More Summer FOs: Cabled Cardigan

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Now that Ravelympics is over and done with, it's time to go back to projects I finished earlier in the summer. This cabled cardigan was a long, slow project. I started it in Summer 2007 with the overly optimistic (it turns out) idea of getting to wear it in the fall. Yeah, right. ;)

I was working on the project on and off -- mostly off -- all through the fall and winter. It got cast aside every time I found something more interesting, like socks. When Sockdown: Ravelry started to wind down for a breather, I picked up the cardigan again in, uhh, May-ish? With 1.5 sleeves to go it was a pretty quick finish.

And then there was the zipper. First of all, I couldn't find one that was both the right color and the right length. The one I picked is a dark navy but it's not too much of a difference.

And then there was the sewing of the zipper. That I had to do twice. By hand. The first time for what ever reason I didn't bother to check whether I could open and close the zipper with ease. I was working on the last inch of sewing when I noticed that the zipper wouldn't budge cause I'd sewn too close to the teeth. Rip rip rip! The second time worked much better and faster, though. Lesson learned. :)

I'd neglected to wash my gauge swatch so of course the cardigan grew when I wet-blocked it (hello, superwash). This wasn't actually a bad thing because it was too snug before blocking. The fit is great now but the fabric is a bit too loose and drapey. And the sleeves are already starting to pill. But I've been wearing this a lot. :)

Project: MacPalmikkoneule Cardigan (Ravelry), cast-on: July 31 2007, cast-off: June 20, 2008
Pattern: MacPalmikkoneule by Sanna of tupasvillaa.blogspot.com
Yarn: 12 skeins (600g/1776 yd/1624 m) of Novita Wool in colorway #192 (dark teal)
Needles: 3.5 and 4.0 mm circular
Mods: Added waist + shoulder shaping and 3-needle bind of for shoulders; folder rib hem; zipper; top-down set-in seamless sleeves with Barbara Walker-esque short-row shaping

While I was still knitting up the sleeves, I noticed one day that the pattern had disappeared from where I printed it. Sanna, who had designed the cardi and kindly posted the pattern on her blog, had decided to quit blogging and her blog vanished. :( Am I glad I had the files saved on my laptop! I have a vague recollection of her posting that she'd be on Ravelry but I can't remember her Ravelry nick. So, if anyone knows Sanna, could you ask if she could offer the pattern as a Ravelry download? It's too great a pattern to vanish into thin air.

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