Christmas #CardiParty2014

I’ve been plugging away at this project for a while. After making my first CustomFit sweater, I knew that S1’s next sweater would also be a CustomFit. I bought this yarn way back in April at the WEBS anniversary sale – it’s Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in the color Blackcurrant. Having fretted about sweaters made from thicker yarn in the past, I didn’t think much about the weight of this yarn. I know that skinnier yarn makes drapier, potentially better-fitting sweaters. But holy crow, this is thin yarn! I worked the sweater on US 4 needles (3.5 mm), which yielded 5.6 stitches/in in stockinette. Yet, the sweater is so light and airy (due to how the yarn is spun) – the entire sweater weighs only 338 grams.

This is a Custom Fit version of Amy Herzog’s Cushing Isle cardigan. All waist shaping is in the back of the sweater only; the fronts are straight for a more relaxed fit.I found the stockinette portions to be so easy that they traveled with me to work and soccer games – even the back of the sweater, which didn’t scream “I’m knitting a full sweater here” due to its light weight. I saved the fronts for last, because they involved an 8-row repeat on the stitch pattern as well as simultaneous shaping for the deep neckline and armholes. Those were knit strictly at home.

A few inches in on the first front, I decided to knit a couple stockinette stitches at the edge of the piece before beginning the stitch pattern, thinking it would make my life easier when it came to picking up stitches for the button band later. You can see that here – the piece on the left (which is actually the right front of the sweater) isn’t smooth at the edge because of the stitch pattern. I decided not to reknit that and am glad I didn’t.

Later I kind of wished I had only added ONE stockinette stitch at the edge rather than two, as I liked the way the ribbing on the button band appeared out of nowhere in that section. But the single line of stockinette looks nice, too – and I doubt anyone but me (or now you, since a knitter notices these things after having them pointed out) will ever see it: The buttons are simple metal ones from JoAnn’s: And I used Margaret Fisher’s one-row horizontal buttonhole instead of the specified one (which is the totally lame K2tog YO buttonhole – yuck!).

I cast on for the sweater on 9/16/14 and finished sewing on the buttons on 11/29/14, so I managed to finish it in time to enter the Doubleknit podcast #CardiParty2014 KAL contest on Ravelry. This is S1’s Christmas gift for 2014. I am very happy with the result and thrilled that it was finished before December, because December always brings last-minute craziness that pulls me away from my knitting! (You might see some of that in my next post!)