It's always been difficult for me to tell the size of a garment knitted on circular needles. So about six inches into the Byzantine Millbrook sweater, I slipped it onto two circular needles so I could spread it out a bit and measure it. It's SIX INCHES TOO SMALL!!!! AAAARGH!!!
I've made gauge errors before, even some very big errors. But not for a long time. For this sweater I made up an especially large gauge swatch, as I always do, so I could get a very accurate gauge. The swatch was in stockinette stitch, so I calculated about how many extra stitches I would need to add for the cables: about 30. (For example, if you have a 6-stitch cable that crosses 3 by 3, you must add 3 stitches for that cable). I FORGOT TO DOUBLE THE ADDED STITCHES FOR THE CABLES IN THE BACK! I should have added 60 stitches: 30 for the front, 30 for the back. I knew this. I really did! I just forgot! Thirty stitches translates to six inches, according to my gauge.
Now, I am WAY to stubborn to rip out six inches of a perfectly beautiful sweater because it is six inches too small. So I am plunging ahead, hoping against hope that I can block (stretch) it out by at least four inches. It will shorten the entire sweater (but I can knit it longer to compensate), flatten the cables, and will probably look bad stretched tight over my fat behind. Depending on how bad it looks, I may even have to give it to a smaller person as a gift- I've done it before! Besides, I am having such a fun time making this sweater that it wouldn't kill me to make another, larger one for myself and my fat behind.
P.S. The Manly College sweater is spot on.
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