But wait! It is made for me.
The story of this cardigan began with this yarn: Savanna by Cewec,
it is lovely in skein, very silky, in a rough way, pain to knit with, very much
so in the beginning before you get used to it. At first Savanna was destined to
become something totally different and I actually knitted the whole cardigan,
sleeves and everything with it before I realized that the gauge was too big and
it was impossible to finish it neatly. I love small gauge and small needles and
fairly tight outcome. I decided to step outside my comfort zone and ignore my
inner voice and made a decision to knit the cardigan with the needle size
suggested in the ball band and in the pattern. (There are times when I doubt my
gauge choice and seriously doubt if I kill the yarn with too small needles.) Of
course, loose was all wrong for me. Almost after every single row I looked at
my knitting, stroked it, tried to push my finger through the stitches, sighed
heavily and kept knitting until the very bitter end. The final product, like I
thought from the very first cast-on stitch, was terrible. I ripped the whole
thing, wondered for a while whether or not discard the yarn. But then I made
another swatch, this time with smaller needle size, 3,5mm and was much happier
with the outcome. I should have trusted my inner voice.
Since I had already knitted one pattern with the yarn, I wanted
something different and this time something very simple, as the yarn is rough
and has so much structure. Simple cardigans are really the ones I wear most. I
wanted something quite fitting but not too tight. Then and there I was stuck for
a bit because I did not know how much ease I should allow for the cardigan. I
knew what I needed to do and logged into Amy Herzog's Custom Fit, entered my
gauge, made a few design choices, and bought a custom made cardigan pattern for
me and this yarn.
The pattern was knitter friendly, there were instructions to knit it
in pieces or in one piece without any seams. I chose an option to knit it
without seams until the armholes, made sleeves in the round, but did sew them
in opposed to knitting them top down. I made couple of changes to the cardigan
while making it, added few rows to the sleeves and made the neck opening little
smaller than I had planned beforehand. I did not make short row shaping to the
shoulders as mine are square and I really don't need them, but other than those
minor changes, I followed the pattern to the row count, and everything worked
out fine. I love the outcome. It truly fits around my shoulders, the sleeve
heads are where they are supposed to be. The ease around the waste is just
right. At first I thought that I would love little more room around the hips
but now that the cardigan is blocked and finished, I am happy with the hem too.
I highly recommend Custom Fit. I am going to use it again. And
again.
If you were reading carefully from the beginning, you probably
noticed there a sentence where I said that finishing was very difficult with
loose gauge. Even though I made the other version with smaller needles, I still
struggled with neat finishing. Luckily there was another site to rescue me! Some
time ago I bought Anne Hanson's Craftsy class about finishing and I logged into
that and refreshed my memory there. I love that class, there is loads of
information about good finishing.
There are lots of interesting classes on Craftsy, also a good one by
Amy Herzog. Living up here in the middle of nowhere, Craftsy has often picked
me up knitting-wise. The platform is friendly and if ever there has been a
minor glitch with something and I have contacted the customer help, I have
received prompt answer and very friendly service. Highly recommend this also!
While we were taking pictures of my Savanna Cardigan, we also took
some pictures of the socks I finished some time ago. Ruusu was in charge of
both of the photo shoots. The yarn is Rico's Superba Bamboo, there isn't any
bamboo there but wool, polyamide and viscose, nonetheless, the yarn is squishy
and lovely!
Preparing for the other shoot...
"Make sure you get it right!"
"Okay, ready?"
"And shoot!"
"And done!"
Fiber has made me very happy today! Have a good week,
Wool with you,
Lene
Lene
PS. I love these shoes, they are wooden shoes by Swedish Hasbeens.
And thank you for reading! xx
Your cardigan looks great! What a great place for a photoshoot! Also your dog is amazing!
ReplyDeleteAs always, tremendous!
ReplyDeletelovely cardigan and socks and love the dog as well.
ReplyDeleteOh I loved it all : the writing, the cardigan, the dog and the socks ! Thanks for sharing !
ReplyDeleteOh and I loved seeing you as well :)
Your Cardigan looks great. I am knitting my first right now. I love the photo shoot play by play. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your lovely photo's and stories. You are such a sweet person! I never comment, but I follow you already for years.
ReplyDeleteLiesbeth from Holland
The cardigan turned out beautifully! I have heard nothing but rave reviews from knitters who have tried Custom Fit. I am still a bit nervous about trying it, though -- perhaps I don't want to come face-to-face with my actual measurements, especially while pregnant?
ReplyDeleteThe socks are cozy-looking and colorful, too.
Cute sox; you're encouraging me to try crocheting a pair myself someday soon. The sweater is dynamite, love the buttons, too.
ReplyDeleteI like that some of your socks match, and some don't. Great cardigan. I tend to buy yarn I like and then try to find a pattern.....I think it work's better the other way. Love your blog!
ReplyDeleteGood job, Ruusu!! (oh, you too, Lene). :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the wonderful pictures. The socks look lovely by the water.
ReplyDelete