Mods for the Rogue hooded pullover

This page will provide information about modifications you can make to the pattern to customize your finished product. If you have mods you'd like to share in this space, please e-mail.

"Cardiganizing" the Rogue

It is possible to convert the pattern into a cardigan. Many thanks to Claudia for this modification! (See her finished Rogue on her blog, posted as the March 14, 2004 entry.)

Claudia used a two-way zipper--the type that has two zipper pulls and can be opened from either the top or the bottom. Here's what she did to convert Rogue into a jacket:

1. Knit the body back and forth on a long circular needle (e.g. 32"), rather than in the round.

2. Add one stitch to the front and back body so that you have an even number of stitches. (If you don't count the side panel stitches, all sizes have an odd number of stitches for the front and back.) This allows you to split the front exactly in half; when you knit the body, you will knit the right front panel, the side cable, the back, the side cable again, and then the left front panel. Slip the first stitch of every row, if desired, to create a nice selvedge.

3. When working the kangaroo pocket, split the stitch count for the pocket in half (you will have to add 1 stitch to the pocket in order to do this, just as for the body front). Knit each half separately to its own front. The center front edge of the pocket will remain open until the zipper is added.

4. Work the throat cabling as written, but work one side at a time from half the chart (including the central stitch) and on each side substitute a single M1 (use your best judgment as to the particular type) for every instance where there is a "make 3 stitches" instruction in the exact middle of the throat chart. ("Make 3 stitches" symbols occur on both RS and WS rows of the chart.)

5. Once you are past the neckline split, follow the hood pattern as written; however, you will have 4 stitches at the center front edge instead of only 3.

6. To finish the front edges, pick up 2 out of every 3 stitches along each front and knit an attached 4-stitch I-cord border. Graft the live stitches from the I-cord onto the 4-stitch stockinette border for the hood. If you work one of your I-cord borders from the neckline down to the hem, use a provisional cast on at the beginning of the I-cord so that you can graft it to the hood border afterwards.

Altering the hem

The hem on Rogue is about 2" of double-thick fabric, as the body is begun with a hem facing. If you do not want to have that bulk at the bottom edge, you can work a narrower hem. This hem version is also thanks to Claudia.

Instead of knitting 2" of hem facing, work only 4 or 6 rows in stockinette on smaller needles, then fold up the hem and knit each live stitch together with its corresponding cast-on loop.

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