new on here, need help please

[cftwo]

From someone who tries to avoid altering a pattern...

The length looks like it should be pretty easy to modify. Measure your daughter from knees (or however long she wants the coat) to wherever the waist is on the pattern - this may be a place where it decreases for a waist, or perhaps where the pattern changes for the chest part of the coat. Then when the pattern tells you to knit X inches then switch to the chest pattern, just knit the number of inches you'd like.

I have never been brave enough to change sleeves, though, because there are consistent increases throughout the length of the sleeve. You might try this, though: directions for increases usually say to increase every 5th or 6th (or something else). You might be able to increase every 4th or 5th row (that is, one row more often), but you'll want to be careful that your sleeves don't end up too short.

There's no guarantee that this would work as you hope. One of my sisters is a good enough knitter to design her own sweaters, but I'm not!

[Tatra]

It might just be me, but I've always liked longer sleeves. It's always nice to be able to just curl your hands up in the sleeves in order to keep your hands warm.

Another thing you could do is like Suzeeq suggested, knit it like it's supposed to and then just roll the sleeves up. I have one jacket that's kind of like that, where the cuffs are secured up in a rolled position with just one small spot of sewing.

[RuthieinMaryland]

Hi, Trace!

Here's what I'd suggest...

1. Carefully measure your daughter. Realize that you're going to have to add some inches for "ease" (which will give her moving room in the coat) and also add a bit more for growing room. She is really NOT going to want to grow out of this thing in a few weeks. It's a beautiful pattern and she'll probably save it for her own kids one day!

2. Do a very thorough gauge swatch to nail down exactly the gauge you need for the project. For wearable objects, especially one as important as this one, leave nothing to chance. Swatch! Get your measurements for both stitches to the inch and rows to the inch.

3. Sit down with some knitters graph paper (the squares are a bit wider than they are high to mimic the actual size of the stitches) and color in the boxes, using your gauge from your swatch until you have the measurements totally lined up and visible on the graph paper.

4. Then translate the number of rows and stitches to work with your pattern. Write it all out before hand so that you can cruise right through it.

I know this seems like the long way around the barn, but you've got such a good chance of producing a fabulous piece that could well become an heirloom, and all at the beginning of your knitting career!

Best of luck and please keep us posted on your progress.

Happy knitting,

Ruthie