sophy's knits, notes, etc.

what a crazy few weeks it's been. moving house. a bridal shower. a visit from out of town friends. a wedding.

at long last i'm catching up on some of my projects from the past couple months. first up is my featherweight cardigan — you've probably already seen these finished pictures on my ravelry page or hannah fettig's blog post. was that really a month ago? it's about time i wrote about the project, right? [ravelry]

look at me! finished featherweight cardigan.

pattern :: featherweight cardigan by hanna fettig.
yarn :: malabrigo lace, color #38 buscando azul, 2 skeins.
needles :: size 6 (4 mm) and 3 mm crochet hook.
modifications :: slanted increases. shorter sleeves. 2x2 ribbing. crocheted scallop edging on stockinette collar.

:: my modifications

it's no secret that i wanted to knit this pattern the moment i saw the project photos on the designer's ravelry page. i had already fallen in love with hannah fettig's whisper cardigan but didn't have enough lace weight yarn to knit it. on the other hand, i had many lace weight options in amounts for the featherweight. that pretty much cinched the deal.

in my opinion, this pattern is very simple. but then again, top down and seamless raglan shaping is really great for mods; i have a feeling it'll be the canvas for many more projects to come.

the very first thing i changed — i mean this is like in the second row of knitting — was to use M1L and M1R slanted increases. you can read a previous post for more information about my increases and some early pictures of the project.

after that, i decided to knit 2x2 ribbing. the pattern uses an even number of stitches that worked for: (k2, p2) to last two stitches, k2.

the most dramatic mods i made were in the sleeves, which i shortened to fall above the elbow. i decreased 2 stitches every 7th row 6 times and ended with 1.5 inches of 2x2 ribbing. after quite a few false starts and just as many changes in knitting techniques, it worked out perfectly.

i shortened the sleeves because i wanted to make sure i had some yarn left over for a crocheted scalloped edging on the stockinette shawl collar. you can see a hint of them in the photos above; they're not very noticeable, but i like the delicate finish they give to the edge.

so blue!

so, if you're interested, i used a 3 mm hook for the scalloped edging and crocheted as follows:

begin on right front edge, with RS facing.
setup: join yarn with slip stitch into first st.
1. skip next st
2. hdc 3 times into next st
3. skip next st
4. slip stitch into next st
repeat 1-4 to end.

although i consider myself pretty good at crochet, i still find explaining the crochet stitches and patterns pretty darn confusing. if you have any questions about it, just leave me a comment or send me an email.

update 7.13.09 :: i took a closer look at the scalloped edging, and i think i actually crocheted a half double crochet (hdc) and not the double crochet (dc) i originally thought. either stitch works just as well; but for accuracy, i just wanted to make this correction. you can read "how to make a half double crochet stitch" for instructions.

:: the yarn

i needed something different — if you look at my finished projects, you'll see a lot of pinks, greens, and tweeds. i wanted to shake things up a bit and pick a vibrant color that i don't yet have in my closet or in my stash. hence, the brilliant blue of "buscando azul".

i really want to know who names the colors in malabrigo's palette. whoever it is, i just have to tell you, i love the names for the merino color card: cadmium, noviembre, tuareg, verde adriana, etc... i will admit, i sometimes buy yarn solely because i adore the names of the colors.

:: the verdict

i've already worn this cardigan to work a few times, to a bridal shower, and to a wedding. so, i guess that means i ♥ it, right? i do. in fact, i think i will make something similar in fingering weight yarn with longer sleeves and body!

oh and shall i tell you an embarrassing secret? okay it's not a secret but i do think it's a little embarrassing... here goes... the armpit of the cardigan... is felted. from my sweat — ew! gross!

though now i wonder how a felted lace-weight sweater would look...

happy knitting!