Inishturk Sweater Knit-Along: Making (and Fixing) Cables

Sharon Beth

The additions to the pattern are great, especially the layout. I had been hesitant about actually starting the cables until I was comfortable with understanding where they go, and this makes it a lot easier!

Also, thanks for the tip on how to “Fix” a cable. I’ve done only one other sweater, which has a big cable up the center, and realized that I had made that mistake and hadn’t wanted to rip it back. Now I can fix it!

I’m really enjoying the KAL, and everyone’s comments have been helpful. I look forward to starting some cables today!

Anna

That fix is absolutely brilliant – I have never thought of doing that. I always make sure on the wrong sides that my stitches run the same right to left as they do left to right for each cable panel and swap them with a crochet hook if I missed any.

Denise from Portland, OR

Yahoo! I can fix my couple of ooopies. Thank you Heather – – that’s a great fix!

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Connie in Texas

Heather, the charts added to the pattern are fantastic! Thanks so much. Also, love the cable fix. I’ve had to rip out rows twice when I realized a cable slanted the wrong way. Now, after each RS row, I take a few moments to check the slant of the cables and haven’t had a problem since. I finished the back and will finish the front this week, then it’s on to the sleeves. Love this pattern and the yarn. Thanks to LionBrand for hosting the KAL. It’s so much fun.

Denise from Portland, OR

Thank you to Connie, Donna, and Holli (in the last thread)for your help in getting me to understand how to do the increases for the sleeves and still keeping in pattern. What I couldn’t get past was,if I needed to increase a stitch and it should be a p1 stitch, according to the instuctions, M1’s are done as a knit stitch. That didn’t make sense to me. That meant the pattern would be off………right? Well, I figured out that I can do a M1p OR a M1k depending on what I need it to be, regardless of what the instruction were telling me to do. This will keep everything straight in my head and keep all the stitches in pattern. Hey! I can finally get going on this sleeve today!!

Ruby

I ran the new pattern off with the charts. It will be a great help. I haven,t started my cables yet. We have been out of power for 4 days.Just had a propane lantern at night, not very good to knit by. But have power back on. We had about 24 inches of snow.

Judy in Texas

I love that cable fix. I have a couple places that will be useful. I have both the front and back off the needles but wish I had seen the posts on kitchener’s stitch before I bound off. I think I discovered the sleeve will not be as long as I need it to be if I stop at the lenght on the pattern. I hate when a sweater’s sleeve is too short. I pinned it all together and it looks like the sleeves will need a few inches added to be long enough for me. If I’m wrong, I can roll them up but think I’ll go ahead and set the one I have done in to see how it lays. I can undo and take a few rows out if I’m wrong. Can’t wait to wear it!

Anne from Ardrossan

Wow, what a neat fix. Thanks for sharing. I have been knitting on my lunch hour in a quiet office until the pattern got established. I think I can come out of hiding now. This is the most complicated cable pattern I have ever attempted, but I love seeing the pattern develop.

Donna

Judy, I haven’t gotten the back done yet but am already nervous about the sleeves. I measured my arm and it’s a lot longer than what the pattern calls for. (I have monkey arms *laughing). I was going to start a sleeve next but will finish front and back to put it on to measure correctly. Where do you add length to the sleeve? I’ve glanced at the pattern and it looks like increases all the way up. Do I just keep increasing until I get the length right or am I reading the pattern wrong? Thanks…nite

Dianna

Has anyone looked ahead or worked on the sleeve section yet? I am confused as to why the larger sweater sizes have shorter lengths noted for the sleeves? Should they not be longer if they are larger? Both the ribbed cuff and the shoulder seam edge are wider with the larger sizes but the lengths are longer for the smallest sizes and shorter for the larger sizes – is this just reversed? Please confirm my feelings that these numbers are reversed, someone.

D

Cathy

Thanks for the tip on how to fix a cable, I do have one cable about half way up the back that needs it. I found it is easier to keep track of my rows with my row counter if I just count my rows to 16 and then start over. The cables are so much fun to see all coming together. I hope we still have enough winter left to wear it when I am done. But I am in Michigan so I don’t think that will be a problem.

BWYA

What a smart way to fix the cable. I never would have thought of that! I don’t love doing duplicate stitch, but it sure beats the pants off of ripping out! Thanks for another trick for my bag.

Connie in Texas

Donna, regarding adding length to sleeves, I would not continue to increase — that would add width to the finished sleeve and it might not fit the armhole properly. After you finish the increases, the pattern says “work even until sleeve measures …” you could continue straight up until the sleeve is the right length. You could also add an inch to the ribbing, which is what I plan to do since I like extra ribbing at the cuff. Good luck!

Amy

I have just split the back for the neck shaping. The pattern reads: ”…dec 1 st at each neck edge (by a working k2tog 1 st from neck edge) every other row 3 times.” I need some help here. I worked a RS row when I split the center to a stitch holder, then I worked a WS row, now I’m going to work a RS row in pattern but add this dec at the neck. So, the k2tog will be the last stitch on the right panel and the first stitch on the left panel, correct? And on the WS row I will purl that stitch, correct? OR is there some other way to interpret this direction?

Please tell me how to do this because this is my first knit sweater experience and I’m not sure I’m reading it correctly.
Thank you,
Amy

Denise from Portland, OR

Amy, I had done all my k2tog stitch on the wrong side. I don’t know if that was right, but it made it easier for me to keep my stitches “in pattern”. And yes, you are right….the k2tog will be the last stitch on the right panel and the first stitch on the left panel. Hope that helps.

Judy in Texas

Donna,As Connie stated, the increases on the sleeve doesn’t continue for the full lenght of the sleeve so I just continued in the pattern after the last increase for about 2 more inches. I do like my sleeves to come down about 1/2 inch below the bottom of my wrist and the recommended lenght would been slightly above my wrist. Not that I have long arms, but I have wider shoulders than most patterns are written for. I see the end in sight and am getting very excited to try it on for the first time finished. I hate cold but hope we have another few weeks of winter so I can wear it.

Donna

Thanks Connie, I didn’t see that in the pattern. I think I’ll add to the ribbing too, then if I have to increase more it won’t all be at the top.

Denise from Portland, OR

Connie, I wish I would have seen your post about increasing the ribbing before I started my sleeve yesterday! This sweater is for my husband and the sleeves have to be 23 inches total, in length. An extra inch to the ribbing would have helped….

Ashlee

I haven’t measured my arms yet but it’s okay because I’m no where near there yet…lol.

Heather, thank you SO MUCH for the fixing idea. That is so clever. I would have pictured it being too high (bumpy) but your picture barely shows a difference. I wish I had waited to rip out 7 whole sets of 16! But practice makes perfect. I’m going to be so far “behind” because I had to stop to knit “cigar” gloves for my father. Hopefully I can finish them soon.

Patty

Amy, the pattern says to K2tog 1 st from neck edge, so you would knit the 2 stitches together just before the last stitch on the right and then the 2 just after the first stitch on the left.

Judy from Austin

I too have been looking at the sleeves with some consternation since this project began. Something, I missed is that the 17 inches do NOT include the two inches of ribbing and the shoulders are not “fitted”. So the bigger sizes – the shoulder could be hanging down on part of the arm because the body of the sweater is basically a square. I have decided to add a single row(s) in between the “increases” to keep the sleeve growing symmetrically. Since my gauge is pretty accurate that means five rows is about 1″. In the past I find if I just write it all out ahead of time the end product isn’t too “surprising”. I do like the idea of adding to the ribbing – thanks for that!

Donna

YIPPEE!!! The back is done. Of course I had a continous hot flash while I was doing the neck shaping but it looks okay and I have the right number of stitches. I must have looked so odd with yarn everywhere. I just couldn’t seem to get my yarn coordinated doing both sides, but it got done and that’s what counts. Now onto the front. I’ll do that next, then try it on to measure for the sleeves. I’m so excited…wooo hooo I’m making a sweater. *shaking my pom poms to cheer everyone on*

Donna

YIPPEE..The back is done. I had a continous hot flash while I was shaping the neck but it looks okay and I have the right number of stitches. I must have looked really odd with yarn everywhere. I just couldn’t coordinate my yarn while working on both sides but it got done and that’s what counts. No onto the front. I’ve decided to do that next so I can try it on and measure the sleeves. Woooo hooooo I’m making a sweater. *shaking my pom poms to cheer everyone on*

Donna

Sorry about the double post. I had a “can’t find the page” thing pop up, so redid it and the other one showed up. *sigh* Oh well….happy knitting.

Amy

Patty (21), thank you. But now I’m confused – after I k2tog, what do I do with that last stitch because I won’t be able to keep these last 3 stitches (or first 3 on the other side) in pattern. Do I just k? and then do I purl them on the reverse and should I do the k2tog on the RS or WS? Are all knitting patterns so non-specific? Perhaps they are written this way to give the knitter the freedom to do what they prefer to get the results needed, but for this new knitter, specifics would be nice!

Christine-WI

Thanks for the quicky fix note!
I found a few errors in my Cable C that are more complicated to fix. I also discovered them after 20 rows,ACK!
I have been pulling out just the incorrect cable stitches and carefully reworking them with another knitting needle, a large crochet hook and my cable needle.
I have been having a lot of success reworking those stitches without being able to see the correction.
I make sure the needles I am correcting with
are the same size as the ones I am knittiing with, and I am careful not to stretch the ripped out stitches. For me it is still faster than reknitting the entire section-and I would probably just make a different set of errors next time!
Thanks for all the good comments everyone!

Donna

Amy, I just knitted the last stitch that you are talking about. The notes said if you don’t have enough stitches for the pattern to knit the knits and purl the purls, so that’s what I did and it looks okay.

Mary Ann

I have made some mistakes in the C Cables and not noticed them until I had done a number of rows. I[m heeding the advice of checking each time I finish a RS row. . I have reknit some of the cables when I discovered the error within a few rows. That was an adventure but made me feel like an accomplished knitter. These remaining errors will be my excuse for keeping the sweater for myself. 🙂
It seems that people are decreasing the neck on wrong side rows. When I decrease for the last time do I bind off on the next row or knit a right side row and then bind off. I haven’t made a sweater in thirty years or so. I could use your help.
Love the pattern even if I have made mistakes.

Christine-WI

I try to check my pattern frequently, but I forget. Can’t see the forest through the trees. *laughing*

Marie

Finally finished the back. YEAH. As I was finishing the neck (also having hot flashes the whole time LOL) it just happened to work out that it was the last 6 rows of the pattern. I did my decreases on a WS row, knitting them and the last stitch. It worked out with the pattern. Then I just bound off on the RS row. (Opted not to do 3 needle bind off). Even though I was careful I still made mistakes on the way some of the cables went, and tried to fix as I went, but did miss a few. I will try the fix you have shown here since I am giving the sweater to my son and would like it to be nice. On to the front. Boy, working gets in the way of my knitting. LOL

Judy Bishop

Marie – I’m with you! That pesky job cuts down on the knitting time. Hey Heather – It sounds like what we really need to know is how to get a job like yours!!

SherryR

I unknitted the few inches I had. I initially had trouble on the reverse side detecting which stitch was a knit and which was a purl. Made several boo-boos especially on one side with the Double Seed Stitch. I am going to cast on circular needles and knit in the round…all right sides. Sigh.

Donna

Happy Valentine’s Day my knitting friends.

kimberann

Well, I’m about a 3/4 through the back and was feeling very pleased without having any mistakes until today when I finally had an entire day to knit I realized I forgot to twist one of my cables, soooo…now I have to go back stitch by stitch, row by row to fix it, grrr, I will remember to check more often, I find the ripping back of the cables so much harder, so my evening will be spent unknitting and hopefully it won’t take too long and I can get back into the groove, love hearing all the progress, happy knitting 🙂

Donna

kimberann, can’t you do the fix like Heather showed instead of ripping back?

Donna

Doesn’t look like I’ll be wearing my sweater this winter. I came home from work tonight and was amazed to see the dogwood trees flowering and somebody’s rhodedendrons or azaleas (not sure which) were full of flowers. Really early spring in the great northwest.

Kim

I’m pleased to report that I’m back on track! I did have to rip back and found out exactly what I had done wrong, forgot to twist one of the “C” cables, just straight knitted the entire section. Glad to have it fixed 🙂

Judy in Texas

I finished my sweater today. I love it. We will have 60 or above the rest of this week. No wearing it yet. I started on the hat but only got the ribbing done.

Donna

Congratulations Judy, how exciting.

Denise from Portland, OR

Judy in Texas – Congratulations on finishing your sweater! Hopefully the weather will let you wear it at least one time before next year…..

Marie in PA

Wow Judy!! Congratulations on a finished job!

I’m almost finished with the back but haven’t started shaping the neck just yet–maybe later today.

There are a couple boo-boos here and there, but nothing that jumps out at you. Love the pattern….the center cable is neat, but I love the look of the double seed stitch at the sides. Was happy to see that much of the sleeves will be made up of this double seed stitch. Soooooo pretty!!

The “oatmeal” yarn is really quite grey. Definitely grey-er than what I expected. Seems that “oatmeal” should be much more beige….

Judy in Texas

Thanks for the congrats everybody. I did get to wear it today because it was cooler than I thought. I tried it on to take some pictures and it felt better than the sweatshirt I had on so the sweater stayed on instead. I know ya’ll will love yours and what a great gift this would make. Happy knitting everybody.

Anna

So I’ve finished the front and the back of my sweater (and was smart enough to run a life line in the front before starting the neck shaping!) and I’m wondering if I’ve made it long enough. I had my hubby help me hold up the back and he pointed to where it hung, but I’m not sure how much of the length will get sucked up when I stretch it sideways to seam with the front?

Denise from Portland, OR

Anna, what I did was lay the back section on the counter, and then layed the front on top of it to compare the lenght of the two. That worked for me……..

Anna

I’m sure the front and back are the same length – I’m wondering if the finished sweater will be long enough. I prefer my sweaters to end around the widest part of my hip halfway down my butt.

I did get the shoulders sewed together (so now I have a vest!) and it seems like it’ll be long enough. I’m just concerned with how much of the length will go away when I stretch it to do the side seams.

Heather says: “Hi, Anna: The front and the back are the same length. What you can do to see the actual length is to dampen your pieces (I do it with a spray bottle) then lay flat and let dry. This will ease those cables. Then you can measure the length or compare it to a sweater you already knows fits you well. The nice thing about this sweater is that there is no armhole shaping, so if you wanted to add more length you can easily do that before the neck shapings!”

Inishturk Sweater Knit-Along: The Inishturk Shapes Up | Lion Brand Notebook

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Babette

hi! I just found this and am IMMEDIATELY going to get my yarn for this KAL!! Im sorry Im starting so late but I just LOVE this!! One question I have and “YES” you will be able to tell I am new is how will we sew the shoulders & arms in where they wont look too bulky! Im sooo glad I found you all! I have 3 sweaters KNITTED that are just sitting there ready to be put together but I know NO ONE who knits & every time I go to put them together they look really bad because they are toooooo bulky or just awful! And I really want to wear them! ANd after I get caught up with y’all and finish this one I will DEFINATELY want to finish this one and Im really worried that I wont be able to put those shoulders together!!! HELLLPPPPP PLEASE!!!
Blessings
Babette†

Babette

Hi! This is Babette! I am working on my gauge block and I bought all my materials today! I bought the “nature’s brown” color because they didnt have the same die lot in Oatmeal in 3 skeins. Does it take all 3 skeins for the sweater in the smaller size? Also, if I want my sweater to be slightly smaller than the 40″ would I use a smaller needle after I obtain my gauge? Thanks for all your help!! Esp since Im soooo late in coming in on this!
Blessings
Babette†

Dianna

Thank you ever so much, I really enjoyed reading about mistakes and how to fix ! Wow, wished I had a V-8, I am doing my Granddaughter a sweater for her b-day and this fall she will be wearing it, but wanted you to know that now I know what to do, as I can not tell you how many times that I’ve RIPPPPED out stitches and if I had known how easy your way was., that sweater would have been done last year, Now all my grandkids will have a sweater Thanks 😉

Dianna

Also, I love the way you have all these comments and answered question’s as I am going to print them out and cut them up in recipe card’s sizes, and keep them with my knitting bag, Referances my dear Referances, Thank you

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