FO: Boston Marine Cardigan

When setting what seems like an impossible goal for yourself, make sure it is not too impossible. I don't think I could have knit just any sweater in a month, but my choice of the Favorite Cardigan was achievable. Here's the proof:

Details:

Favorite Cardigan, from Custom Knits by Wendy Bernard (my second pattern to knit from this book)
Yarn: duh. my favorite, Malabrigo Worsted, in Marine, 3.6 skeins
Needles: Size 7
Time: Just at one month, buttons were sewed on two days before the trip
Recipient: made for me!!

Thoughts/mods/notes:
I knit the 34.5" size. I separated the sleeves on the first round of the sixth repeat (with three fewer increases than called for), and added additional increase on front panels only as follows: a set on row three of round six, and row one of eighth round. I finished my first skein of yarn after row two of round seven.

I added my first waist decrease at the first row of round ten (about 4 1/4” past sleeve separation. Ribbing was started after eleven repeats. I picked up less stitches than called for on the button band, 76 per side.

The body, unblocked, is 21 inches long. Sleeves were just under sixteen repeats (sleeves ended on row four of round sixteen).

I love this sweater. The buttons, color and shape are lovely. You probably notice that I didn't wear it fully buttoned while in Boston. I think I need to block it once more, as the buttons kept coming undone when I tried to, which is why most of the pictures have just the first few buttons done. I've even considered tightening the button holes. Any thoughts on the best way to fix this? It really may be that I just need to stretch it slightly. It's a small problem, though, and all things considered, I love this sweater.

Details, details

I picked out buttons for my Boston cardigan this weekend.
Since last I posted about it, I:
-finished the body
-wove in the ends
-finished both button bands
-finished half a sleeve.

I'm so motivated to finish this baby, but I did have to pick up my Multnomah a bit this weekend, as sleeve stockinette can get a little repetitive, especially since I'm doing full-length sleeves.

Any thoughts on the buttons I chose?

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday Monday!

Boston Marine Cardigan

For my vacation sweater, I chose Wendy Bernard's Favorite Cardigan. I cast on Wednesday, and I'm just a few rounds away from separating for the sleeves. It's going fast. I still plan to make the others on my list, but I'm betting that this simple cabled cardigan can be knit the fastest, since it is one piece, and is mostly stockinette. Plus, now that I can cable without a needle, the cables are a breeze. And of course, working in Malabrigo doesn't hurt with the speed and enjoyment.

I took these pictures after a few hours of work. I love the color, although it's hard to photograph. The color is more of a navy/dark purple than what the pictures show.

I think this second photo is a bit closer to the true color.

I'm hoping to separate for the sleeves before the end of the evening, but I'll definitely be through them by the end of the weekend. I'm not even done with the first skein of yarn yet!

Taking a note from Something Red

In retrospect, although I'm very proud of Something Red, I doubt I will wear it very often. It doesn't fit me, not really. It's sort of gapey in the boob area, and it just doesn't feel flattering. I like the color I chose, and I think the knitting is decent, but it just doesn't fit.

The reason is clear now, and I think I know how to fix it. When working the increases, I kept increasing well past the point that I needed to stop for my body. This is an obvious realization for most knitters, but there you go.

I now know what a sweater should look like when it's time to separate the sleeves. I'm taking this new found knowledge in my next sweater attempt (even though I have a vest and my Central Park Hoodie on the needles, I know), Pink, by Wendy Bernard. I just got Wendy's book, Custom Knits, and the first design is a basic raglan sweater. I decided this is a good place for me to try again, and hopefully end up with a better fitting sweater that I can wear regularly.

I cast on with one of the first yarns I purchased, Berroco Touche. It's so soft, and the color is really rich. It knits up beautifully. I'm not sure about stripes (the design features a couple of stripes on one sleeve), but I've got three possible yarns to use for that purpose.

Hopefully, I won't lose momentum on this one.