Modifications

It's a good thing that I like to knit. Otherwise, I might be unreasonably annoyed a wee bit upset this morning. I'm not complaining or anything, mind you, but certain things really should be brought right out into the bright light of day for all (knitters) to see.

After ripping out nearly eleven rows of cables plus the increase row on the left front panel of the cardigan yesterday, I pulled out pencil and paper and attempted to determine which M1 increases should be done knit-style and which should be done purl-style. I created a mapping between the existing k3, p3 ribbing and the stitches as they would be worked in the first row of the two charts. Armed with the mapping, I worked the increase row and then the first two rows of the charts. Then I looked at what I had and I still wasn't pleased. As it turned out, it was the same as I had done the first time.

I went back to Ravelry to look a little more closely at the pictures there and then I made my way over to the project pages and that's when I realized that I had been working the pattern exactly right from the beginning. The featured photograph against which I had been comparing my work was not knit according to the pattern.

Yup. And not only was it not worked according to the pattern's directions, the knitter hadn't mentioned modifications in the Ravelry write up. Surprise!

I asked Number Guy to take a look at a couple of the pictures. At first, he said that it's knitting and he couldn't help. I insisted that he could since all I was asking him to do was simple pattern recognition. He agreed.

I showed him some of the pictures, explaining what I thought I was seeing. He affirmed my impressions. Then he made a suggestion.

It was a good suggestion. It was a suggestion that was already whirling around in my head. And not on the back burner, either. It was a suggestion that I really didn't want to follow but I think I must.

Number Guy pointed out that if I continue from where I am right now, I won't be happy with the finished product. He also pointed out that ripping out a total of three inches or so of knitting is far better than ripping out the entire front panel on some future date.

When he's right, he's right.

I really need to rip the whole thing and cast on anew. My plan is not to have an increase row at all and not to work k3, p3 ribbing on the front panels at all. Instead, I'm going to cast on the number of stitches of the full width of the panel, work my ribbing on the smaller needles, and make those ribs morph directly into the the strands of the cables.

This is going to be better than the ribbing specified in the pattern. There will be more continuity.

I only wish that I'd "seen" this sooner. Or that the knitter whose sweater I was viewing had noted the modifications employed.