Sideways cardigan my way

Glad to know you all love Vogue Knitting as much as I do. Here are my changes to the Sideways Cardigan pattern in the current (Spring/Summer 08) issue, as you follow through the printed pattern. No notes mean read printed pattern as is.

Knitted measurements:
Bust, a.k.a. circumference: 46"
Length, a.k.a. back length from neck bone to hem: 23"

Materials:
4 skeins Knit One Crochet Two 2nd Time Cotton -- however, I've kept another 2 skeins because
my version plans to grow sleeves come autumn
Size 7 circular needles (I favor Bryspun, which are easy on the hands)
stitch markers
buttons

Lower back/body:
I started the same way as the printed pattern, casting on 24 stitches for the right sleeve. That was my gauge swatch as well. I looked at it, thought, "Yep, looks like a little cap sleeve to me," and went on. However, I cast on 60 stitches for the body, doubling the number the pattern called for, a total of 84 stitches. Then I worked in the established pattern for a total of 5 repeats of the zigzag panel.

Left sleeve: extra cast-on stitches means binding off 60 stitches for left sleeve of back. Otherwise same as VK.

For the back yoke, I picked up 112 stitches and worked 13 rows of openwork pattern: one 8-row repeat plus 5 rows of a 2nd repeat.

Shoulder and neck shaping: Cont in pats established, bind off 5 sts at the beg of next 8 rows and AT SAME TIME, when 6 rows of shoulder shaping have been worked, shape neck as follows: work 29 sts, attach 2nd ball of yarn and bind off center 24 sts, work to end. Working both sides at once, bind off 2 stitches from each neck edge twice. Cast off when there are 15 stitches left for each shoulder. I recall making up this part as I went along, since the yoke is basically a mesh pattern and therefore easily shaped.

Lower Left Front:

Cast on 84 sts for center edge. Begin zigzag pattern at Row 13. Then work two complete repeats of pattern, ending with first 13 rows of repeat.

Left sleeve: Next WS row: bind off 60 stitches.
Left front y0ke: pick up and knit 52 stitches.

Lower Right Front:

OK, the pattern in the magazine is completely wrong here. They accidentally just repeated the left front pattern. Since there are, what, 50 versions of this sweater on Ravelry, I'm guessing that most people figured that one out, or that VK has posted a correction since I made my version. In any case, here are my notes:

C.O. 24 sts for sleeve. K 1 row. Set up for pattern goes 1 edge sts/5 sts lace panel/10 sts zigzag/5 sts lace panel/2 edge sts. Begin at row 13 of zigzag rpt. Work through to a 2nd row 13 rpt and at the end of that row c.o. 60 sts. That means that Row 14, the first row of the body, is RS.

Finishing:

Neck trim: Pick up and knit 20 sts along right front neck, 48 sts along back neck, 20 sts along left front neck -- 88 sts. 1 row, bind off.
Buttonhole band: p.u. and knit 94 sts hem to neck edge. I cast off two sts for each buttonhole -- the four sts specified by the magazine was for huge buttons. Otherwise I basically used the pattern, just doing the usual figuring of how many stitches between each buttonhole.

These instructions are from my scribbles all over the pattern -- I'm one of those knitters who photocopies the pattern so I don't deface my copy of VK, which I save forever. Would you believe I have all copies going back to the 1980s? I'm so not a saver of stuff, but VK and Interweave Knits? Got 'em. Anyway, if you've got further questions, just ask.