Finished Top Down Raglan

I fell in love with the hand of this really inexpensive cotton linen blend from elann.com. So I knit my Not a Sweatshirt sweater which I plan to wear as if it really is a sweatshirt. Steve took the photos--had trouble taking pics of the sweater, not me--and now to share the process.

All based on the Barbara Walker book Knitting from the Top Down. I planned it as a cardigan with a zip front. So much for plans. I used the ribbing to shape it and prevent lots of extra fabric--it's just so easy to do it this way. When I finished, I really didn't like the way the fronts hung when it was worn open. I threw some single crochet around the front edges and neck and then just joined them with single crochet finished with crab stitch. The whole process was just as loose and casual as this sounds and I think the sweater will wear with that attitude.

The V neck isn't low enough--It was for a cardigan, but not for what we became. I'm unhappy with the rate of increase along the armscye seams. This wasn't even something I thought about. Now that I have knit two raglans, I will fiddle with this on the next one. It still hasn't been blocked and I suspect it will soften even more when it has. All in all, I'm pleased with it. It was a low stress learning piece.

Yarn: elann.com Adara (87.5% mercerized cotton / 12.5% linen)
Weight: 50g = 85 m (93 yds)
Gauge: 18 sts = 4 inches
Needles: US7

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