You've gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em.......
Remember "The Gambler"?
I've been aware for quite a while that I took a gamble on the ruffled cardigan from "R
unway Knits". I fell in love with this picture, and the romantic elegance of the sweater. It did cross my mind that it might be difficult to replicate (don't try this at home!!!), but I figured that if it was a success, it would surely be a favorite.
I've documented some of the trials and tribulations of this sweater already, most notably the obviously wrong directions for the ruffles. It continues. The directions for sewing on the ruffles are also inadequate. It is not so obvious which sides of the body and ruffles should be sewn together, and at a certain point, it seems to me that it reverses--around where the ruffled edge transitions from sweater bottom to beginning of collar. And to top it off, although her sweater is nice and closed, even in this position, there are no instructions or even suggestions for closures. It's as though Berta decided that we are all expert seamstresses and will easily figure out all this for ourselves. Not.
Here is my sweater as of this morning. I know from prior experience that I will be able to coax some more length and drape out of the ruffles when I take my iron to them in earnest. At the same time, I don't see them ever assuming the flowing,abundant form of those pictured in the book. And I'm beginning to hate the lint catching, kinda skanky and cheap looking qualities of the mohair yarn (this is the voice of bitterness, I might like the yarn but I can't tell anymore).
So I am sticking an ace up my sleeve. Yesterday, I dashed out of the office and bought this book, which I had noticed without special interest a while ago. It's got lots and lots of ideas for edging, including several pages of interesting ruffles. After all, I have an admirably well tailored black sweater body that is just waiting for the right edging. As Kenny might say, you gotta stay flexible.