Pattern: Dagmar by Handy Kitty
Size: L (107cm chest)
Yarn: Malabrigo Rios in Tranquilo 6 skeins
Needles: 5mm 32" circular, 4.5mm 16" & 32" circulars
Notes: These notes are very detailed, just to make a few things in this pattern a little more straight forward for beginners. Experienced pattern readers and sweater knitters can absolutely just dive in and knit without issue.
I love this sweater! It is comfortable, warm and soft. I love when sweaters are a little longer in the back, which is done here with short rows. The pattern was very simple, but not very detailed. The simple stitch pattern that covers the majority of the sweater often needs to be maintained despite increases or decreases. If you can read your stitches and see if you need a purl or a knit for the next stitch then this is no problem. The stitch pattern is simply knit 1 purl 1 for one row and the next row is either all purl if you are working in the round or all knit if you are working flat. (The sweater is knit in the round for the bottom portion, but switches to flat for arm hole shaping, and the sleeves are knit flat. So you will be working this pattern both flat and in the round.) The cables travel at the bottom of the sweater based on increases on the outside and decreases on the inside of the two cable sections.
Increases: Inc 1 st in Patt 1 (increase 1 stitch in pattern 1, the aforementioned stitch pattern). The first increase in the round is easy, you are already working pattern 1, so you just need to m1 either knit or purl based on what the next stitch in your pattern would be. The second increase comes after the second cable pattern, so you need to look ahead to see what stitch you would be working next, and then increase in the opposite stitch. If you were going to have a knit stitch next you would make 1 purl wise and vice versa. You will need to follow the same rules when you knit the sleeve increases. See which stitch your increase will be next to, and work the opposite sort of increase.
Decreases: Dec 1 st in Patt 1 (decrease 1 stitch in pattern 1, the aforementioned stitch pattern). The first decrease in the round, after the first cable pattern, you will work the decrease the way the second stitch should be worked, so if you are decreasing stitches that would otherwise be worked as knit 1 purl 1 you would work a p2tog (if they were purl 1 knit 1 do a k2tog). The second decrease, just before the second cable pattern, you should work as the first of the two stitches would be worked, so if they would be knit 1 purl 1 you work at k2tog (and if they would b purl 1 knit 1 it is a p2tog). The raglan decreases are exactly the same as the decreases to move the cable, you simply aren't doing the increases to match them. The decreases at the raglan shaping for the sleeve follow the same rules: first decrease as the second stitch would be worked and second decrease as the first stitch.
Patt 2 - The Cable Pattern: The cable on this sweater is very simple, and would be perfect if you want try out cabling for the first time. The biggest thing is keeping track of how many rows you have worked, since it is difficult to know just where to count from in the twist of a cable. A row counter is strongly recommended here, especially for beginner cablers. Make sure your cabling rows line up with your k1 p1 rows in the body of the sweater. When you switch to working flat you will want both cabling and k1 p1 to be on your RS rows.
All this being said, I would absolutely recommend this pattern. It was fun to knit, and I love wearing the result. Happy knitting!
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