Warty Bobbles

A Humble Cardigan

One would assume that a knitter – a dedicated and prolific knitter – would have a favorite handknit sweater in which to hang about.  A cozy slip-on-in-the-evening sweater.  A simple run-to-the-store sweater.  A serviceable must-take-when-traveling sweater.

Well, I do not have such a sweater.  Shocking, I know.

I have very nice store-bought sweaters.  But I have been hankering for a handknit sweater of my own making.  I find comfort in wearing my own handknit garments – but mostly they are wraps, capelets, pieces of that nature.  I need a cardigan – a common, garden-variety, basic cardigan sweater.

So, knit yourself a sweater, I told myself.

But we have so many other pieces on the needles at present, myself replied with a deep sigh.

So, knit yourself a sweater anyway – but keep it simple.  It will go quickly and you can even knit it in bed at night when you are too tired to knit anything else, I said shrewdly.

And the next thing I knew, I had taken myself off to Yorkshire Yarns and was loading up on Berroco’s purple heathered Ultra Alpaca (50% alpaca/50% wool). 

I decided to base the cardigan on my favorite and well-worn Old Navy sweater – a raglan cardigan with ¾ sleeves.  And I vowed I would keep it simple:  no lace, cables, bobbles, colorwork, texture.  Nothing but stockinette and ribbing.  A humble cardigan (in a delicious yarn).

And, as a present for the humble-cardigan-to-be, a little lace yarn for a companion scarf…something simple….

Matinee Jacket

I finished the Matinee Jacket (and booties and bonnet) a few weeks ago, but it has taken a while to get photos of Gwen wearing it!  We had quite a heat wave (so she was not sporting woolies for a couple of weeks) and then it was a matter of working around naps, feeding, fussing, etc.

So, we used a stand-in:

But Sarah finally did manage a proper photo shoot:

Okay, how cute is that!!
Thanks, Sarah!  And additional thanks for updating my sidebar photos.

Why Don't I Have A Cardigan?

The setting:  me on the deck feeling a bit chilly on a lovely autumn day.

The thought:  I should go put on a nice sensible wool hand-knit cardigan.

The action:  going inside to look in my closet and realizing that I do not own

                        a nice sensible wool hand-knit cardigan

The question:  why don’t I – who have knit so much over so long – have a

                        cardigan?

 

Sarah says:  Mom, you don’t knit sweaters.

 

Not entirely true, but sort of true.  Recently, I have knit more wraps and shrugs and such.  (Aside from baby sweaters -- which are small and adorable and are one of the un-earned rewards of grandmother-hood)  And I do have some sweaters that I have knit for myself – but they are pullovers.  Except for a lovely angora cabled cardigan (very, very warm and tends to shed -- and the exquisite shell button slip out of the button holes when I breathe) and a rather odd harvest gold lace cardigan that is sort of a cropped length and has very, very full sleeves. . . .

 

I have a few purchased sweaters – a raggy little “home sweater” in olive green (Old Navy) and a floaty buttonless eggshell-colored cashmere cardigan (Eileen Fisher discount rack).  But no chic “run to the grocery store in your jeans” cardigan.  No classic “walk in the park amongst the falling leaves” cardigan.  No splendid “sit out on the deck in the autumn sunshine” cardigan.

 

Now, with two Commissioned Pieces (for Pelagia Fiber Arts), the Forbidden Summer Sweater, my Poncho Ferocity (the latter 2 being interesting design projects with lots of potential), the Teetering Lace Shawl, the Afghan of Guilt, and a Sock Project (for emergency mindless knitting)…well, I certainly am not in a position to begin knitting a cardigan. 

 

So, I leafed through a yarn catalog – just to see what kind of cardigan I was not going to knit.  And I was particularly struck by the Rowan patterns.

 

Sarah says:  Mom, there are LOTS of stitches in Rowan sweaters!

 

So, this morning I decided to surf to the Rowan website – to investigate sweaters that are simply-out-of-the-question… And the website was down!!  They have been having technical difficulties and will have a new site up in early October “thank you for your patience”!

 

Of course, this is a true gift to me from the Knitting Sprites (who, occasionally, are kind) because I can answer my question and get back to my knitting:

 

The question:  why don’t I have a nice sensible wool hand-knit cardigan?

The answer:  because the Rowan website is down!