On the making of a cardigan II: swatch, gauge and some extra design details

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I've cast-on 24 stitches for a swatch in order to test my stitch choices: reverse stockinette, 16 stitches horseshoe cable, 2x2 ribbing. That went well and I liked the look of my swatch. Of course, in addition I've got my gauge: 16 rows and 11.5 stitches per 10cm (4in).

Now that I have gauge, I want size. Despite having a limited amount of yarn, I want a comfortable cardigan with lots of positive ease. I've decided to go for a large size with 112cm of bust circumference. That makes a 64 stitches cast-on for the back and 32 stitches for both fronts. Don't forget to add two stitches to the cast-on for selvedges! I may be mistaken, but I don't think that waist shaping makes sense with so much positive ease. I also think that super-chunky yarn will never provide the right drape for an A-shape piece. Therefore, I'm knitting a standard square shape (or no shape if you prefer).

Because I'm seaming and picking up stitches, I want to add selvedge stitches to my pattern. I've discussed selvedge stitches before, and, based on my findings, I've chosen a simple garter stitch selvedge (always knit the first and last stitches of every row). Note: selvedge stitches will not be included in the pattern, partly to simplify it (the simpler, the easier to understand), partly because selvedge stitches (and which type to use) are optional. But I recommend adding them as I have.

I think that sets all prior issues, we can start knitting. In the next post, I'll start describing the pattern I've used.

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