I finished the Raindrop Cardigan and I was so completely positive I was going to love it, but it came out 'meh' and it's totally my fault, and I'm bummed by the whole thing.
Let's call it "knitter error".
I used Berroco Vintage, because I had it on hand, and I liked the color, and I saw no reason it wouldn't be perfect for this pattern. The whole way through, it looked good, the size looked good, the pattern showed up beautifully, and I couldn't wait to snuggle up in this lovely work- appropriate cardigan.
Hmf.
Do you see the curling? I steam blocked those edges HARD.
And it's made specifically not to button, so if I try to overlap the fronts (with perhaps a snap placket) then it will probably pull across the hips.
All I can come come up with is to get some grosgrain ribbon, either black or grey, since there is no way to match the red, and line the insides of the edging to prevent them from curling, but since the edging goes straight into the collar, what do I do with it - let it go all the way to the edge of the collar and hope it doesn't look stupid?
GAH.
I am open to any and all suggestions, please and thank you!
And look how lovely the back is, I simply adore it.
This is totally knitter fail, I never thought about the fact that vintage is only 40% wool. Grrrrrrr.
How about a patterned grosgrain ribbon with a bit of red in the pattern, say plaid? The red wouldn't have to match perfectly, and it would be a snappy design feature.
Don't despair, it will look great with the ribbon!
Posted by: Barbara Seiver | February 11, 2013 at 09:29 AM
I like the ribbon idea. It would look very sweet.
Posted by: Kathleen | February 11, 2013 at 10:12 AM
Oh, the back is just gorgeous! I think ribbon is a good idea. You could also try a crochet edging.
Posted by: Jodi | February 11, 2013 at 11:28 AM
I just love the back of this. We can make this work sweetie!
Posted by: jennygirl | February 11, 2013 at 03:58 PM
What about putting in a zipper?
Posted by: Valerie | February 11, 2013 at 08:17 PM
When I first saw it, I thought the curling in was just a design element because I don't think it looks bad.
How about adding in front ribbing bands with the same ribbing you use on the bottom? You can even have the ribbing go all the way up the collar (I've seen sweaters that do that).
Posted by: betty | February 12, 2013 at 05:10 PM
How about the reverse crochet stitch. It calms the edge quite a bit and looks a little fancy.
Posted by: Deb Winslow | February 12, 2013 at 06:47 PM
The patterned ribbon is worth a try, but if you do it and don't like it, you might try picking up stitches and doing a row or two of something non-curling, maybe a bit of seed stitch border or perhaps something with a picot edge?
Posted by: Lorette | February 18, 2013 at 03:34 PM