day 19: a knit for me

It's not often anymore that I get the time to knit a pattern other than my own. I seem to spend a great deal of my knitting time knitting prototypes and test knits for new patterns, so it's rare that I knit others'. When I do they're more often than not test knits for some of the other Aussie or enZed designers.  It's even rarer that I knit something for myself.


It's not that I don't like knitting for myself. Nor am I one of those breed of knitters who fears knitting adult garments.  Quite the opposite in fact. One of the first major garments I knit was as a year 9 student. It was a gigantic, and I mean FRIGGIN HUGE, big yellow cabled cardigan complete with dropped shoulders. Very very 80s. My god I loved that thing!  And you know what? It won't surprise anyone who knows me well to hear that, yes, I do still have it. It's in the top of my jumper cupboard.  Sometimes on really cold days when I'm just at home I drag it out and wrap up in it, and wonder at the hellish amount of seaming in that sucker.


But you know, I obviously enjoyed it because my next adult knit was another giant cabled cardigan, this time in green, but a different pattern. Sadly, I don't have this one anymore, but I can still remember exactly what it looked like. .... mmm, best not to think about it, really.


So a few months ago I managed to score some Cascade eco in a Rav destash, a ball and a half for an exceptionally reasonable price (Thanks Anna :) )  When I buy something from a destash it's quite often on a whim and I'm not always sure what I'll do with it; I tend to be lured by the pretty colours.  But with this, I knew exactly what I wanted to knit. I'd been so tempted by the Tangled Yarns KAL on it a few months ago...


Rosamund's Cardigan by Andrea Pomerantz
Interweave Knits, Fall 2009

So very very unlike me I actually started it as soon as the yarn arrived.  Usually when I buy jumper lots of yarn for me it seems to get shoved to the back of the cupboard where it just... I don't know.. takes up space really.


So not only did I start to knit it straight away but I also finished it in the same month. I didn't get distracted by something more shiny and new. Ok, so I wasn't monogamous but I didn't ever completely discard it, like I so often do with adult knits... Honestly, these days it's like I have some sort of inbuilt  calendar that says I can't finish one without a lengthy hibernation stay.

but this one I did finish quickly.


And best of all, I wear it. LOTS.
I so love this!!!


The one thing I would do if I knit it again would be to leave out the hip increases.  It's supposed to have little hooks and eyes and do up all the way up, but I like it left open much better. The hip increases don't really make for a flattering line when worn open...sometimes I think I might frog and fix it...just sometimes, you know.

so the specs for this little beauty:


Pattern Rosamund's Cardigan by Andrea Pomerantz


Yarn Cascade Yarns Ecological Wool, in 'Nightvision' colourway. 640 yards (1.34 skeins - yes, very precise there)


Needles 4mm and 5mm nickel Knit Picks


Mods
Worked two less increases in the raglan to scale the pattern down to fit me by an inch or so
Worked the waist shaping a little lower than per pattern
Added an extra buttonhole for better visual balance
Worked extra length
Knit the armhole bands circularly instead of flat

Excuse the sun-in-eyes squint which makes me look a bit hungover or stoned. I'd have my sunglasses on but the little boy aggressively pulled one of the arms off them. That's the exact same fate for the last two pair of sunglasses, same scenario, different child. Good thing we only have two children.