

On to more soothing rhythmic knitting.

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