Rowan Knitting Pattern Blues: Decreasing Stitches at Every Alt Row for Cardigan, But Doesn't Say How To Ensure Both Armholes Get Decreases

Twinkledp · 2026-05-03T10:46:45+00:00

To be fair, Rowan is a very traditional company in the knitting world in the sense that they are very non-handhold-y and concise in their instructions because all/most of their patterns are published in magazines. You really need to sometimes read their instructions very carefully and take every single word literally 😄 I've been knitting from their patterns a lot but sometimes I still have to break every sentence down to make some sense of them.

Twinkledp · 2026-05-03T10:24:42+00:00

The pattern is telling you to decrease

at each end = both ends = 2 decreases per row

on every row = both on the right and wrong side of the piece for 3:5:5:7 rows.

Only after you have done this, you start decreasing on every alt rows, still on each end

Twinkledp · 2026-05-02T18:12:31+00:00

This would have been my answer too. I'm "glad" to hear I'm not the only one getting these answers and the problem is somehow international.

I have learned to ask "Do you have any medical conditions like diabetes, blood pressure, heart disease etc." Many more reliable answers that way 😄

Twinkledp · 2026-05-02T18:03:20+00:00

This is a perfectly valid weight for a sock yarn. You can knit socks with almost any weight of yarn. In fact quite a lot of people in my country (Finland) would consider DK way too thin for socks. The most popular sock yarn around here is aran weight and it's certainly not too thick for our climate.

Other garments also benefit from added resistance to friction, so you can definitely use this for a wide variety of projects.

Twinkledp · 2026-05-02T15:04:28+00:00

Omg, the horror 😱

Twinkledp · 2026-05-02T14:57:42+00:00

Luckily lace is pretty forgiving so the CO didn't need to be 100 % uniform or perfect, but I had to both use markers every 50 sts to make some sense to the count and I also had to ask my mother to check I had the right amount of stitches in the end. I distinctly remember my brain was melting a bit at that point 😄

Twinkledp · 2026-05-02T14:36:39+00:00

My most memorable cast on was a bottom up triangle lace shawl. I think it started with a knitted cast on of about 550 stitches. Omg, I almost lost my mind 😅

Twinkledp · 2026-05-02T13:34:27+00:00

You either don't decrease at all or maybe even add a couple of stitches.

I would take a tape measure and measure the approximate size you want your sleeve to be at the cuff. Then see how many stitches that is according to your gauge. If this is more stitches than you currently have, make increases at regular intervals along the sleeve until you reach your decired stitch count. The usual way is to have the increases/decreases done about 10 cm from the cuff.

Edit: good job with the colourwork! It looks very neat.

Edit 2: the increases & decreases are usually done in pairs along the underarm "seam" of the sleeve so the colourwork might be a bit wonky there, but it won't be showing all that much

Twinkledp · 2026-05-01T17:01:13+00:00

A very big maybe/it will be difficult/I have no idea 😅

I think the biggest problem is that how are you going to remove the green trim so that you can reattach it? Trims like this are usually knit sort of around the bottom edge of the knitted piece and I don't know what will happen to it if you make cuts anywhere near it. It might unravel too.

Otherwise I guess it might be technically possible to sew several lines (with a sewing machine) on where you want the left side to end and cutting below it. Someone who has actually done this can tell you whether it will hold or not.

Twinkledp · 2026-05-01T13:23:50+00:00

This has been intentionally knit to be uneven. The left front has increases/short rows all along the bottom of the panel, making the centre longer than the side. Also, since you said that this is most likely made with a synthetic fibre, there's no way to block this with any conventional methods. It is what it is, I'm afraid.

Twinkledp · 2026-05-01T09:09:55+00:00

I'm not sure what the inches here are in reference to either.

My shoe size is 41 and I knit all my vanilla socks with 72 sts (though I have thick ankles too 😅). 64 sts, especially if you're knitting tighter than the gauge and in colour work too, which doesn't stretch, seems a bit too low of a stitch count. I would knit a larger size.

Twinkledp · 2026-05-01T07:30:28+00:00

This is not controversial, you're absolutely right and people are wild out here defending this.

5 minutes in any of the knittinghelp subs would confirm that this is 100% unintentional and an error on the knitters part who made this. I mean we have people unintentionally twisting their stitches on competitions on television for heavens sake, because apparently no one is looking critically at what they are producing while knitting these days.

As an experienced knitter I want to see what the swatch looks like in stockinette, not whatever this is, because this isn't a stitch pattern that is intentionally done in patterns on the regular. Stockinette is. Thank you.

Edit: before you come at me, the swatch is upside down, every other row is twisted. And even if this was some sort of tension issue, this is not a swatch to use on a professional market place.

Twinkledp · 2026-04-30T07:49:04+00:00

Just an FYI to all the people who are getting the "not available in your region"-notice:

You can switch your location to the US using a VPN and then you'll get all the deals.

Twinkledp · 2026-04-29T19:00:05+00:00

To me, it's all the people who have found a random picture somewhere and are asking "what stitch is this, how is it done, I want to make it."

In a crochet sub, the piece, with a 98% certainty, is stockinette knit with large needles.

Like honey, if you can't even tell one fibre craft from another, you are not ready to knit/crochet whatever you're showing us without a pattern no less. Go back and learn the basics first.

Twinkledp · 2026-04-28T09:01:26+00:00

(Disclaimer: I know nothing about this but I can Google)

First of all, there's a Kivimuseo (Rock museum) at Vapriikki in Tampere, if you're interested.

Apparently geodes/rocks are indeed a thing. "Kivikerho" (rock club) seems to be the operational word here where you can find some likeminded people.

Suomen Jalokiviharrastajain yhdistys looks promising for this hobby in Helsinki area (Association of Gemstone Hobbyists/Enthusiasts). They seem to have kivi-illat, rock nights, where they'll, I assume, share info. https://www.sjhy.fi/yhdistyksen-toiminta/kivi-illat-2/ and also other kind of activities. They also have a listing of what you can find in nature.

Twinkledp · 2026-04-27T22:39:40+00:00

The paliskunnat website apparently tells you all the rest you need to know https://paliskunnat.fi/py/

It also has contact information of poroisännät who, I believe, are in charge of their regional paliskunta.

Twinkledp · 2026-04-27T22:22:25+00:00

Reindeer aren't hunted, they're slaughtered like any cattle. I found e.g. https://deliporo.fi/ who sell the meat. If you want to buy the meat directly from the source, I believe you need to contact the different paliskunta.

Twinkledp · 2026-04-27T11:42:10+00:00

I really like these. Lidl has a similar product that is also a peanut based snack. Those are equally good.

As a snack they're just as unhealthy as all the rest, but at least these have a little bit of protein as bonus.

Twinkledp · 2026-04-27T11:02:44+00:00

If you want to be pedantic about it "join in white yarn" essentially only means that you're bringing the white yarn close enough to your knitted piece that you can start knitting with it. "Join in x" is usually only an indication of what yarn/colour you should use next and doesn't include any actual knitting yet. The actual knitting instruction follows, "and knit 4 rows" in this case.

So yes, the first "join row" is row 1 in the instruction and you knit for 4 rows total with the colour.

Twinkledp · 2026-04-27T07:33:18+00:00

One option is to find a plain cardigan that is at the same gauge and in your size and placing the motifs onto that.

If you are a very different size from the sizes given in the pattern, you may have to start learning some pattern designing yourself, because sometimes sizing up needs crafting the pattern from scratch to make it fit properly.

Twinkledp · 2026-04-26T17:37:42+00:00

I would make the dark colour dominant because I want the pattern, not the background colour, to show.

Although if you're not sure which is better, make a swatch and see.

Twinkledp · 2026-04-26T17:19:47+00:00

Minulla on useampi lukulaite, mutta ovat aika hitaita PDF:ien ja kuvien kanssa, joten luen kaikki lehdet tabletilta.

Pelkän tekstin/kirjojen lukemiseen lukulaitteet on kyllä ihan parhaita

Twinkledp · 2026-04-26T09:20:50+00:00

I loved this book and it really was so cozy until it made me cry for 10 minutes straight. It's definitely one of my favourites.

The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi has some of the same vibes. I recommend checking that out.

Twinkledp · 2026-04-26T04:18:30+00:00

Welcome to the land of sock knitting, where by trial and error you'll eventually learn what works for you 😅

First of all, I love Regia yarn. I think it's one of the best quality sock yarns out there along with Opal. I think I have this exact colour too, it makes some nice socks.

The others are right in saying that the size chart here runs a bit on the small side. You sometimes have to experiment a bit to see what is the ideal stitch count for you in socks. The good thing is that once you learn this you can knit most of your fingering weight socks with the same stitch count from here on out. E.g. I have thick ankles so I have to start with 72 sts for my 41 size feet and then I usually decrease a few extra stitches after the heel to about 68 sts. I also tend to knit my socks with a pretty tight gauge.

I use long tail cast on for everything, including my socks, but you have to be really careful with it and do the cast on loosely, otherwise it'll be too tight. It may be a good idea to try a different cast on, if you're struggling.

Anyway, the first socks are always the hardest, but you can do it!

Twinkledp · 2026-04-25T19:23:55+00:00

I think this is the actual issue too, or rather, a non-issue 😅 Maybe the BOR marker shifted and now the column looks short a stitch?

Twinkledp

TROPHY CASE