All done but the cardigan kept saying it wanted to be a vest - so it is.



I-cord was knit all the way around the front edges and neck using a US#8 instead of the US#5 the body used. For the neck, stitches were picked up from the I-cord and eight rows of ribbing were knit.



The armhole edges were left in I-cord.



This was a fun project and I learned a lot as always. Wonder what's next?

Mid Coast Cardigan is basically done and probably becoming a vest with I-cord edges and no buttons. It has been a fascinating process and learned a lot. Here it is modeled by Joe's mom who is with us recovering from surgery. She's doing great and has had fun watching the knitting.





Part of the learning process was making the shoulder straps and knitting them together with the front and back shoulder stitches in one continuous process. It is detailed in Alice Starmore's "Fishermen's Knits" on Page 121. First shoulder I started with double pointed needles holding the back stitches, the front stitches and the shoulder strap/saddle put onto a provisional cast on. Second shoulder I went to one circular holding the back stitches and strap and a second circular holding the front stitches which was a lot less to manuver.

Start of the process - Provisionally cast on the number of stitches you are going to use for the saddle cable plus two on each side. I knit one plain row and a purl before starting the saddle cable.



As you start to knit the saddle cable, pick up one stitch from the back stitches and knit them together with the first stitch on the saddle needle. The last stitch on the saddle needle will be knit together with the first of the front stitches. Turn and pick up one stitch from the front and purl it together with the first stitch on the saddle needle. The last stitch on the saddle needle is purled with the first stich on the back needle. Etc, etc. until you have knit or purled all of the stitches on the front and back. The saddle is now the same length as the front and back of the sweater/vest. I did figure out the gauge of the #113 cable and decreased some stitches when knitting the last row on the fronts and back to make them more consistent with the saddle gauge.



Progress photos:







This is the finished saddle. It does not look as messy as this photo does. I used K2 together on the right side of the saddle and "slip one knit one pass one over" on the left side. Because you are purling back over these stitches, it just doesn't look as neat as it could but couldn't figure out any other way to do it.



I'm glad I learned how to do this as Starmore uses it often with ganseys. For a heavily cabled sweater, it would have been better to have knit it top down like a FLAK from the start.

Now to decide - cardigan with less densely cabled sleeves? vest with I-cord?

I was really loving this cardigan and enjoying working on it. Last night, picked up the right front half and started the under arm decreases. That side is the last piece as the back is done and the left front including the shoulder strap. Looked down and what do I see - cables in the wrong order!!

Let’s see if I can illustrate what I’ve done and if anyone has an idea. First is the right front (double click on the photo to enlarge it).



Then the left front (double click on the photo to enlarge it).



The cable sequence from the front opening should be below. The right side is how I wanted the layout.
2 st braid, 6 st braid, #13, 6 st braid, 2 st braid, 4 st braid, cable #89, 4 st braid, #13

The left side sequence is messed up probably because I didn’t have the chart written out in reverse.
6 st braid, 2 st braid, #13, 2 st braid, 6 st braid, 4 st braid, cable #89, 4 st braid, #13

I reversed the left side 2 stitch and 6 stitch and they aren’t even symmetrical! The back is how I wanted.

So….. just finish it as a vest? Rip it and start over bottom up? Rip it and knit top down ala FLAK? Relax and have a nice single malt ? or two?

Would another cable knitter notice this? These photos are early on. I’ve since finished the left side totally including the shoulder strap. The right side is picked up and decreases done. This is what I get for pretending to put my own sweaters together - but it is fun.