The moss stitch has not made me crazy. yet.
I have been told that I am not allowed to complain about all of that moss stitch. That I knew full well what I was getting into and that I will just need to keep my mouth shut.
If I told you who said it you would laugh. You would laugh and laugh and laugh. The laughing might take over in that hysterical way that sometimes happens. You would know how much of her knitting complaints I listen to. If you didn’t know her personally, you would be able to tell from her blog that someone who is such a maniac on her site must be a real doozy in person. And you would be right. She has talked an auditory callous into my ear about her knitting, but I must not whisper a word about moss stitch. Oh well, it mitres not. …… did I say that? I meant matters not.
I have you my darlings to bitch about the moss stitch. But since I am only on the first front section, there is no bitching yet.
I am needing to make a decision …… and I thought I had already decided this, but am having second thoughts ….
here’s the thing. my chest measures 48″. The finished chest measurements of this pattern are 41½,(46, 51, 56½, 60). It is a coat and I do want an oversized ease. For that I need to allow 6″. That puts me (48+6=54) right in between two sizes. At first I thought I would knit to the waist with the stitch count for the 56½ and then would reduce to the next lower size for the upper body. I want this to be an oversized fit, I don’t want to be swimming in it. Considering my rear is the real issue and this is a long coat, that seemed like a good plan. And it still may be. With that in mind I thought that if the top half was too snug I would just block it bigger.
Now I am not so sure. I am knitting to gauge and it is a loose pattern. I really do not want to block it bigger – it will look too airy. So what to do? Do I continue with my first plan? Do I just knit the larger size? Or do I add a few stitches to that lower size and tinker with the schematic ever so slightly?
I am leaning towards the third option. The pattern is very simple – the sides go straight up and then there is the armhole shaping. How hard could it be to add to it so that the finished measurement of the top comes out to 54″? The difference in the initial cast on is 6 stitches between the sizes. Maybe if I split the difference – continue with the larger size to the waist area and then rather than reduce a full six stitches to the next lower size, reduce three?
oops, I almost forgot!
purlingswine 
Did someone say miters?!?
Hi Ann,
“Oh well, it mitres not.”!!!!! Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha. That’s great.
Rosane.
P.S.: Sorry, no help with the coat fitting thing. I’m laughing too hard, sitting hear at my desk. At work. With people starring at me. Asking me if I’m ok.
I just finished the Hex coat. I really like the “straight up and down” look, so if it were me, I wouldn’t try for shaping. I think your third option sounds the best. In my opinion, though, the sweater is a little more fitted up top than I expected. ‘Course, that could just be because there is a little more of me up top than there should be (but I did measure…)
Please be warned that there is a huge typo in the shaping of the armholes of the back piece. Make sure you get the most up to date error pages from the publisher to avoid massive frustration.
Also, give serious consideration to ignoring the pattern directions given for the hexagon trim. If I were to do this again, I would put most of the hexagons on the front pieces BEFORE I stitched the whole sweater together. I found it very tiring to lift and turn the whole (very heavy) coat for each side of every round of all of the hexagons. You will still have to do the hexagons around the neck after the coat is sewn together, but that is better than doing all of them.
Sorry for the unsolicited advice, but I wish someone had told me these things before I started.
Be prepared for LOTS of awe and compliments from everyone when you start wearing your finished sweater. It is really fun and well worth the (almost) endless moss stitch.
*giggle* mitres *giggle*giggle* love it…
The 3rd! Yes, you funny woman you. Seems Cara’s too busy to be insulted, but go ahead and yell at us til she’s done:D
Mitre crazy…crazy for moss…it’s not too different. Of course I’m ‘hookin’ so have no room to talk.
Cathy has some good advice…go big and thanks for the pig.
Gee, who was it that said you couldn’t complain about the moss stitch? Heh.
Cara told me that you and she laughed at me [yes, right AT me] for loving ribbing. I might as well go ahead and confess that I feel the same way about seed & moss stitch. Well, they are the same motion after all. So if you run out of patience with it, let me know and I’ll send you some of my enthusiasm.
Just the idea that you’re doing that much moss stitch makes me want to lie down with a cold compress.
If it was me I would go with the third option and reduce three on the lower half.
bwahaha! You 2 crack me up!
Mossy mitres. Could be the next big thing.
If you knit to gauge and the schematic is really simple (I have the book) just knit the correct number of stitches for the size you want and calculate the shaping, at least this is how my mother taught me to do such a thing quite many eons ago. If you need help just let me know. Thanks god you did not forget the piggie today :)
Check out Wendy today. http://wendyknits.net/.She is using your pig idea and gives credit to you ..
The moss stitch is pretty. :)
I think I would knit for a 54″ circumference, and then use the instructions for one or the other sleeves & armhole shaping, based on which is closer to the sleeve size you want.
is nothing ever easy with you woman?
I have made that coat. Mine has a tendency to stretch, both widthwise, especially through the shoulders and, lengthwise — maybe I knitted it too loosely, or this is the effect of a different yarn than that used in the book, but I am going to have to stabilize it somehow under the hexagons.
The moss stitch didn’t drive me crazy, but after a while I did begin to feel “overhexed”.
Good luck — it is a fun garment.
Fool with the pattern.
Moss stitch is pretty and fun to work. At least the first acre of it.
I almost got a really cute piggy bank pig pic for you, but I think the shopowner thought I was going to shoplift it.
Ooh baby, 48″ chest…
Listen, when you get sick of mossin’ just hand it over to Mollie!
Well, I ask you, what’s a blog for if you can’t kvetch about your own knitting??!!
I recently knit the Hex Jacket and have it seamed but have yet to add the hexagons. I totally wish that I would have knit the hexagons on before seaming…that is a super smart idea. I also decided that I didn’t want baggy sleeves so I started with lower stitch count and that I didn’t want the jacket to be oversize so I knit a size 41.5 for my 39 inch bust. And I changed the length to hit a mid-butt because I could not imagine knitting moss stitch for that long! Congrats to you for keeping your sanity and knitting the longer length in moss stitch. I love the colour too!