FAQ and technical advice for Rogue

Contents


 

Upsizing Rogue

Some comments here.


 

Working the double increase (knit into the front and back of the next stitch, pick up and knit into the vertical strand)

Clear instructions are available here.

If you are unfamiliar with the technique of opening and closing cable loops, and in particular, the centred double increase that begins a cable loop, there are a couple of books that also describe the technique:

Aran Knitting by Alice Starmore (Interweave Press, 1997): this book contains illustrations of the technique. This book is out of print. Check your local library (or use interlibrary loan), or knitting shop.

A Third Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara Walker (Schoolhouse Press). This book is currently available, and provides instructions for creating cable loops. The directions are slightly different than the instructions given in the Rogue pattern.


 

About the hood shaping on Rogue

Some people have mentioned that they found the fabric puckered at the apex of the hood, due to the double decreases. While not everybody may experience this, it can be blocked out in a Rogue of pure wool. But those of you who are not using such a pliant fiber may not be able to take advantage of that solution.

If you find that the decreases pucker, the cause is the fact that the fabric of the centre panel of the hood (the central 15 sts) does not have enough length to match the "seamline" created by the line of single and double decreases immediately to the left and right of the centre panel. The "seamline" is effectively longer because it is a sloped line with respect to the direction of knitting. Therefore (if you're still at a point where you can do this, of course), an alternative to blocking it out is to try knitting a few short rows in the centre panel of the hood as those double decreases are worked. These short rows would only be 15 stitches wide, and you'd probably only need a pair of short rows for every two rows of double decreases.


 

What is aran-weight yarn?

Aran weight yarn is a regional term describing a yarn that knits at 18 stitches over 4" (10 cm) in stockinette stitch. Not everybody describes this weight of yarn as "Aran" weight; some people call it "worsted" or "heavy worsted." If you compare the terminology used by manufacturers and retailers to describe weights of yarn, you will find that there is some variation: to some, "worsted" is anything that knits from 16 to 20 stitches per 4" (10 cm). To others, "worsted" means 19 to 20 stitches. Some people will distinguish between "bulky" and "chunky" yarns, and others won't.

In general, when you pick yarn for a project and gauge is important, don't rely on the manufacturer's or retailer's descriptive terms alone. You should confirm--by swatching, where possible--that the yarn you intend to use will knit at the pattern's required gauge.


 

Biased hem facing

If you work the twisted stockinette hem facing, you may find that your knitting is biased. That's the nature of working this twisted stitch in the round, and maybe I'm skewed too, but when I worked this hem on the prototype, I liked it. I find the twisted stockinette to be a flat, yet accommodating hem facing stitch.

What this means, though, is that when you sew the hem in place, you must not force the hem to behave like it's straight. It's a biased hem facing and it wants to exhibit its bias properties. Fold the hem up, and it will find its place. Then sew the cast-on edge to the inside of the garment. Do not attempt to match your first cast-on stitch with the first stitch of the side panel.

My experience with this biased facing has been positive. The outer face (the actual Rogue body) lies flat and the stitches run vertically. The columns of twisted stockinette on the inside run neatly at an angle, and there's a demarcation in the fabric between the hem facing and the body without any protrusions. (I tend not to knit a turning row, myself--I don't like the appearance of purl bumps on the edge). Yes, if you're used to stitches marching up and down the length of your knitting it's an odd thing--but if you get beyond the oddity, it's so neat. And, I have this working theory that the bias counteracts some of the tendency of the fabric to stretch horizontally (meaning, around the hem).

It is possible to work twisted stockinette in the round while avoiding the bias effect; it just takes more time and extra care. When you are knitting in the round, each of your twisted knit stitches is twisted the same way, so the fabric tends to bias. When you are knitting flat (back and forth), every other row of stitches is twisted the other way, so the twist in one row is counterbalanced by the twist in another row; therefore, on the whole, twisted stockinette worked flat will not bias. You can import this logic into your twisted stockinette in the round: in every row, be certain to twist your stitches in the opposite direction that you used in the previous row. If you manage to train yourself to wind the working yarn around the needle the other way around on every other row, this will cause the stitch legs on the next row to be oriented differently, and may make twisting stitches in the other direction a little easier.

The ivory Rogue uses the 1x1 ribbing for the hem facing, because I figured I should give an alternative hem facing stitch. The stitches run vertically in the ribbing, but I am more satisfied with the appearance of my biased hem.


 

What yarns were used for the models?

The light green Rogue was knit using a no-name yarn that is not commercially available outside the basement of my LYS. It's aran-weight, two-ply, 100% wool, woollen-spun, and tweedy. It was manufactured by Spinrite, and was stored oiled on cones, but was never packaged for hand knitting use; my LYS bought up the lot some time ago and sold it for $7 (CDN) per pound. This particular shade of green disappeared almost instantly; I only managed to procure some because someone had returned two partial cones.

If I had to choose a brand-name substitute that had the same characteristics, I'd say Rowan Magpie Tweed. It's that sort of yarn. Unfortunately, Magpie is discontinued; Jamieson's Aran is an excellent substitute, and there are many other aran-weight wool yarns on the market, either solid or heathered, that will do a very good job as well. As the pattern notes, a yarn with some inherent elasticity is preferred, because it shows the cables best. Additionally, if you're concerned about your stitches looking less than perfect, a heathered yarn (i.e., not a solid colour) that is woolen-spun will be better for you than a solid colour, worsted-spun yarn. However, worsted-spun yarns are more durable and less prone to pilling. It's possible to knit Rogue in a non-wool yarn; I've seen it in a raw silk yarn, and it looks great. Just bear in mind that a yarn without any inherent stretch, like cotton or silk, will be more likely to stretch vertically and drape more than a wool yarn.

The ivory Rogue was knit with Classic Elite Mackenzie, a discontinued wool-silk blend in a twisted one-ply structure. Being a twisted one-ply, you need to be careful about biasing in the knitted fabric (I wasn't, and you can see the fabric twisting around the body if you examine the garment). As mentioned on the details page, this yarn doesn't have the "bounce" of pure wool, and so is not as good for the cables in this design. And in general, I didn't like it. See the vaguely negative review at wiseNeedle? That was me. Mackenzie is long discontinued, anyway. (My review on wiseNeedle references Tahki Chelsea Silk. In terms of Rogue, I think that yarn would drape about the same way; I like Chelsea Silk for cables, but only when I want a fabric that has a bit of drape. For Rogue, I prefer a yarn with more bounce.)


 

Coriolis says...

You may notice that the cables on the side panels, and the cables on the wrists, both "twist" the same way. In other words, there is no line of symmetry along the centre front, as there sometimes is with cable patterns spaced equidistantly from the centre of a garment. Why? To keep things in balance: the cables weave over and under around the throat and over the hood in continuous lines, and thus do not have mirrored cable twists on either side of the centre line.

However, if this keeps you off balance, feel free to reverse the cable crossings on the right side panel and wrist. If you choose to knit the throat cables so that the twists are symmetric as well, be warned: you will wind up with a "cable crossing error" (you will wind up with cables crossing over--over instead of over--under) when you get to the top of the hood.


 

Counting rows on the body

You must repeat 6 rows of Chart A three, four, or five times, depending on your chosen size. The rows of Chart A are numbered consecutively from 1 through 70, but as you follow the instructions you'll be knitting more than 70 rows. For example, for the smallest size you are instructed to repeat rows 33-38 three times, then continue working until there are four rounds of Chart A remaining. This is what you will be knitting:

Rows 1-32 of Chart A once = 32 rows
Rows 33-38 of Chart A three times = 18 rows
Rows 39-70 of Chart A once = 32 rows (for the smallest size only, you'll have to follow some other instructions while working rows 67-70 at the same time).

This gives you a total of 82 rows (excluding hem facing) for the body of the smallest size.


 
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