cardigan – Daily Fiber

Another Friday Finish – update

Posted on April 28, 2023May 7, 2023 by Laura Kate

After receiving this photograph yesterday, I simply had to update my post.

It has been a delight to make this charming sweater for my grand-daughter. Lu chose her yarn very well. It’s the variegated one spun from merino wool and dyed by an indie dyer. Its quality shines through in the finished garment.

Here is a link to my earlier post where I wrote about the pattern.

https://wordpress.com/post/dailyfiberfun.wordpress.com/6380

It was very well written, no errors found. I made a few adjustments to accommodate a lighter weight yarn and adjust the measurements to fit my giftee. This sweater is sized halfway between the size 4 and 6, per pattern instructions. I also chose to make the neckline and button bands wider. It took just about all of 3 balls of 100 gram dk weight yarn. – I’d guess 650 yards.

I had a lot of fun experimenting with a gradual color change as I knit up the sleeves from the cuff. Once I got a color sequence that pleased me, I repeated it on the sweater body.

Even setting in the sleeves went great. I was telling Bill that this sweater ended up so well I should retire from sweater knitting – like an athlete who desires to quit at the top of her game.

Naw, I’m not gonna do that. It would be a shame to disappoint the fans. ; )

knitting

FO Friday: Forestry Cardigan

Posted on October 15, 2021 by Laura Kate

I’m pleased to unveil this cardigan which I started back in May. In March of this year, I had visited Ewetopia Yarn store in Veroqua, WI. Noticing this yarn on sale, I picked up enough to make a sweater. In fact, I purchased all skeins available in this colorway.

Roslyn is a blend of 65% wool and 35% silk. It is so soft that I posed for this photo shoot wearing the sweater next to my skin – in other words, no shirt! The finished fabric is very drapey. It almost lacks enough structure to be used in a cardigan.

This pattern came from Vogue Knitting: a retrospective on seventy years of the magazine’s history. Forestry originally appeared in the 2008 Fall edition but it strikes me as having a vintage vibe.

I had some trouble with errors and vague instructions in the pattern. Even though I researched it in Ravelry’s database, I don’t think that all the errata had been discovered and corrected.

…….specifically, the shawl collar did not come out right. It was after I had finished my knitting and scrutinized the photograph closely that I realized I had placed the stitch markers for shaping the collar in the wrong location. By then I had lost all interest in ripping the collar out and starting over again.

I made adjustments in the best way that I could. I added a loop closure near the collar’s beginning so that the neckline wouldn’t gap open.

Despite its imperfections, this cardigan will be a nice addition to my sweater wardrobe. I have a vintage wool A-line skirt in a darker moss green color that will work nicely. Adding a chunky necklace like the one worn by the model and my brown leather boots and I’ll be good to go.

knitting

Casting On a Cardigan

Posted on April 15, 2021 by Laura Kate

In my last post, I shared a picture of some tweedy wool-silk blend yarn purchased recently. After studying the swatch I made, I thought that it looked like a vintage yarn. This led me to remember the giant Vogue Knitting retrospective book that I received from my daughter last year. Perhaps I can find a vintage type cardigan there.

I had been wanting to make a pattern from this book but could never settle on any of them. Either the pattern required a massive amount of expensive yarn or the design didn’t suit me and my lifestyle. But I now had 1500 yarns of a classic tweed – more than enough for Vogue Knitting. And after carefully studying several likely patterns I chose this one.

Forestry Cardigan appeared in Vogue’s Fall 2008 magazine – an edition that was dedicated to Canadian designers. What a happy bit of symmetry! Fall 2008 was the very season I was re-introduced to knitting. This pairing was meant to be.

I like the coin shaped cables and the shawl collar on this design. But I don’t quite agree with knitting instructions. Vogue has us knit the two fronts and the back separately, and then seam them together. I much prefer knitting front and back in one piece. Also reviewers of this pattern on Ravelry cautioned about errors.

Ravelry: #11 Forestry (Old Penny Cardigan) pattern by Veronik Avery

With a bit of trepidation, I started on a sleeve.

It’s going brilliantly. I love the quality of the fabric this yarn yields. But! I am ALREADY playing yarn chicken! Only 3/4 finished with one sleeve and my first skein is but a hollow version of its former plump self. I’m flummoxed. I am getting the gauge required by the pattern, and for the size I am making I should have over 200 yards of yarn more than needed.

At this time I’m willing to trust the pattern and carry on. After all, this is a long-haul project. With a gauge of 20 stitches by 28 rows, there are a LOT of stitches to go before the end is near. I expect it will be Autumn by the time I finish. And in the meanwhile, maybe I can source one more skein of yarn

knitting

Finished Object Friday

Posted on October 2, 2020 by Laura Kate

The weather outside is cool today, so cool that I had to turn on the heater. Fortunately, the cardigan I started in September is finished! Here is a close-up, as it lies drying on the blocking mat.

The pattern I used is called Finial Cardigan.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/finial-cardigan-ep60

The yarn is Plymouth Encore worsted weight in color 686.

As you see in the photo, I made the sleeves longer. They come to slightly above my wrists – long enough to keep my arms warm but short enough to stay out of the way when I am making objects or washing dishes. You also see the little lace motif added throughout the body and sleeves. I believe it’s called Snowflake, and can be found in 750 Stitches, The Ultimate Knit Stitch Bible. Other adjustments include picking up 2 extra stitches on either side of the armhole openings, so that there would not be holes in the fabric.

After it’s dry, I’ll sew on the buttons and ask hubby to photograph me in it, so you can see how it fits.

I’m really happy to finish before the week-end. Now I can cast on something new with the yarn I bought at the Farmer’s Market in Madison, WI. More about this on Monday.

knitting

Wednesday Work in Progress

Posted on September 16, 2020 by Laura Kate

The weather has been so nice that I have started knitting outside. Yesterday during our weekly knitting session, my friend Kathy helped me fit and measure the top-down cardigan that I cast on last week. The body is already half-way done! Obviously, I am enjoying the process and have spent time working on it daily.

On this back view, you can see the yoke detail. The cables are finished, armhole openings are threaded onto waste yarn and I am speeding toward the hem What’s not visible is the small lace motif that I am inserting. It’s a six-row “snow” pattern. I am staggering the snowflakes about 15 stitches and 14 rows apart. This is my way of staying interested in a project that has long stretches of stockinette stitch.

The only point of suspense is the same age-old question. Will I have enough yarn? These Plymouth Encore balls are pretty hefty. I’m feeling fairly confident that the answer will be in the affirmative. Time will tell.