FO: Pavement

A fingering weight top-down raglan that took many months as I expected but could have been done faster if I didn’t have a lot of other things going this past winter.

I usually choose more fitted sweaters but I wanted to go out of my comfort zone and Veera is one of the few pattern designers I trust with sweaters. Originally, I was going to make a Featherweight Cardigan with this yarn, but I thought Pavement would be a more suitable choice for years to come.

The sweater was not difficult to knit, but I found it exasperating at the end. I didn’t like the look of the short rows and I didn’t understand why there were increases so I omitted it. The pattern does not allow for enough underarm room ether. The neck is wide as well, but that’s probably more me than the pattern.

The sweater is soft and I hope to wear it more often.

Pavement, started October 28, 2018, finished March 6, 2019. (Ravelry)

Pattern: Pavement by Veera Välimäki. (Ravelry)

Made for: Self

Size: S/39″

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Heritage in 5602 Steel ( 75% Merino, 25% Nylon 400m/100g) – 3 skeins. I used 192g (Body: 164g; Sleeves: 28g each) which is only two skeins but I used bits of all three skeins and would recommend three.

Needles: US 2½ – 3.0 mm, US 4 – 3.5 mm, US 7 – 4.5 mm – all magic loop as usual

Measurements (Pre Blocked)
Sleeves: 14”/36cm 
Bust: 38”/96cm 
Body from underarm: 15.5”/40cm 
Body: 20”/45cm

Measurements (Blocked)
Sleeves: 16”/41cm 
Bust: 38”/96cm 
Body from underarm: 20”/51cm 
Body: 27”/69cm

Modifications & Notes:

  • German Short Rows – Perfect for the top raglan short rows, but the bottom hem did not turn it as well so I wish I had made lifeline before and see which short rows look best.
  • Omitted the increases after the body short rows before the hem; my stitches looked messy and it sounds like it would have pulled the hem
  • Switched to 3.5mm rather than 3.0mm for bottom garter hem as I read that it flared
  • Body hem worked 9 garter rows at first but then it rolled so I undid the BO and knit a full 2”
  • BO using Lace Bind Off
  • Picked up 8 sts more for the underarm sts (4 on each side) and decreased them every other round 4x – my mother who use to knit and sew professionally noted that the armholes were really small even after I added these sts. Please add more sts to underarm when picking up because while mine is not uncomfortable, I have small upper arms.
  • Sleeves knit to 13” and did 8 purl ridges in the garter hem.
  • This is the second time I’ve made a top-down Veera top pattern where I think the neck is really huge on me to the point where it’s almost off the shoulder. This partly because I have very narrow shoulders.

Lessons Learned: German short rows

Cost of Project: $23.72CAD back in 2013.

Would I knit it again? No. It took a long time and I was dissatisfied with a couple of details.

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