oddly

My odd Audrey's all finished, just in time for the temp to hit 30C (and humid) in Munich.  It's okay though - we'll take it while we can get it.  If last summer was any indication, there will be ample opportunity for sweater sporting long before September rolls around.

Anyway, as promised in my last post, here's what I did in a little more detail:

1. Failed to achieve gauge.  Mine was a little tighter than specified, but I just went with it.  I definitely wanted to use this particular yarn for this particular project and didn't want the fabric to be any more open than I was getting on 4s/3.5mm needles, so I went one size up in the pattern and crossed my fingers.

2. Lengthened a bit.  Specifically, knit an extra 4 rows before starting the waist decreases.  I would have added additional extra length, but I was worried about yardage...not to mention the bottom ribbing fitting around me any lower on the hips.

3. Eschewed the eponymous lace pattern at the bib altogether.  Instead, I used BW's False Flame Stitch over four colors for a 16 row repeat...times 3 repeats makes 48 rows.  I started it on the first row after completing the second to last bust increase - working all the way around on back and fronts before dividing for armholes.  To avoid millions of ends, I carried the yarn from stripe to stripe, trapping the vertical "floats" as I went and being mindful of their tension.  All together, I squeezed about a hundred extra yards out of the stripes.  The slipped stitches ate a little bit of that, of course, but my gauge across the pattern stitch wasn't much different from St st in the end.

4. Worked button bands and neckband before sleeves, because I was concerned about yardage.  (Added bonus: less finishing left at the end!)

5. Shortened the sleeves a bunch. Weighed remaining yarn before starting sleeves and kept track just to be safe.  Started ribbing 2 rows after second set of sleeve decreases; kept ribbing much shorter than called for - made it about as long as the button bands are wide.  Could have made the sleeves a bit longer actually, but decided I liked them at an unambiguous short sleeve length.

That's about it.  I blocked it probably less aggressively than I could have, but there's always next time...because even cardigans have to be washed occasionally, right?