Ingenue

Completed: July 2009

Pattern: Ingenue, Custom Knits, by Wendy Bernard

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash (100% wool), #1910, 4 x 220y/100g

Notes: I was adventurous and started this without doing a swatch first. I figured it wouldn’t be too big of a deal since it’s a top-down raglan and adjustments are relatively simple to make. I made the collar on size 7’s and realized the gauge was too small, but I like the way the collar turned out anyway, so I left it alone. I switched to size 8’s once I got to the yoke to get closer to gauge but it was still smaller, at 20st/24r.


I knit the collar in as I went along, rather than waiting to sew it in at the end. For the raglan increases on the yoke, I spaced them further apart towards the end. After the 12th increase, I set them every 3rd row instead of every other. In part, this was to help make up my row gauge difference, but it also changed the slope of the increase and helps to prevent some of that fabric excess that often happens near the armpit on raglans. I picked this up from knitting Hargreave’s Jasmine, and I think it makes for nice shaping. As you can see in the picture with my arms down, there is still some bunching, but not too terrible. I like the way the waist shaping is done in the front and back just under the bust and at the sides along the hip. I think I will use this method in future sweaters.



I had some trouble with the bottom hem flipping up. It didn’t curl-–it just kept flipping up after I sat down or if I bent at the waist. So to try and fix this, I did the hem a bit differently. It was fiddly to get the tension just right, but I’m okay with how it turned out. After knitting row 4 of the pattern (I only did 3 repeats)…
-Knit 1 row
-Purl 1 row (turning ridge)
-Knit 2 rows using 1 needle size down
-Turn hem in along turning ridge and sew live stitches to wrong side of fabric


I didn’t have any problems with the sleeve hems flipping up, but nevertheless, I did those hems in a similar way, just for consistency. The only difference was that on the sleeves, I went down 1 needle size starting on row 4 of the last pattern repeat and also decreased by 2 stitches on that row. After purling 1 row for the turning ridge, I kept the same needle size but decreased another 2 stitches on the next knit row.


The yarn is really nice and easy to work with. It doesn’t feel plasticky like some other superwash yarns. It’s pretty soft and comfortable to wear. I think most people could easily wear it next to their skin, but I’m extra sensitive, so I did feel more comfortable with a tank on underneath.