Let me show you one of my favorite sweaters ever.
Pattern: Pomme de pin Cardigan by Amy Cristoffers
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash Sport in 1946, 8 skeins
Needles: US 5 and US 6
Time to Knit: August 23 - October 31
I knit a large portion of this sweater while riding the bus to and from classes I'm taking at city college. (By the way, I'm applying to masters programs for occupational therapy, and right now I'm taking a couple of prerequisite courses. They are challenging and fun.) I thought knitting a sweater would be unweildy on the bus, but it wasn't too bad. Once I had body and sleeves combined, though, I saved it for at-home knitting.
It's been fun to wear this sweater on the bus where it was knit while knitting my next sweater! This is currently very seasonally appropriate, as the weather has cooled and my lighter-weight cardigans are not warm enough. This sweater is warm without being too warm. It's cosy and one that I feel effortlessly looks nice.
I did make some modifications. First of all, I was a little between sizes, so I knit the smaller size and added one inch to each side of the front only. That worked out quite well, fit wise. I also made the body a little longer than was recommended, so I added a fifth button. Aren't those buttons great? They're heavy and sometimes clink together when unbuttoned, which I think only adds to the appeal.
I did have to figure out the back collar. It's wide and scrunched strangely at the back of my neck. If you look at the original pattern picture, you can see a little bit of that going on too. Part of the problem with mine is those two extra inches added to the front-- I should have decreased them out along the neckline somewhere. But to control thte situation, I permanently scrunched the collar in a few places by threading yarn through and tying it tightly.
I'm toying with the idea of adding elbow patches. I think the style of the sweater lends itself to elbow patches, and it may be a good idea since the arms are all lace. What do you think?
I've been wearing this cardigan practically every day since I finished it. It is exactly what I need for my current wardrobe and weather, and I love it.
I'm sorry for the silence for the past few weeks. My phone (and therefore camera) was stolen at the beginning of September, and I had to wait a long time for a replacement phone. But it's here now, and I'm happy to be able to blog wtih ease again! See you soon.