I'm Sending Out an S O S

I've got a problem.  As problems go, it isn't all that bad in the grand scheme of things.  Still, it is a bit of a pickle and I'm somewhat at a loss as to how to proceed

The problem, thank you for asking, is with my Kauni Damask and her sleeves.  I did the sewing/cutting thing over the weekend and yesterday picked up the sleeve stitches.  I had settled a while ago on doing solid sleeves without any colorwork beyond that which was in the single strand itself.  Seemed like a good idea at the time.

Other than starting near the icky green, I really don't have a visual complaint.

The problem is in the feel of the fabric.  The body is essentially double layered as the strand work is every round from hem to neck.  The sleeve is only one strand and feels flimsy next to the rest of it.  I'm concerned how the finished garment is going to work together like that.

This brings me back to the whole, what the hell do I do with the sleeves anyway debate.  I could chart the darn damask pattern for the sleeve and just work the whole thing in the big motifs.  Except I still think they are too big for the sleeve.  Can I then just shrink the motif?  Go for a different one all together?  Give up the whole sleeve idea and make the sucker a vest?

Honestly, I'm leaning towards the vest at the moment but I am definitely up for suggestions!  In the meantime, this baby is going in timeout and I'll work on something else.  Something on bigger needles and all in one color.  Though there is that lopi yarn and pattern that I bought um two years ago that should be sufficiently marinated by now ;)

HELP!

Craft on!

Comments

[Heidi Jill Price]

Hi RIsa,
I would opt for a vest! I think the thinner sleeves will never seem right, and I agree that the pattern is a little large for sleeves. If you made the pattern smaller it would probably be, well, just too much pattern! I guess another option would be to somehow make the sleeves doubleknit so they would be the same thickness of the sweater. But then the thing would be so warm it would be more like a coat! It sure is beautiful, though!

[Sara]

hmm - maybe a simple viney pattern for the sleeves? Skip the big florals but make it a stranded vine with a few leaves? or a scroll of some kind?

I would definitely strand the sleeves - it's too stark a contrast to have the delicate floral and then colorblock stripes on the sleeves anyway :)

even a ABABAB and then BABABA on the next row would work - so it'll sort of like be a colorwork seed stitch. Where A is one ball of yarn started at one point in the color progression, and B is the second ball starting at a second point.

[Nancy J]

I'm with you that a vest would be good --- in fact -- one of the problems I had looking at thie sweater to start with was too much patterning and just to make it a vest would create an extremely wearable piece. If I were to do the sleeves, I would double strand in my one favorite color from the main body portion and then finish the sleeves with whatever color I was planning on finishing the rest of the piece with!

[--Deb]

A vest would work, but how about doing a simple, alternating pattern on the sleeves using two strands? 1 stitch with color A, 1 stitch with color B, repeat, alternating on every row so you don't get stripes (or TO get stripes, if you'd rather) . . . that way you get the same weight to the sleeves, but visually, it's not as complex as the damask pattern?

[jess]

I'm going to echo the other comments -- try a smaller stranded pattern on the sleeves. I think that will work. :) Either way it ends up: it's gorgeous!

[but: if you think you'll wear a vest more than a cardi, go for the vest.]

[Eva]

I'd go for either the vest or use just the flower portion of the whole doodah on the body and use that for the sleeves. But I think it might get too busy, so just go with the vest and use the rest of the yarn for something else hehehe.

Cheers Eva

[elsie]

I think the vest would work out great but I also like Deb's idea of an alternating pattern using two strands.

[Jessica]

Hmmm... well the sleeves aren't going to work the way they are, so I think Deb's idea or a smaller motif or something along that line might be best. It would be a shame to not get a full sweater out of all that amazingly awesome yarn, but it definitely still would make a stunning vest!

[Danielle]

I'd chart something for the sleeves. Either the body motif, or something complementary. Maybe a couple of rows of small fleurs-de-lis, then a row of a vine-like something-or-other, and then back to the fleurs?

[Kim]

I say just forge ahead with the single strand sleeves. It probably won't look weird while you're wearing it. The icky green. You know me, I love the icky green. Kauni looks just divine.

[Nancy]

Personally I would probably make it a vest BUT if I was feeling bold and inspired I would strand the sleeves in a modified version of the pattern.

[Cheryl]

What about corrugated ribbing? That would make cool striped sleeves. They might be a little stiff though.

[Erica]

That's a tough one. (The damask is gorgeous, by the way.) I've just been playing around with sock knitting, and really like the reinforced heel because of its thickness. Bascially, it's just a slipped pattern (k1 sl1), but it also effectively doubles the fabric weight. Maybe some slipped stitch would work well? Slipping does add texture, though, which may or may not be what you're looking for next to such an intricate pattern. And, I don't know what it does for flexibility over large areas, as I've only done it in socks. But for turning a heel, it's beautifully soft, thick, and squishy. I think brioche is supposed to be similar, though I haven't tried that yet. I think you could easily find a stitch pattern that would thicken up the fabric a bit, as long as you don't mind a little texture. It might also be less boring than stockinette to work, though sometimes boring knitting is all I want at the end of a fancy project!