Flint Knits

hmmmmm, let’s see. my main modifications were:

1) not to put the extra stitches into the underarm area because i didn’t want huge sleeves.

2) i added a collar to mine and included the instructions on my blog: http://www.gleek.net/blog/category/february-lady-sweater/

3) i used a great online calculator to figure out the eyelet increases at the bottom of the yoke: http://www.thedietdiary.com/knittingfiend/tools/IncreaseEvenlySpace.html

I made absolutely no modifications. I’m a cretin.

I knit it with no modifications, but should have knit the bind off more loosely at the bottom edge.

I haven’t made this pattern yet, but I do want to say two things:
1. Thank you for doing it and making it available to less intrepid knitters.
2. This is a great idea. I can’t think of how you’re going to condense all this information, but I think it’s wonderful that you’re taking this extra step to at least collect comments. A lot of designers now put up an overview of their patterns, but it seems more like they’re trying to advertise their product (not that they shouldn’t). With the FLS’ massive popularity, that clearly isn’t your main goal.

P.S. When I finally cast on for the sweater, I’m planning on making it so that it’s more like the original: round yoke, with the lace pattern starting before the sleeves are divided.

I pretty much followed the pattern as written. On the yoke I didn’t do the eyelet increases. I just kept with the raglan increases till I had 282 stitches for size small. Did button hole instructions from the pattern. Beautiful.

I knit 24 pattern repeats on the body and 12 pattern repeats on the sleeves. This is because the yarn I used would grow with blocked. I used Socks that Rock heavy weight in the color My Blue Heaven.

The sweater fits perfect. Everyone loves it when I wear it. I wear a size large or 12 in clothes but in this sweater the size 37.5 bust fit me perfect.

First things, first. I LOVE THIS PATTERN and adore you for gifting it to us all. The FLS was only my second sweater to knit, so I wasn’t skilled enough to make any changes. I used Brooks Farm worsted weight yarn (very nice stuff) and was very happy with the final product. If I could go back in time, I might work a different kind of buttonhole that that of EZ’s orginal (or maybe I would practice up some to get them tighter) and I might add some length to my sleeves which I ended too early. Seriously, you deserve a Nobel Peace Prize or some knitting equivalent.

I made it about a year ago:
*I used Malabrigo worsted on size 8’s. I got a slightly larger gauge than written, perhaps helping to me changing to a S for the eyelets
*I used kfb increases because I kept messing up the m1s
*I am generally a M, I cast on for an M but transformed into an S using fewer evenly spaced YOs for the eyelets. I’m by no means an S, but I want to make sure it’s flattering and not bulky. My bust was about 39” and it looked good. (well now it’s a 37″ and I think I may move the buttons)
*I did 22 lace repeats for the body. I’m about 5’-5”
*I did 11 lace repeats for the sleeves, since I did not want them to bell. I wanted them to hit at the elbow.

The only modifications I made were to decrease away the cast on stitches under the arms when I started the sleeves. Everything else I knit as written. Wonderful pattern!

I loved the pattern, too! I started it about 2 weeks before my wedding because, you know, I needed to wear it on the honeymoon. I used BMFA single silk (50/50 merino/silk), and I ended up knitting the smallest size when I am, actually, closer to the second largest. I did this, first, to compensate for the fact that the yarn would grow and sag due to silk’s lack of memory and, second, because I knew the garter yoke would stretch a bit as well. It came out fitting perfectly. Other than that I didn’t cast-on the underarm stitches for the same reason, and I added several inches to the body. I’m very short-waisted and, as written, it would have hit me at a very unflattering spot. All pretty minor mods, I loved the pattern, and I wear the sweater all the time. Thanks so much for such an awesome pattern!

I found that my gauge for knitting in the round is much, much different than my gauge for knitting flat. I redid the sleeves twice each, and I am super happy that I did because I love the final result.

i did the exact pattern. It was simple and clear … it suits me perfectly … thanx !

This is just a copy of my Ravelry notes but you’re welcome to them!

1. Knit sleeves straight and full-length. Sleeves were 30 pattern repeats; knit straight for 18, than decrease 2 stitches every pattern repeat until 2 repeats are decreased. Knit straight to avoid bell sleeves with full-length sleeves. 7 garter stitch ridges for cuff.

2. As said above, stop yoke earlier that you think. I went on gartering too long after reaching underarm; should have switched to lace earlier. Now I have poofiness around armpits, not a good look.

If I knit this again, I would like to make a real cardigan, with buttons all the way down. Perhaps you need to add some waisth-shaping for the hips?

I made one alteration - I knitted longer sleeves. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a successful alteration. What I ended up with was two big lines at my wrists that seemed to act as a giant arrow to my curvy hips. I’m now ripping back to make them elbow length like the pattern says.

Here is mine: http://whenshewasknitting.blogspot.com/2008/12/actual-crafting-content.html

I didn’t make any modifications, but if I were to make this again I would make both body and sleeves longer (I’m out of yarn, or I would add to this one).

I knit mine according to the pattern, only modifying the increase row with M1 instead of eyelets. I’m still trying to find the perfect buttons for it, so I can actually wear the finished sweater!

I followed the pattern without any modifications except for the garter stitch edging on the sleeves. For that I went down a needle size to make a tighter fabric. Just how I like my sleeves edges. Rav link here (flattered that you fav’d my FLS): http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Yarnyoldkim/february-lady-sweater

hi!! my project isn’t in rav ’cause i don’t usually document ’til i have pics and i’ve just in the last day or two gotten some. i’m working the FLS, now! anyway, i did all the increasing in the raglan increasing for the sleeves. i will probably look around to see what others did at this point to slim the sleeves, if anyone did it *after* the yoke. i’m really happy with it so far, though!

This is such a FAB sweater that I made on for my 5 year old daughter. It is so well designed that it works beautifully on a child and an adult. Here are the mods I used for a sweater for a 5 year old:

* Used size 7 needles for a gauge of 4.5 st per inch
* Cast on 69 - split as 12, 9, 23, 9, 12 as suggested by someone on Rav
* Knit to 173 total stitches.
* Skipped the eyelet row
* Knit 2 plain garter rows, put sleeves on waste yarn and cast on 7 stitches for under each arm.
* Total body stitches = 117; 6 stitches on each end for the button band (12 total), 105 for the body (15 lace repeats.)

I ended up with a 26” finished chest which fit my DD perfectly. But since it won’t fit her forever, I already have plans for a slightly larger version.

This was my first sweater, and I want to say thank you for giving everyone this fantastic pattern! I convinced my knitting group to make this as a KAL so when someone ran into a snag we could all help each other out, in person.

I made the largest size, and learned that was a mistake. It bloomed so much in DIC Classy it was too large. My next one will be in a smaller size. My other mod was to make it longer by adding more of the lace repeats.

I’m just casting on– this info in sooo valuable. Many thanks all.

Pam, you are awesome. But we already knew that.

I’ve made two of these, one with substantial modifications (to make it a pullover). For both, I used Socks that Rock heavyweight, which is a slightly lighter weight yarn than the pattern calls for (I think). It was a *super* yarn for this pattern - so sproingy, and great drape.

I think the key to this sweater is getting the fit right. To me, that means negative ease in the bust (at least assuming a bust bigger than the waist - that way the sides are swingy while the bust is fitted).

I did not make any mods and I thought it turned out *perfect*. It is my go-to sweater when I want to dress up an otherwise boring outfit,and if I just generally want to feel good in what I’m wearing.

My second go-round, I converted it to a pullover. I don’t love it the way I love my original - I don’t think the style is as flattering on me. But here are my notes on it:

- converted from cardigan to pullover by working in the round, which then created a placket neck – I worked the pattern as written until I got to the part where I wanted to start the lace. Then I overlapped the front and did something like a three-needle bind-off except that I didn’t bind off, I just kept knitting. (I don’t know what the name is for what I did – I’ve never done it before or seen directions for it). What I mean is, instead of knitting into one stitch at a time, I knit into two stitches – one in front, one behind it – which had the effect of binding the front edges in an overlap. Then from there I worked the lace in the round, which made for a SUPER-quick knit. I did this sweater in 5 days.
- In making the sleeves shorter I needed to make sure they didn’t flare out way too much. So I worked some decreases before working the garter border; this created a sort of fluttery look to the sleeve. I worked a smaller garter border for the sleeve than for the waist because I felt like the sleeve needed to be a little more “delicate” at this length.
- I added a crochet border to the placket part. Frankly, I should go back and do this to my original FLS, because my garter edge leaves something to be desired.

Thanks for the giveaway and for the call to compile everything! I bought the yarn for this sweater last weekend and plan to start it next month (assuming I finish some of the of the other projects I have going by then…) Love the pattern and thank you for putting it out there!

Oooo…. it’s like a FLS Wiki! I look forward to reading your comment synthesis!

I can hardly wait until I feel confident enough as a knitter to attempt and complete this sweater I love it.

My modifications –

1) On the major increase round of the yoke, I increased every third stitch or so (rather than in every stitch) so that there would be less of an A-line to the body of the cardigan
2) I initially added about two inches worth of stitches when I started my first sleeve, and then ripped out the sleeve when it was clearly going to be too big for my comfort. When I started the sleeve again, I didn’t provisionally cast on any stitches, and liked the look a lot better!
3) I changed the lace pattern of the body — this was purely cosmetic on my part, and just testament to the versatility and customizability of the pattern!
4) I extended the sleeve length — another cosmetic/warmth related thing.

What I might do differently next time:

1) Start with fewer stitches for less of a jacket and more of a cardigan feel
2) Knit the sweater in a lighter yarn (see previous)
3) Maybe extend the garter section so that covers (my not all that substantial) boobage, a la Amy Herzog’s FLS.

Again, those are almost entirely subjective (does that make sense?) changes — your pattern is kickass. It was a ton of fun to knit, and a painless introduction to top-down knitting.

I have made two of your sweaters. One for my daughter who is six so I scaled it down and also used a thinner yarn to make hers. When I made mine I didn’t make any changes and don’t remember and corrections off the top of my head but did want to say that if you’re redoing it that older child version be included in the sizing.

I’ve made two - one for myself and one for my eldest daughter, who was six at the time. I found that it was VERY easy to modify it for a child by simply dropping the needle size and yarn weight a bit. (I used Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool and a US 5).

I added waist-shaping to mine, and buttons all the way down the front. I guessed (I think correctly) that the A-line shape of the sweater–created by zero waist shaping + buttoned only at the top–would be less flattering on my curvy figure. This way, I can wear the sweater as most do, with only the top buttons done up, or open, or closed completely and hugging my body a bit.

I did some very minor modification on the sleeves to add a small tailoring detail: at the sleeve cuffs, I made the garter band longer and overlapping, with a button and buttonhole. This has no actual shaping effect, but I think it’s a fun touch (and it allowed me to use some awesome leather buttons I loved but would have been too bold for the entire front buttonband).

My main complaint about this cardigan is that the weight of the yarn (a solid worsted) combined with the A-line sleeve-shape makes it difficult to wear underneath a jacket or coat. It’s a great piece for early fall or late spring, but any hint of a breeze goes right through the gull lace, sadly. That said, it was such a quick and amazingly fun knit, not to mention easy to adjust, that I’m sure at some point I’ll knit another version that can go under wind-breaking/heavy layers.

Here’s a link to mine if you’d like a visual of my shaping and buttonband(s): http://www.ravelry.com/projects/EvaToad/february-lady-sweater

(Also, the notes in my Ravelry entry detail my shaping. Can’t believe my forethought!)

My main modifications were that I knitted the sweater, pretty much unaltered in terms of overall design, on size 1 needles with a greatly reduced stitch count so that it would fit my 11.5″ doll (Pullip). I realize this doesn’t help you (sorry) but I want you to know that I really really liked the pattern and figured my doll would too.
(The instructions were extremely easy to translate to doll sizing, for what it’s worth. And I love the finished product.)

I made you sweater about 1 1/2 years ago and love it. The only change I made was to leave out the button holes and make loops on the edge. Thanks for such a great pattern.

Agree with everything Cass said above. I’m still planning my second but would want to change a few things: less bulk under the arms (I have weird bulging there… I mean the sweater does, not me!), longer and straighter sleeves, and maybe some waist shaping. I’d also be doing it in something much lighter, even a dk weight would be better. I knit mine in Cascade 220 which looks beautiful, but it’s way to hot for everything but a few weeks in our mild winters. Normally I love 3/4 sleeves but the top being so warm made that combination weird. I was thinking also a short sleeved version would be ace; I could definitely wear something like that around the office.

Wow, what a nice idea! I want to contribute as well.

Apparently (just read from my blog) I omitted the last raglan increase out of laziness (fits me anyway).

Then, because of my large bust, I knit garter stitch after the increases much longer and kept adding button holes while doing it. I simply tried it on/meassured the lenght and kept going until it reached under the bust.It could have been even little bit longer. I think it works better for us large breasted this way.

Images (and text in Finnish) here: http://sillylicks.net/blog/?action=entry&eid=517

What a wonderful idea. I’ve been thinking about making this sweater for ages. I guess I’ll wait and see what the tips are before getting started. I was thinking of using Lamb’s Pride because I’ve got a ton of it stashed, but I’m not sure how the mohair content will affect the appearance of the gull stitch (think halo). I look forward to the advice…

I used Dream in Classy yarn, which was delightful to knit with. Only modifications I made were to the sleeves - I decreased the 9 stitches under the arm totally out as others have done, and I used size 6 needles (2 sizes down from the 8 circular I used for the rest) to knit the garter border on the sleeves, so they wouldn’t be so bell-shaped. I also did only about a one-inch border on the sleeves and the bottom of the sweater - did not want a wide border across my hips. What I would do differently next time: continue the raglan increases until I had the right number of stitches and not do the eyelet increases. While I like the look of the eyelet increases, the rows between the end of the raglan increases and the start of the lace have an unsightly bulge. I plan to make this again in a cotton, with short sleeves. Thanks for a fun pattern! I’ve never knit from the top down, and it is such a pleasure to not have to assemble the sweater!

I have just finished FLS — just have to post pictures. Managed to get it done (just haven’t blocked it yet) on Jan. 31.
When I make it again, I will not do the sleeve increases. My sleeves were too big for me, so my knitting teacher/friend helped me do decreases to make the sleeves less full. I so hope I win the $20 gift card.
Oh, and I love your puppy picture.

Did anyone increase by knitting into back and front of stitch instead of YO?

sorry: no modifications…
did it just the way you wrote it.
had the perfect yarn. and some handmade BIG buttons.

and it turned out like i want it to be.

and: i love my februar lady sweater eversince!

rosa.

I knitted LE LFS three times.
1) The first one was short sleeved, other than that I followed the pattern.
2) the second one was a bit altered, sleeveless, and with a different stitch, no more lace.
3) the third one was for my mom, sleeveless as well, and with another stitch again.
I’m lilid on Ravelry, and pictures actually express things better than words… in this case. If you want to check my three LFS they’re all there!

Thanks again for this wonderful pattern. I’ve only been knitting for a year, and it really helped me getting through all my fears as far as sweaters go! Oh and of course, your pattern made me buy Elizabeth Zimmermann’s books.

Happy knitting, cheers from cold France!

Thanks for this awesome free pattern! I’m working on my FLS now (determined to finish it before March) so I peeked at comments here for some tips. I think I’m just going to proceed as the pattern reads. I’d consider not adding stitches to the underarms, as that seems like a consistent mod, but my arms aren’t small. I’m using Peace Fleece in Grass Roots, wanting a warm piece for Wisconsin winters (and springs and autumns, really). I may crochet around the buttonholes to clarify them, depending on the buttons I find. This is my first sweater for me. I’d love to make one in a lighter yarn, since the lace is a bit airy and would be nice for summer evenings. I think this pattern is respectful of Elizabeth Zimmerman’s original which is so cool.

- I chose the size closest to my bust measurement, ignoring that it was XS, haven’t ever worn an XS before
- “knit front and back of stitch” for the raglan increases instead of M1.
- M1 increases instead of the yo-row.
- Did fewer M1’s because I wanted narrower button bands
- I decreased away the 7 extra armpit sts in st st.
- Decreased to 49 sts just before the cuff so it wouldn’t flare.
My rav project is here: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Malin/february-lady-sweater
Thanks again for a great pattern!

Oooh, I’ll play!

1. I worked the eyelet increases at first, but couldn’t get them to look evenly spaced, so I ripped back and subbed in good ol’ bar increases.

2. I worked the body on a size 8 circular, but my sleeves were ENORMOUS (I worked the large size), so I worked one sleeve repeat on size 8 DPNs, then switched to size 7 DPNs.

2a. My sleeves were still a big large, so I decreased the seven stitches for the underarm, every plain round, over my first repeat for the sleeves (on the size 8 DPNs).

3. I’ll be modifying it further by sewing on backing buttons, but that’s nitpicky on my part

I just want to say that I adore this pattern and I can’t wait to knit it again — thank you for asking for our opinions!

I think the only mods I made were to only do 2/3 of the eyelets as I didn’t want it to be too swingy as I have a large bust (38″), but a narrow waist. I did make full length sleeves, but this is an easy mod since you just knit to the desired length! I didn’t need to change the needle size or decrease to get a good fit on the sleeves as I think in the end it looked better that they were slightly loose and not not fitted.

I think one mod I would make if I were to reknit is to move the top button down a couple of rows as it seems really high to me.

Thanks for making available such an awesome pattern. =)

This was the first top-down sweater I knit, which means there was a learning curve. Challenge number one: how many rows to knit after the eyelet increases? In my first go I knit quite a few rows after the increases, only to discover that left a large bulge of fabric coming from my armpits. So, I ripped it back and eventually knit only the bare minimum number of rows recommended in the pattern. Challenge number two: how to compensate for gauge change from flat knitting for the body to circular knitting for the arms? That was pretty easy: change needle size. I went down a size in an attempt to keep the arms slim and it turned out perfectly. The tighter gauge meant it loosened up just right with wear, creating a bit of an A-line effect in the arms to mirror the body.

In the end, this has become my favourite sweater, worn for both casual and dressy affairs.

I haven’t made it yet, but yours is GORGEOUS. Some day I will make my own.

What a great idea to put everyone’s mod’s together!

Since square necklines and I are not the best of friends, I decided to knit it with a round yoke. I tallied up the total number of increases for my size, then knitted them in multiples of 8 on certain rows of the yoke (8 sts on 1st inc row, 24 sts on 4th inc row, etc.)

Blog link here:

http://swallowsreturn.typepad.com/swallows_return/2009/03/circular-yoke-notes.html

Marya.

I realize that it’s too late to win anything, but I really love the way my FLS turned out so I’ll leave comments here anyway.

0. I knitted the smallest size in Malabrigo worsted. I’m a thin, small-busted 90 lb. short woman. I do have long fingers.
1. Decreased needle size after I hit the gull wing pattern since I knew that the garter section would stretch differently than the lace part
2. Omitted the eyelets and did standard kfb’s for the increases
3. After some experimenting, I decided to do my yarn-overs in the reverse direction, which left less of a distinct “hole” in the lace pattern. The result was less blanket-y in my opinion, better with the Malabrigo. If I had used a different yarn (DIC or plied yarn), I would probably have stuck with the pattern as-is.
4. I like space at the armpit of my sweaters so it doesn’t feel like my circulation is getting cut off just because I’m actually wearing a shirt under the thing, so I added the extra stitches at the armpit and then decreased with a little triangle of stockinette in the pits (ssk, knit, k2tog).
5. I decreased the number of garter rows for the cuffs because I have tiny chicken arms and the large cuffs looked, well, large.
6. I’ve never blocked a fully assembled sweater before, but wet blocking was definitely the way to go with the merino single yarn.

Now that I have a baby girl, I’m going to knit her the original. Thanks for the pattern! I loved knitting it!