TADA!! The Magic Raglan pattern has arrived!!!

I have received some good news, peeps.  Samantha, the lady who kindly offered to test-knit my sweater pattern, has informed me that we're a go.

A go.

So, here you go:



This is something I've been working on for a while and I'm quite proud of it.  It all started over 10 years ago, when I didn't even own a computer (and didn't really know how to use the Internet - oh for shame!).  I had decided that I was going to knit something more substantial than just another stupid garter stitch scarf and didn't know where to start.  I went to my local craft store to find some affordable (read: hideous) yarn and chatted up the saleswoman.  She told me about this online pattern I should look up.  I ended up on the computer at my boyfriend's (now husband) house and found this pattern online that gave a very detailed explanation of how to design a custom-made raglan sweater, with some ideas for modification.  Here it is, in case you're wondering.

I've used this pattern a few times over the years (no, I never finished that first one - the yarn was just too appalling, but I was happy to have done a test run with something that didn't break the bank).  The only problem I could see was that there was no real diagram and my mind just couldn't wrap itself around the instructions, sometimes (even though I had knit it before!).  So, I got it in my head last fall that I was going to see if I could soup it up and add some additional information.

I had no real way of reaching the original author of the pattern, apart from her name and location from 10 years ago.  Through the miracle of the Internet, I managed to track her down and e-mailed her to ask her permission to make these modifications.  I couldn't believe it when she wrote back that very day saying "Yes!  Of course!"  Turns out, her husband was the one who had posted the pattern waaaaaay back in the early/mid-90's, based on this pattern she'd been using to teach knitting classes.  Hence the lack of images/diagrams.

There you have it - your very own how-to on designing and knitting a custom-fit top-down raglan with whatever yarn you want to use, whatever gauge you like, the size/length/style you want, in the stitch pattern of your choosing.

Almost too many choices, come to think of it...

PS: If you use it, I'd love to see the results!