Project Diary: Rust Raglan

I spent days working on my Rust Raglan sweater, only to rip the whole thing out and start again. Initially, I cast on the wrong size and I worried there wouldn’t be enough yarn to knit the correct size. 

I had 500 grams (5 skeins) of Berroco Ultra Wool Worsted, in color 33122 (Sunflower) from stash, less what was used for my swatch. I could reclaim the yarn from the swatch, but that would still leave me short. 

I would need at least 5.14 skeins of yarn to make even a short-sleeved version of my sweater. Grrr Arrrg!

After a cup of tea, I went into problem-solving mode: the Rust Raglan would have short sleeves to save yarn. I decided to shorten the body of the sweater from 26.75 inches long to about 25 inches long. 

I redid my yardage calculations, the shorter length would reduce my yarn requirement to 4.59 skeins. Check out our Do Math Darling video to learn how to calculate yardage. This was better, but that would still leave me without enough yarn to knit the cuffs, neckline ribbing, and hem. 

Ultimately, I ditched the idea of shortening the sweater. Instead,  I’d  use all the yarn I already had to make the sweater body. Then I’d order 2 more balls of yarn, same color, in another dye lot to finish the edges of the sweater.  

Yep, you read that right, I hope there will be a visible difference between the old dye lot and the new dye lot. The effect I’m going for is a solid sweater with tonal ribbing. The color will fade from one dye lot to the next with single-row stripes. Sometimes you’ve got to get creative with the materials you have. 

Even when I have to rip back and rethink, I believe there’s always a solution to be found when a project throws me a curve ball. I’ll let you know how it goes in my next project diary. 

If you enjoyed my adventures in making a custom raglan sweater.  I’d love to invite you to join me for my upcoming class, Tailored Raglans: Custom Fit Your Top Down Raglan Sweaters, at the Next Level Knitting Conference on April 6, 2025

In this fun and supportive class, we’ll dive in to techniques for tailoring your Top-Down Raglans to fit your personal preferences.