Powdermill Cardigan

 

 Last September I got started knitting the Powdermill cardigan by Kate Davies.

It had been on my list for a while and I thought I'd have it done by Christmas.  Previous cardigans and jumpers have taken 3-4 months.

Today (May) I finally added the buttons (glass buttons made in my studio)!  That's only 8 months in the making!!

I knew it might take a little longer than normal, after all it's got quite a detailed pattern and is only using a DK yarn.

However, it is knitted in the round which speeds things up a bit, but did mean I had three steek's to deal with (one down the front and one for each arm hole) which then slowed me down.  

Then when you think you've finished, you need to add a neck band and two bands down the front, and I sewed ribbon into the front bands too to stop the steek from unraveling!  And all the sewing in ends - as you can imagine there were a few.  And there might have been pauses for other projects along the way, but they weren't very long.

 

I used Stylecraft Special DK and love the colours!  Lipstick, Royal, Citron (one ball of each) and Graphite and A Hint of Silver (two balls of each).  That blue and red remind me of the drawings of princesses I used to draw as a kid, for some reason a colour combination I loved. 

The only slight annoyance is the right front button band which has the button holes in it.  I was using a 2 stitch icord, but the holes were too small so I made them bigger, but I should have made the icord bigger too.  This means the edge is slightly distorted which is annoying. 

 

As I was working on it last week, I didn't think I'd get to wear it any time soon as we enjoyed a mini heatwave, but the wind has turned so maybe I will.  It is a bit thicker than some of my other cardigans.

I'm not sure I'd wear it into the office.  It is very in your face, but I think it will work well round the house or maybe walking the dog?

 

I'm glad to see the back of the making of it and move on to something else.  But I have a confession.  While making it I couldn't help wondering what it would be like if I made it in a different colour way, and didn't keep to the strict colour pattern.  I've got a bag of left over yarn from making a crochet blanket a couple of years ago and think the colours would work so well.  So this evening I may well be casting that on.  But I know it will take a lot longer than this one, as there are too many other projects on hold right now!

Decisiveness Super Bulky Scoop Shrug

 

 A couple of years ago I knitted the Portland Cardigan, and while I liked the stitch used, I didn't enjoy wearing it - it was too bulky under the arms.

Seeing as I wasn't wearing it and it was taking up room in the waldrobe, I unravelled it and balled it up and kept my eye's open for a new project which might have a better outcome.

It took a while but then I came across the pattern for the Decisiveness Super Bulky Scoop Shrug by Brome Fields on Esty.

 

I've been working on a very detailed knitting project since September so at the beginning of the year I decided to give myself a break to make something that would knit up quickly.

As my yarn wasn't as bulky as the pattern and I didn't have big enough needles (although they were perfect for my yarn) I made some slight changes to the pattern based on guesses and a rough sizing square and got going.

 

I wasn't sure how much yarn I'd need but decided to use up what I had and then buy some more if needed.

I used up all my yarn and thought I'd finished.  I sewed up the arms and started to sew in ends, but in my heart I knew it was too big and I wouldn't use it as a shrug in this format.  It would either need to be a blanket or I would have to start again.

 

Much to 'im outdoors horror I undid it all, and set it aside for a bit before trying again.

This time I kept much closer to the pattern, just going up one size.  And ended up with something much more suitable, although I think I could have probably gone up one more size.  Don't worry I'm not going to undo it all again!  

 

Because I was using recyled wool I had a few more ends to sew in than I'd have liked, but better to reuse the wool into a nice new project.  All gave me joy to make, hopefully this one will also be joyful to wear.

I think it's going to be perfect for this spring weather where it can be so lovely and warm and then cloud goes over the sun and it's cold again.  Something to just slip over the shoulders to keep me warm.

 

I've still got a few balls left so will have to think of something to do with them too.

St Catherines Cardigan

 

For the last couple of months I've been working on St Catherines Cardigan by Kate Davies.

I love her designs and this one had caught my eye with its stripes, some of which don't do what is expected of them.

 

So off to the the wool shop I went and got myself some Stylecraft DK in Graphite and A Hint of Silver.  I used just under 2 balls of each.

Once I'd worked out my gauge and the size needles I'd need I got going.  Being garter stitch it was mostly knit, with a little purl when working on the arms and the edging.  There was a bunch of picking up stitches to do which I hate! And it is finished with a 3 stitch i-cord bind off which is pretty straightforward but seemed to take forever.

 

It's come out pretty well, but there are a few things I could improve on.  For instance some of the stitches I picked up on the collar are not very neat.  And somehow I managed to do an extra row of graphite stitches on the second arm, only noticing when it didn't line up with the first.  Doh!  No way I was undoing all that to correct it.

But as a cardigan to wear around the house, especially when I'm having hot/cold moments I think it'll do just fine!  I like how chunky it is.

Evendoon Cardigan In Plum

 

After the success of my first Evendoon Cardigan I wanted to have another go.  This would give me another colour to wear and allow me to make a couple of small changes that I've thought of from wearing the first one.

This time I wanted to make the arms and body just a little longer.  And I made the ribbing at the bottom of the body a little longer too.

 

Although I think this is a very straightforward pattern, I still managed to mess it up twice and had to undo it - once where I turned half way through a row when I got distracted and put it down for a bit!  So it did take a little longer than the first.

This time I was using Stylecraft Special DK in plum - 3 balls.  And I made glass buttons in black.  The black isn't really black, but a very dark transparent purple which you'd see if you held them up to the light, but looks black here.

I'm pretty happy with it, but the real test will be in the wearing.  Roll on my next day in the office.