Apricot Jacket

Completed: June 2005

Pattern: Apricot Jacket, Rebecca #27

Yarn: Rowan All Seasons Cotton #172 (60% cotton, 40% acrylic)

Notes: I had not had a lot of experience reading patterns at this point, so it took some doing to figure things out. The part that was really confusing for me is when you have finished the straightforward 2x2 ribbing on the back and are ready to follow the chart for the diagonal pattern. For the smaller size, place stitch markers after 6 stitches and after 16 stitches from each end. You will work patterns A and B on the 10 stitches in between those markers on either side. After finishing rows 1-8 of the charted pattern (don't forget to include the increase), you will then move each stitch marker by 4 stitches towards the center. You will again work patterns A and B on the 10 stitches that are now between those markers on either side, for another 8 rows. You keep repeating the shift and the 8 rows--you'll do this a total of 5 times for the smaller size and 6 for the larger size. After the last shift, you should now have 22 stitches in between your first stitch marker and the last one. You are now ready to discard the 2 innermost stitch markers and just keep working rows 9-10 of the pattern between the 2 outermost stitch markers. Once you've figured out the back, the rest is much more straightforward.

I really liked knitting this pattern. In time, the cardigan has held up pretty well to gentle machine washing. I do find that it seems to have gotten just a bit bigger, so I wish I had made it smaller in the first place. I admit I'm much too impatient and anxious to get started on projects to get my gauge after washing and blocking a swatch. The only other thing I've noticed is that the sleeve seems a little bulky.