Take Five

Since I re-started knitting a few years ago, I've cast on three four sweaters. (The ones I made when I was younger - especially the one with flowers - don't count. Actually, the one with flowers might not have been the most embarassing, but that's another story.) Two remain UFOs, one needs serious repair work, and one was frogged. (Yes, I had to change the total because I'd forgotten about one UFO until I started writing.)

Fifth time's a charm, right? I've finally cast on for my Kauni Cardigan. The swatch has been finished for nearly a month, but I didn't really start any knitting until Friday, in order to get ready for the November meeting of the Scandinavian Knitting Club. It also seems like making the sweater is the least I could do, since I added over a kilogram to Aaron's already-stretched baggage allowance from Germany, and made all his clothes smell like sheep. (I'm already wondering if I'll want the EQ colorway when he goes back to visit, but that may be going too far. But there is good beer from Flensburg, so a trip to Wollsucht may not be entirely out of line)


Just getting ready to knit the cardigan was something of a challenge. The big honkin' 250-gram balls of yarn took several hours to wind. Here they are, with a ball of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport thrown in for comparison. I had to pull out a new knitting bag to hold all of the yarn - and buy a new set of circular needles to come close to gauge. Even so, this may be my cheapest sweater project, if we don't count Aaron's airfare.

This one required a lot of math, too, but that didn't seem so unreasonable. My gauge doesn't quite match the gauge called for, and my measurements might not match anyone else. As it turns out, I had to add exactly one pattern repeat to the small size - which may prove to have been a bad idea when it comes time to divide for the front and back.

I also changed the bottom from ribbing to a hem. Like the Yarn Harlot, I can't understand why knitwear would be designed to cling tightly to one's backside. I'm very grateful to her for setting a good example on this. Sweaters don't progress as delightfully quickly as socks, but at least I can see a pattern now. I don't know if I'll have a new sweater for Christmas, but I hope to have it done before it's too warm to wear it.