I think that Summer Sky needs a re-knit. Or a test-knitter at the very least. Maybe both.

I was really pleased with the original sweater.  But the written pattern was backed into based on that sweater, which was just a top-down, knit-till-it-fits kind of thing. And the sizing was based off that and basic raglan percentages, which as some others smart knitters have discussed, don’t always work for real women’s bodies. The original schematic was very basic and did not give many measurements. So now, a year later, I’m trying to work through all the measurements of my own size and all the others based on stitch counts that don’t necessarily fit real proportions as well as they should, and since the sample has grown a bit with wear (important to note in for the original sample yarn - Reynold’s Soft Linen) it’s a good reference only when counting stitches. And working backwards? It’s no fun.

There’s also this:

That bunching right there has always bothered me. Thing is, now I know how to fix it. And now as I’m learning more about build and sizing, I think I can improve the pattern from those aspects as well. If I take that action on paper however, it means that the re-written sweater may not knit up exactly like the one in the pictures. The main design elements of the linen stitch insets and borders would remain the same of course, but the raglan lines would be a little different, and placed differently for the different sizes. And there’s the additional tweaking and such required for the math to make sense and tie out. All this before we even get to the detailed stitch counts, actual writing, charts, etc.

Maybe I shouldn’t be admitting this publicly, but… I am new at this and I have a lot to learn. I don’t say that as any excuse, just a statement of fact. I want to handle this the best way that I can and I’m thinking I can’t change the pattern this much without re-working the sample. Which will take more time. I had hoped to have the pattern complete and up for sale by this time. It’s been a bit frustrating - my own tiny knitted albatross - especially when I have swatches and sketches for new things that I’m dying to work on. The question is - Will the excitement and happiness of working on a new idea outweigh the discouragement of knowing this one could have been handled better? Of course I already have my answer.

I’ll be back to working on this next week - no promises on timeframe, but with some taxing work deadlines finally out of the way, an upcoming long weekend in the woods to recharge, and some sample yarn arriving shortly after my return, I expect there may be some progress soon.

So there’s my long overdue Summer Sky update! I’ve sent out many copies of the free version and will continue to make it available until the new pattern becomes available - thank you for your understanding and patience.

And if you’re here in the states and are off this weekend, have fun and be safe - see you next week!

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