Monday, July 20, 2009

Fan Cardigan (Marianne Isager Collection)

Hello there and thank you for reading and for all your comments!

The world up here is green; the nature is so full of everything: leaves, flowers, seeds...
that it somehow feels noisy. It is as if I have to go to the deck on the lake to hear my own thoughts. My thoughts need a vast open clear airy place to roam freely, they get stuck on the leaves and flowers.

The summer has been good in every way, there has been sun and warmth and the mosquito situation has not been that bad. After two cold and rainy summers this feels like a rare gift, a treasure even.

I thought that I would spend all my summer home but luckily I have two nice trips scheduled in August; first I'll go to Edinburgh with DH to enjoy Edinburgh Fringe again and then I will have some quality time with the dearest of friends in Stockholm.

This internet amazes me... I have one day in Edinburgh just to myself (DH is busy elsewhere) and of course I wondered how I would spend this quality-me time there. I'm not sure what word exactly in Google took me to TwistCollective site and to "Walking in the Steps of Jane Gaugain", an article written by Kate Davies. But there it is, my plan for the day. I love walking and yarn and the journey ends in the textile galleries of the National Museum of Scotland. (In case you feel that you have just recently heard the name but wonder where, look at Victorian Lace Today.)

Now I am thinking whether or not I should cast on for a scarf/shawl in her spirit while planning and dreaming of the trip. Thank you for Kate Davies for this unexpected tour! If you have never visited her blog, go there, it is called Needled and it is one of the very best ones.

You probably wonder what I have been knitting. Since then I have finished three items. Two of which I am very happy about and one that is just plain ordinary top in the series "wear thy knitting" and I will blog about it some time in the future. Then there is one beautiful scarf knitted of handspun but more of it later too. The Fan Cardigan is off the needles, blocked and pictured here and she deserves her very own post.
This is a design by Marianne Isager from Japanese Inspired Knits Collection, a book full of fantastic and interesting knitting patterns. Since I don't have access to her yarns (which I believe are beautiful) I will have to do what I have at hand and in some way that is part of the interesting process. I ended up using Black Water Abbey 2-ply fingering weight yarn together with Grignasco Merino Silk lace weight.
These two yarns combined look lovely but the feel is a bit scratchy. If I were to knit this again, I would use another combination, probably Drops Alpaca and this Merino Silk combined.
Following the pattern was enjoyable and interesting. The cardigan is knitted in pieces and seamed together later on, and this made the knitting part very light. It was a pleasure not to need to handle a big bundle of knitting on one's lap, but even with this delightful fact, I am most definitely a seamless-knitter.
The pattern was easy to follow and I don't think there was a single error there, at least I did not find any. When knitting something with ordinary construction, little mistake in a pattern does not bother me, but when knitting something with demanding construction, it is a blessing to be able to just knit away and not having to deal with pattern issues. I knitted the smaller size and again, if I were to knit this again, I probably would add just a few stitches to the sleeves.
I don't remember changing anything, except for a couple of little technique matters, I always slip the first and the last on the private side rows and knit them on the public side rows and I did my increases a bit differently than advised in the pattern. All in all this was most enjoyable and I am happy with the outcome.
Since buying "Japanese Inspired Collection", I have bought also "Classic Knits" and "Knitting Out of Africa", both by Marianne Isager. Again, these patterns are most intriguing. I am making swatches at the moment and today while making one for the pattern "Corsage" from "Classic Knits", I discovered something really fabulous.
She tells you exactly how you should knit the swatch plus it is pictured in the right scale on the book. You can knit the swatch and compare it to the one in the book. What a neat little feature!! So, at the moment, I have been knitting these small swatches but have not made up my mind, what sweater to knit next. And to be honest there are something on the needles that have been started and blogged here earlier on, like a pair of socks and a beautiful shawl, both of which are lovely but on hold for time being.

Finally now is the time to take Tina down to the lake, so she can have a good evening dip. That dog just loves swimming!

And then I'll knit for a while.

Knit away your week!

Lene

36 comments:

  1. GrannyPurple19:54

    That garment is so beautiful, and looks so satisfying to knit! Enjoy your "noisy" summer. I envy you your time in Edinburgh, and at the Fringe.

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  2. what a beautiful jacket!! You have done areally fine job...
    all the best.. Christa

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  3. that cardi is beautiful!! congrats on an awesome FO. I love that last picture of the squirrel- so cute!!

    - Julie

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  4. Your jacket is beautiful and lots of detail too. Jane x

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  5. What an amazing bolero style cardi! I do love it with all its details.

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  6. My eyebrows went up about the to-scale swatch pictures. Now that is something I think is grand. Thanks for letting me know...
    Your work is ever so lovely and it sounds like you are enjoying a beautiful season.

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  7. This has been on my to knit list - yours is lovely!

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  8. Oooo, that's really beautiful! What an incredible knitter you are.
    Blessings,
    G

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  9. What a charmingly beautiful cardi! Quite elegant too. Beautifully knit.
    Have fun on your two upcoming holidays.
    Thinking about Tina swimming in the lake has me smiling.

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  10. Oh! I just love your fan cardigan. It has so many unusual details and features. I'd love to make one. Thanks!

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  11. Anonymous05:05

    Oh Lene, yours is much prettier than the photo from the book! Better fit for one thing. I so enjoy your descriptions, too, of your summer and knowing that Tina likes swimming in the lake. Love your knitting and your writing!

    annie in colorado

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  12. Lovely cardigan. I really enjoy reading your blog.

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  13. Anonymous07:35

    LOVELY cardigan. Enjoy the warmth and light!
    Margie in Maryland

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  14. Lene, as always your knitting is wonderful, so is your writing. It is such a joy every time I come here and fins a new post...

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  15. The cardigan is beautiful. While your yarn choice might be scratchy, I imagine that the fabric will wear well. Perhaps it will soften in time?

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  16. Anonymous06:36

    It's incredibly beautiful. Thanks for sharing with the readers.

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  17. Incredibly delicate! Beautiful...

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  18. This is just beautiful. For a couple of days I am just coming back and back again to see it one more time.
    Greetings from Transylvania :-)

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  19. Lene, Your cardi is stunning. When I grow up I want to knit like you! I am so slow and methodical and it takes forever to knit a sweater.
    Summer here is lovely this year, not too hot nor humid, just perfect. We are enjoying it so much~ ~Ahrisha~ ~

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  20. Your fan cardigan is gorgeous! Generally I wouldn't knit something structured like this, but you've tempted me to try!

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  21. Gorgeous cardigan, I love intricacy of the pattern. The little squirrel at the end looks so happy and healthy.

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  22. I don't know how to break this to you, but if that's a picture of your dog, then I think your dog is a squirrel. :) That is a lovely cardigan, and now I think I have to knit it.

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  23. What a beautiful japanese style bolero/cardi!! You have done areally fine job... Now I have to put this lovely pattern on my todo list..

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  24. Aw! Fantastic knit pattern, it’s so gorgeous. Is this for sale?

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  25. I love this Japanese inspired knit pattern. It looks fabulous on that red dress. I love it.

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  26. MelS12:46

    How interesting to see your interest in Marianne Isager: it was she who got me back to knitting after a 10 year hiatus, when I saw her beautifully styled book "Classic Knits" (in German, it's been out for a while longer!). At first I struggled a little with the Danish style of pattern description, but I persevered and have knitted two of the ZigZag tops, which I think are fantastic - my friend is now knitting one, too!
    Now I'm also keen to get my hands on the Japanese-style book ;)
    BTW, it's lovely to click onto your blog regularly, there is a calmness and beauty about it that I much appreciate. Thank you!

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  27. My favourite design in that amazing book - and yours is absolutely beautiful. Great photos! I've got to knit it some day.

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  28. It is so very beautiful!

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  29. that is very beautiful!

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  30. I am just knitting this now and love how it is working up! Very fun to knit and yours is beautiful!

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  31. What to say, you're an artist. I would so like to have such a beautiful jacket. If only I could know how to knit like that :)

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  32. Anonymous01:53

    Knitting the fan cardigan now - found two similar mistakes in Japanese Inspired Knits: p.35 Rows 4-14 SHOULD READ "Rep Rows 2 and 3 of patt5 more times,..." and then again on p. 38 Rows 4-14 SHOULD READ "Rep rows 2 and 3 of patt 5 more times,..." In each case, if you were to repeat row 1 five more times, you would placing 70 more stitches on holders. That wouldn't make sense. Love the pattern!!! cjd

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  33. Wow, I cannot believe you knitted that! It's so intricate and beautiful. I'm still learning (very slowly) but things like this motivate me to try harder. I would love to make and wear something like that.

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  34. Very stunning pattern on that cardigan. I imagine that would take quite a bit of work.

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  35. The detail is amazing, so lovely. I can't imagine how long that too to do!

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  36. That looks perfect for spring/early fall weather, warm enough to cover your shoulders if there's a slight chill but light enough to have on in the sun, too!

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