Knit 8 Side to side cardigan, version 2

Today I have asked Hannah to write a guest post about the cardigan she has just finished. Hannah has been knitting for 2 years, and is working in the shop part time.

Pattern description:

The pattern I used is the side to side cardigan, from Knit 8. I made Version 2.
This pattern is for a short, sideways knitted cardigan with three cables. The cardigan ties with an eye cord that runs through one of the cables.




Why did you chose this pattern? Did the finished garment turn out as you expected?

I chose the cardigan pattern because it looked fun and quick to knit and had quite a few techniques that I hadn't used before. When I finished the cardigan it looked exactly like the picture in Knit 8, but with different colours and a longer i-cord, which were my changes.



Did you find any errors or tricky places in the pattern?

Right at the end of the pattern there was one minor error, the knits were called purls and the purls were called knits, but I found it before I knitted that section, thank goodness. :)



What yarns and needles did you use? Did you like the yarn texture and colour? Did the yarns work well for the pattern?:


For the cardigan I used Alpaca Silk Georgette 751 Pebble and Soho Summer DK Cotton 234 Currant. I used Currant instead of Soho Summer DK Cotton 216 Sapote, which is the yarn used in the pattern instructions, because I preferred the colour combination of purple and steel grey to the suggested brown and steel grey, which seemed a bit dull to me. The needles I used were 5.5mm and 10.0mm single pointed needles, a cable needle, a stitch holder and 5.5mm double pointed needles.

The two yarns together feel soft and make the pattern look slightly lacy, because they're knitted together on large needles. The two yarns worked really well for the cardigan, I love the combined colours and the yarns feel very soft. The cardigan is also a perfect weight for Queensland, it gives some warmth but isn't too hot, because of its lacy texture.



How long did it take you to knit the garment:

I knitted the cardigan on and off for about 2 months, not doing much knitting each time. The actual knitting was very quick though, and sewing up barely took any time at all. Probably the most time consuming part of the cardigan was knitting the i-cord.

Was it a difficult knit for you? Did you use any new techniques?:

This wasn't a very difficult cardigan to make, the instructions were quite easy to read and follow, even though there were a few techniques I hadn't really used much before, like the moss stitch and the whole experience of knitting "sideways." The instructions for the i-cord weren't as clear but I found very user-friendly instructions for it in Knitter's Handbook by Montse Stanley

Are you happy with the garment? Where and when are you planning to wear it?

I am very happy with the cardigan, it turned out almost exactly like I thought it would, and I think it is very flattering to wear. I plan to wear the cardigan in spring, autumn and maybe on warmer winter days. So far I've worn it with a dress during a breezy day at the beach and at work over a blouse, with a skirt. I am really satisfied with the cardigan, hopefully I'll be able to wear it a lot. I think it will dress up a jeans outfit, or look smart and casual over a more formal outfit.

Twisted Drop Stitch Vest, Knit 7

This short sleeved cardigan from Jo Sharp Knit 7 is one of the quickest garments I have ever knit, not excepting baby clothes.

It is knit with 2 strands of yarn, one 8ply Alpaca Kid Lustre and one 8ply Soho Summer Cotton, on 10mm needles. I have made the smallest size, for my daughter who wears an Australian size 8-10, and it is quite loose on her. I am thinking of making another one and trying to size down the pattern.

I used shade Province 853 in the Kid Lustre, and Fog 250 in the cotton. I used one ball less of both yarns than called for in the pattern. A few customers have knit this cardigan, and they also used at least one ball less of each yarn for the short sleeved "vest" version, but found they needed all the balls recommended for the long sleeved version.

Daisy cardigan

I love the colour Carmen in Jo Sharp's Soho Summer DK cotton, and have been wanting to make something from it for ages.
I started to knit a sundress top for my niece, putting in some purl stitch daisies that I graphed to co-ordinate with a blue red and white Asian daisy print, but after I had knit the panel with the raised daisies, I thought it was too tall for a back bodice sundress on a 3 year old, so decided to turn it into a cargidan instead. Because I had started already, I had to write the pattern as I went along, but I am very happy with it now that the cardigan is finished, don't you love the buttons?

Now I just have to make a dress to match.

Knit 5 Sleeveless rib top

It is really warm here today, so I thought I would delay posting about Hannah's gauntlets (very warm and cosy, but a little winterish for today), and write about my purple spring weather top instead. It has been waiting in my wardrobe for 3 months after all!
This is from Jo Sharp Knit 5, and I really like it, despite the little problem I had falling into a trance during the middle single rib section and making it too long. Next time, and there will definitely be a next time, I will make the middle section a more flattering length. I am thinking of a green version.


The only changes I made this time were short row shaping across the bust, and garter stitch at the edges of the shoulder straps in order to prevent rolling in.
I knit this in Soho Summer DK Cotton, just like the pattern called for, in the gorgeous colour currant 234.