Monday, March 27, 2006

Cable Front Cardigan


Begun: January 25-ish, 2006
Finished: March 26, 2006
I feel like I need to justify taking 2 months to knit a sweater. There was the Olympics in between. And the teal zippered cardigan. And... never mind. It took 2 months.
Yarn: Custom Woolen Mills Mule Spinner 2 Ply in color #03
Pattern: Cable/Rib Cardigan from Vogue Knitting Holiday 2004
Modifications: The ribbing on the cabled pieces changed to flow directly into the cables; added length to body and sleeves, used i-cord rather than twisted cord for toggle loops

The yarn, which I love, was slightly tacky (i.e. tacky=sticky, not tacky=Britney Spears) and quite "rustic" (i.e. there were pieces of straw in places), which made cabling a challenge. After washing, the stitches filled out and the yarn softened up. I will probably acquire more of this yarn for projects, er, for next winter...



(Not to mention the fact that I got a little panic-y back when I was starting the sweater and aquired 2 extra skeins, just in case)(this was at the time of the alpaca shortage crisis of January 2006)(so now i have 2 1/2 extra skeins)(I think I'll do a cabled vest with some of the extra)(Just not right now)(are you sick of the parentheses yet?)



I love this sweater. LOVE this sweater!! I think I will switch back and forth between this sweater and the teal zip-up cardigan for the next month or so.

If you have been paying attention (there will be a test) I am stuck in a rut have a tendency to lean towards raglan sleeved sweaters. Knit in the round. In one piece. There is a reason for this: I don't like having to construct a set-in sleeve sweater. I suck at it find it frustrating to say the least. BUT this sweater... The sleeve caps fit almost perfect!* There were almost no hitches in the seaming!** Happy knitter!!

Now to work on that Prairie Tunic. It's +6 today. If I didn't live in Calgary, I would assume that this was the beginning of warm weather. However, we will have at least one or two more big blizzards before spring really comes.

*I didn't notice until I was seaming the sleeve caps that the initial bind off for the sleeve cap didn't match the initial bind off for the arm holes for the body. A little fudging. Don't look too closely at the armpits.
**Due to the aforementioned disparity in sleeve cap/armhole bind-offs, the seaming close to the armpit area was a little wonky. Also, I noticed when I was seaming the sleeves that I did the increases differently on the two sleeves.

14 comments:

  1. This was beautifully done, so never mind the 2 months to work on it ... it's worth it. Seeing your cable sweater done motivated me a little bit to return to my Must Have Cardi ... but right now I am enjoying my Sampler Stole ... so I'll see.
    Once again, great job!

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  2. This is absolutely beautiful! It's perfect! :) You did amazingly.

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  3. Awesome sweater. You are an amazing knitter. I dont know how you manage to knit so much considering the price of yarn but keep up the good work. Cant wait to see your Prairie Tunic (yeah that name got me too) Cheers!

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  4. Oh what a gorgeous sweater!! It fits you perfectly. You amaze me! That pattern is so pretty. I love it. Where did you get it? What color is it? Blue or tan?

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  5. WOOO-HOOO!! IT LOOKS FABULOUS!! Great job!

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  6. it only took you two months?

    that sweater looks amazing. great job.

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  7. I don't think two months is a long time at all, considering all that cabling and the other projects you had going. Now you have a super cute great-fitting cardi. I love that toggle closure, it goes so well with the rustic look.

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  8. Woot! This sweater is amazing! This is exactly the type of thingy I want to make. That, "I'm going to wear you every day and hope you don't get worn out" sweater.

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  9. Well done Lori!. It's absolutely lovely and is going to make us all want one.Cheers Gillian

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  10. Lori - the sweater is beautiful... Can't wait to see what you do with the Prairie Tunic.

    Re: your comment, I always have problems counting. The easiest patterns are the WORST for me. :-)

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  11. i knit that cardi too! It's on the first page of my finished knits album on my blog! :D

    yours looks great!

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  12. This came out wonderful and looks so good on you too! I had no idea there was an alpaca shortage. Wow, just think if I had known. I would have gone nuts on stashing :)

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  13. Hi! I love your cable/rib sweater, and it looks great on you. How much yarn did you use for the sweater, and what was your gauge? I have some yarn in my stash that I am considering using for this, but I don't know if I'll have enough.
    Thanks for your input!
    Leah
    leahbandstra@hotmail.com

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