Ramona faq

It’s been just about 3 years since I first published my Ramona Cardigan. And since then, it has over 700 projects listed on Ravelry! I am so happy that so many knitters have enjoyed this pattern and love seeing the FO pictures from all around the world. Thank you to all the knitters in the above image for letting me share their beautiful photos!
In honor of this anniversary, I have gathered some of my most frequently asked questions about Ramona – from sizing, yarn choice, to even why I named it Ramona! Below you’ll find out all of the answers 🙂

• What size should I knit?

This all depends on how you want it to fit! I list the recommended ease at 2-3″ of positive ease. What this means is that you pick a size whose bust measurement is 2-3″ larger than your actual bust measurement (when you measure around yourself). However, there have been quite a few people on Ravelry who have knitted it with 0″ of ease, meaning they chose a size whose finished measurements are around the same as their actual bust measurement. For these, the sweater is a bit more fitted, and perhaps is only buttoned at the top. So it really just depends on the fit you would like and how you would like to wear it.

• What if I’m in between sizes?

I’d recommend casting on for the smaller of the 2, and after your raglan shaping is all done try it on! It’s easy to do by transferring your stitches to a long piece of scrap yarn. If you feel like it’s too small, you have some options:

• If it’s too small in both width as well as in the armhole opening, work some additional raglan rows. The amount depends on how much more depth you want.
• If you are okay with the armhole depth but need more width, cast on some additional stitches at each underarm (the same number for each side) when you are doing so on the “Underarm Divide” row.
• If you have already completed the body of the sweater and decide you need more width, consider adding some rows when you work the buttonband.

For any of these options, your stitch counts will be off for the body of the sweater, but that’s not a big deal. By the bottom of your sweater you just need to make sure that the total number of stitches you have is a number divisible by 2+1 (example: 121 stitches is divisible by 2+1, because 120 is divisible by 2 and then you add 1 more stitch to get 121). To get the right number of stitches you can either decrease or increase.

• I’d like you use a worsted-weight yarn instead of the callled-for aran-weight. What should I do?

Although the difference between a worsted-weight and an aran-weight may only be 1/2 to 3/4 of a stitch, this can have a dramatic impact on the finished size of the sweater. If you want to use a thinner yarn, some knitters have found success in knitting a size or 2 larger than you would have planned to knit – this is because with thinner yarn you need more stitches to create the width that is created with the thicker yarn. For example, if with aran-weight yarn you need 15 stitches for 4″, with worsted-weight you may need 18 stitches to create this same 4″. So cast-on for a larger size than you would have picked, and then the next key is to try on as you go. That’s the great thing about raglan shaping – you can try it on and tweak as you go.

• Can I omit the body shaping?

Ramona has waist shaping, but if you prefer to have no shaping it’s no problem! Just disregard those shaping rows. You’ll just want to make sure that by the bottom of the sweater the total number of stitches you have is a number divisible by 2+1 – so you may need to decrease a stitch (or increase) at some point to make this happen.

• Did you name it Ramona after the children’s book character Ramona Quimby?

Although I did love those books when I was a kid, I actually named it after a song named “Ramona” by the band Guster (a favorite band of mine since I was in college). Music has always been a big part of my life and many songs are symbolic for me for certain times in my life and a source of creativity and inspiration for me. So you’ll often find that many of my pattern names are inspired by music (Ramona, Mazzy, Clouds in my Coffee, & Jessie’s Girl to name a few!)

If you have any additional Ramona questions, feel free to comment below!