Pattern Dissection. Example 1.

This is my first post on pattern dissection, but unfortunately, I believe, not the last one.

Last week my friend asked me for help with a cardigan she is knitting. Something is definitely off with the patter and I decided to take a closer look at it.

The pattern is "Leaf and Picot Cardigan" by Laura Grutzeck, originally published in Interweave Knits, Spring 2011 and now available on-line from Interweave Knits, it's the one on the cover, you can see it here.

The pattern says:

Finished Size 33 (36, 393⁄4, 441⁄2, 463⁄4, 533⁄4)" bust circumference, with 1⁄2"
front edgings meeting in center. Cardigan shown measures 393⁄4", modeled
with about 7" ease.

My questions: 
Why only finished sizes are listed? 
What are supposed actual bust measurements?
Is this cardigan supposed to have 7" ease allowance, or is it just because the sample cardigan was made in size L and the model happened to be size XS?
Why there is such a big gap between the two largest sizes?

My friend started on the largest size given in the pattern, aiming for 7" ease.

My first peeve (one of my pets), is a picot edge -- we are advised to cast on stitches with a provisional cast-on, then knit 5 rows in stockinette, work a turning row, knit 5 rows in stockinette, fold and join the picot edge. Pattern says:

folded hem measures about 1⁄2" high. Change to larger needles.

My comment:  this hem is going to look ugly, it's going to flip outward, despite the fact it was done on smaller needles, or amount of blocking the knitter is going to apply. Picot edge is going to look nice in one case only -- if you are going to whip-stitch folded edge to the inside. It'll look decent if it's about 1 1/2" wide, no less.

Then the knitter is supposed to work even in stitch pattern until it's time to shape armholes.
The pattern says:

Shape armholes: BO 6 (6, 6, 8, 8, 12) sts at beg of next 2
rows—74 (83, 92, 99, 106, 116) sts rem. Dec row: (RS) K1, ssk, work
in patt to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1—2 sts dec’d. Cont in patt, rep Dec row
every RS row 2 (5, 7, 8, 9, 11) more times—68 (71, 76, 81, 86, 92) sts
rem. Work even until armholes measure 7 (71⁄2, 8, 83⁄4, 10, 11)", ending
with a WS row.

Let's consider what we have here. The pattern says:

Gauge 21 sts and 30 rows = 4" in leaf lace patt on larger needles.

which means we have stitch gauge of 5.25 stitches in 1". For the largest size in the pattern the knitter is supposed to decrease 24 stitches total -- 12 to bind off at the beginning and then 12 stitches more to be decreased gradually. Considering the gauge, 24 stitches will give us armhole on the back 4.57" wide. Since the armholes are the same for the front and the back in this pattern we have 4.57+4.57=9.14" wide armhole. WOW! I would say it's a black-hole, not an armhole.

It is going to look bad. Really bad. These armholes are just huge, they are going to gap on front and back, and this is exactly what happened to my friend's sweater. When I visited my friend, she had the back fully done, and started on the front. When I put back of the sweater on her back, I could see immediately, that the fit of the sleeves is going to be unsightly, to say the least.

Let's take a look at the armholes for the smaller sizes:

• Size 33": bind off 6 sts; then decrease 3 more sts. Total 9 sts decreased. That gives us an armhole 1.71" wide, or 3.42" for both front and back. It's a good size.
•  
• Size 36": bind off 6 sts; decrease 6 more sts. Total 12 decreased. That gives us an armhole 2.28" wide; or 4.56" for both front and back. It's OK.
•  
• Size 39 3/4": bind off 6 sts; decrease 8 sts more. Total 14 sts decreased. That gives us an armhole 2.66" wide; or 5.32" for both front and back.  It's OK.
•  
• Size 44 1/2: bind off 8 sts; decrease 8 sts more. Total 16 sts decreased. That gives us an armhole 3.23" wide; or 6.46" for both, front and back. It's getting a little too wide.
•  
• Size 46 3⁄4: bind off 8 sts; decrease 9 sts more. Total 17 sts decreased. That gives us an armhole 3.42" wide; or 6.84" for both front and back. May be a bit too wide, but almost identical to the size 44 1/2 in width and it is absolutely possible to design a sleeve that will fit into it. 
•  
• Size 53 3/4: bind off 12 sts; decrease 12 sts more. We discussed this armhole above.

Why the jump to an armhole that is 4.57 (9.14)" wide. Why? I have no answer to this question. 

The pattern says for the armholes:

Work even until armholes measure 7 (71⁄2, 8, 83⁄4, 10, 11)", ending
with a WS row.

The interval in the armhole depth of about 1/2" to 3/4" between sizes seems reasonable to me. But then we have a jump of 1 1/4" between sizes 44 1/2 and 46 3/4. Why?  Doesn't seem reasonable. And then another 1" jump in the depth of the armhole to 11" for the size 53 3/4. Why it is less than between 44 1/2 and 46 3/4? The distance between 46 3/4 and 53 3/4 is greater  than the distance between 44 1/2 and 46 3/4.  Grading patterns is amusing work, isn't it?

Let's take a look at the sleeve. Here are the numbers for the sleeve cap height: 4.75(5.25, 5.75, 6, 6.75, 7.5)".  The ratio of the height of the sleeve cap to the depth of the armhole is between 68% and 70% for all sizes, which is good. 

My experience is that for a set-in sleeve the ratio of the sleeve height to the armhole depth is best within 75% to 85% range, outside this range the sleeve cap is either too short, or too high for the armhole. But 70% ratio will work most probably. 

There is one more serious issue with this pattern, but it'll be the subject for the next post, most probably later today.