Sunday, May 6, 2007

As promised: the Sweater of Despair

Looks lovely, doesn't it?



Now look more closely.


The armholes are way too tight, so they don't go all the way up to where they should sit. I can force them, but I then have an armpit stuffed with wool and that's not comfortable.

Perhaps I'm being melodramatic - despair is a pretty strong word - but I worked hard on this sweater for what seems like a very long time, and I'm not sure how this problem could have been prevented. The armholes and the sleeve caps fit together okay, and the measurements all seem right. It's not the wrong size because the body of the sweater fits really well. Now I'm supposed to pick up stitches around the neckline and knit a turtleneck, but that will pull the shoulders closer together and then where will I be? At least I can get into the thing now. I definitely won't be taking the sweater apart, as I haven't had great luck undoing seams in the past, and I'm actually ok with how this sweater sits on me if only I can figure out how to finish off the neckline.

I can do without a turtleneck, and honestly was thinking of doing something different around the neck anyhow. But what kind of a finish should I use for the neckline? Do I need to pick up more stitches than required so it doesn't pull the shoulders closer together? Has anyone else had this problem? What did you do? Any and all advice would be appreciated!

ETA: I already tried blocking in hopes that the armholes could be stretched, but that didn't work.

3 comments:

Jackie said...

Sorry I don't have any words of advice for you! But good luck!

Nikki said...

Oh, that sucks. I think if you pick up the standard number of stitches and just do a garter stitch or seed stich neck (what kind of stitch is used at the bottom or side of your sweater), it should be okay and not draw in anymore.

Anonymous said...

it's beautiful! And I wouldn't really do anything to the neckline, the way that it sits like that REALLY suits you.