Cindy Must Knit This Cardigan

Cindy Must Knit This Cardigan in Black Water Abbey yarn
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Okay, I couldn't stand it! Had to get a photo up. Not great light, and not accurate color (it's a beautiful seafoam green). Overall I'll be giving this a thumbs up, but there are some things I would do differently. Anyway... the stats!

Project Stats:
Pattern: Must Have Cardigan (Paton's Street Smart)
Yarn: Black Water Abbey in Seafoam (the photo color is a little dull. Much prettier in person!!!)
Problems with the pattern: uh, the sizing? 13-1/2" wide sleeves? you gotta be kidding me!
Changes to the pattern: A lot. First thing I did was upsize it via gauge. Using 18 sts to 4" and size 8 needles. I followed the dimensions of the pattern, and had to rework the sleeve cap to fit (specific directions will follow). I changed the diamond pattern to start at a point rather than the widest part and I added some length. I also mirrored the diamonds.
Overall Impressions: I'm fairly happy with it. I should've started the points at the cable cross rather than right after it. I wish I had used a size 6 needles for the ribbing (I used 7's), as it's not as firm as I like my ribbing. The color is perfect, the cables pop beautifully. While the Black Water Abbey yarn is not next to skin soft (but I don't think most wools are), it's got great stitch definition and I know it's going to last for a long time. My sleeves are way too long (again, I did follow the dimension of the pattern, and the photo on the model shows her sleeves hitting her knuckles... and that's about where mine hit... should've paid more attention). This is going to be a well worn/well loved cardigan. There's a reason I called it "Cindy Must Knit This Caridgan"... favorite color, favorite styling, fab cables.

So let's say this is on your to do list, but like me need something for a fuller bust and heavy upper arms. Lets say that a 44" finished size and 15" wide sleeves would be ideal. Here's what I did:

I followed the directions for the largest size, using the same numbers to cast on/decrease and worked to the dimensions on the schematic (warning: the sleeves are long. I used 18" as my goal, the length on the smallest size and my sleeves are probably about 3" longer than I like). The only change I made was I added about an inch to the armhole opening (making it 9" rather than 8") and I had to adjust my sleeve cap to fit.

Here's what I did for the sleeve cap: I followed directions except I continued decreasing every other row until I had 41 (rather than 55), then I decreased every row until I had 25 stitches. I then cast off 3 stitches the next 4 rows (leaving me with 13 stitches) and then cast off the remaining stitches.

Sleeve cap detail
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I have to say that the sleeve cap is very tailored and I love the way it fits. I'll get a modeled photo one of these days, as I'm thrilled with how it fits (well, except the long sleeves).

More sleeve detail
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