Sometimes I wonder about myself. Fairly often, to be truthful ..
Every jumper or cardi I make, I check my gauge and change hooks where needed (it always is). And then I find I’m not meeting bloody gauge after all. There is something about trying to make one’s stitches match those of the garment designer that is beyond me, and I fucking wish it weren’t !!! It maketh me very mad indeed.
Here we have my latest FO – you wouldn’t recognise it from the original – a cardi called “The Working Girl Cardigan”
by 
Am I falling over ? – you ask: no, merely trying to show how big I’ve made this cardi. Am I a turtle halfwit, you follow up with; and I’m obliged to nod miserably.
Still, at least I got the shawl collar right this time, by dint of reducing the number of the pattern’s stitches around the inner edges by a third. And I had to re-crochet the sleeves, too, because they were gigantic. Now they’re only enormous. Sighh ..
One of these days, Alice .. (Who knows the source of that quote ? – I mean, other than moi ..)
DOWNUNDER WITH BOODZ 
This sounds weird to me … if you check your gauge, and it still doesn’t work, then surely there are errors in the patterns? It’s a very beautiful cardi, I must say. Maybe some of your readers who are more knowledgeable than I about these things can offer more practical advice? I hope so because I can see how frustrating this must be.
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I’ve decided that it’s my very weird method of crocheting that’s the cause, Sue: I think it likely that it causes me to crochet with an uneven tension. Next time someone I know is here, I shall force him/her to record a bit of video of me at work; and then make some poor crochet expert comment on the likelihood.
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Sounds like a good idea if you think that’s the cause.
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Only explanation I can come up with.
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I love it! I know nothing about crochet, gauge, patterns, and all. I just know I love everything about this beautiful sweater! It’s a real gift to know how to make something like this.
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And yes, I love the color. Blue is my favorite.
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Dear Colorado, you are a tonic !! 🙂 Maybe I shan’t need to castigate myself for the next year, after all .. XO
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Gauge swatches lie! This is why I knit mostly accessories. Sweaters mean a big investment of time and yarn, and then I might not even like the piece, even if it technically fits!
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Michele, you are SO BLOODY RIGHT ! They do lie. They say one thing because they’re pretty damned small; and then when you go to crochet the sweater which is pretty damned big they say something totally different. Which means one ought make a gauge swatch the size of a front or back – can you see anyone wanting to do THAT ?!
You are not only extremely talented but also clever. Hmmm .. I feel as if I might’ve said something along those lines before .. [grin]
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Looks fine to me. Nice and snugly. I like Cardis to cover my bottom
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Well yes, me too. The real problem lies in the weight, Amanda: the shoulder seams are pulled off the shoulders, necessitating constant yanking back up. It’s excessively irritating. 😦
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Oh that is so darn annoying!
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It is indeed. You comprehend then why I must somehow learn how NOT to crochet very large garments, yes ? 😐
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Ja, I comprende
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Typo in previous comment is a result of a sticky keyboard….
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I do that: I eat my breakfast or my lunch or my dinner with the laptop there, and wee bits get in between the keys and the ball of my trackball becomes sticky and it’s very difficult to position the cursor.
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I type a lot so the keyboard often has hissy fits and cannot claim indigestion as the sole cause.
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Off-thread. Are you old enough to remember Jackie Gleason in ‘The Honeymooners’ ? He it was who used to say “One of these days, Alice – POW ! right in the kisser !”
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I am not old enough but I have heard the expression. I hope Alice got him back…
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Can you sew in some twill tape to stabilize the seam?
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You won’t credit it, but I was actually thinking along those lines ! I have a mental image of a piece of, say, bias binding stretching from far end of the join where sleeve meets front|back seam to the matching join. I think I’ll take it in to the Chinese repairers; because I couldn’t measure (on my own, I mean) how long it must be. Since you have mentioned it, Marilyn, I feel sure it’s the thing to do. So I shall !! Will check out ’twill tape’; but the women will know. 🙂
Thanks from the heart for your recommendation, m’dear: means everything !!
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The other name is grosgrain ribbon. It is what my mom used to sew onto sweaters to stabilize the buttonholes.
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Ah – grosgrain ribbon ! – now that I understand. 😀
Brilliant !
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Are you kidding? When I first saw the picture I was like… wow, look at that great comfy cardi!!!! In my defense, winter is not my friend and I crave things that I can wrap around me like oversized blankets on top of all the other layers that I wear. Anyway, I love it, and the colors are perfect!!! I’m sure that you will transform it into just what you want in time.
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Marilyn, where would I be without you two Colorado natives ?! 😀
A positive opinion from you, the ace knitter of colourwork, is worth its weight in whatever takes your fancy. I thank you !!
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M-R, I laugh because I wonder about myself as well. Klutz be thy name, except it usually means me spilling and dropping things on the floor or tripping over my own feet.
I love the colors of your cardigan and actually prefer clothing that’s a little oversized in the autumn and winter months. For some reason, it just feels cozier. You do an amazing job with knitting and crocheting…something I never had a talent for.
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Much as I have never been able to take a decent photograph, whereas you have become quite an artist at doing that, my dear M-J !! 🙂
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Well, you have to stop cutting off your head when taking photos. That might help. 😛😁
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You are an idiot. XO !
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