Froggy Went a Courtin'

Sometimes I think my problems are not me.  Let's talk about the Karabella Cable Sweater with Detached Sleeves* pattern, shall we? 

When I visited Ireland with my mom a few years back, we searched high and low for just the right Aran sweater.  How can you not buy a sweater in Ireland?  Easy.  Everything fit like so many potato sacks (with potatoes).  I thought this Karabella pattern was just what the O' in my name needed -  a modern (slimming) take on an old classic.

Yeah, right.  Not sure how modern it would look on me.  Here's what I knit:

I measured the gauge according to the cable pattern, as per the instructions.  The cable section turned out too narrow, but look at how long the ribbing section is at the top!  The armholes are almost as long as the whole sweater.  *sigh*  Too small here, too long there.  What's a girl to do?

I wrote to Karabella asking about the pattern because I swear I knit my gauge properly and followed the instructions carefully.  Never mind that I found at least one proper math mistake.  They never wrote back.  Whatever.

I consulted the expert, my knitting-for-twenty-five-years Mom, and she is also convinced that the pattern is off.  Bummer.   I am ill-equipped to sort out problems of this mathitude, so I am scrapping my 21st Century Riverdance Sweater for something else.   

I'm thinking of this Bergere de France V Neck Cable available at Angel Yarns in the UK.  I love how they've done the cable around the neckline, and it's flat-chested.  They wrote that pattern for me, I'm telling you what.  That is a seriously cute sweater.

In case you were wondering, the yarn is Rowan Cashsoft DK in Savannah.  The yellowy center is caused by the lighting, and isn't a feature of the yarn. 

* Not to worry, I was going to attach the sleeves.   

Comments

[Heather]

I'm not surprised that Karabella never wrote you back, such their (snooty) way! I also had a problem with a patten of theirs coming out slightly wonky...

[Jen]

Yeah I thought about calling them. I could imagine the scenario with the person on the other end, no chance that I'd get the actual designer of that sweater. They have so many patterns that they can't even be bothered to give most of them cute names. I dunno how pattern making goes, but my guess is that it's contracted out?

Anyway, I'm jonsing for the Bergere, but fretting that I'd need still more yarn to make that pattern. I don't fancy buying yarn that I've never seen in person, or even heard much about.