The Effortless-made-difficult Cardigan | A finish {Knitting}

The effortlessly blue cardigan started in August 2012.. That is a looooonnnnggg time ago. And why did it take so long? I knew I wanted to change the pattern but I had no idea how and what it would look like - and there lies the slowing down of the process - although the sheer amount of stockinette probably explains it as well.  

Surprisingly though I love the cardigan. I had doubts that I might not, but it is looks like what I had in mind, an oversized cardigan with loads of ribbing and a massive collar! And the colour, I love it, it is not your typical blue (it is actually quite hard to capture) and is quite striking, making the fact that it is knitted in one colour actually fine. 

Pattern: Effortless cardigan

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Blue Glasynys 
(used up nearly the whole 9 skeins, including the gauge)

Needles: 5 mm circular (according to the gauge)
Size: L
Modifications: shorten the panels, made the body longer and 
knitted oversized ribbing edges

So how hard is it? : Not that difficult, it is a well-written pattern and there is a LOT of stockinette (just warning you guys). I had to learn how to pick up stitches (see here for my tutorial) which has proved very helpful ever since. Even the blocking was ok. 

I did not change the construction at all, it is really a case of shortening and lengthening some of the dimensions to create an oversized version (in addition to the fact that I knitted one size bigger than my usual size). The construction is amazing however, the raglan sleeves the attachment of the collar and the panel - it makes a beautiful finish. 

This probably the picture that shows off the colour best. 

I am of course very happy to have a new cardigan in my wardrobe, but I am even happier to have finished knitting this. And just move on... And yes I already have a project in mind (in 6.5 mm circular needles, bigger, better, faster, right?)

The not-so-effortless cardigan | Picking up stitches tutorial {Knitting}

The effortless cardigan has been quite effortless until it was time to pick up many many stitches for the side panels and the collar. I already to pick up stitches for Tapenade, so I thought I knew how to do it. But when I tried, it just did not look neat or tidy - and I was not going to waste hours of knitting stockinette on sloppy edges. 

So what do you do in these instances, you google and hope to find a tutorial that tells you where you went wrong and what to do about it. I came across the Knitty tutorial and all was explained and clear. For those who wonder how I did it here are a few pictures. 

The white arrow shows the line of knitting you will pick up for your stitches from -  
one stitch in from the edge itself where the knitting is neater

or like so

1. Insert your needle into the centre of the first stitch you want to pick a new stitch from, 

2. Wrap the yarn knitwise, and draw the new stitch through, 3. Insert your needle into 

the centre of the second stitch, 3. Repeat step 2 and so on. 

In real time, my first video - so be kind

The back of it (not blocked yet)

Are you seeing that beautiful edging?! Bring on the collar!

So this is how I did it... There may be other ways, do you mind telling me only when I finished the cardigan, I am not sure I can cope with knowing I did it wrong at this stage, ta! 

So this is my current WIP, check out the others WIPs over at WIP Wednesday at Tami's and Yarn Along at Ginny's today. 

Currently on my needles {Knitting}

There are a lot of projects (knitting and otherwise) going on at the moment. Some are so so close to be finished (hopefully this Friday?), and others are just getting clearer and clearer in my head and ready to be put onto paper. August is going to be a busy month! 

Today I am going to reassure Chrissy at Stitched Together that I have started her shawl! I had the yarn custom dyed by Steph, and she got the perfect colour (here is the inspiration). This is knitting quite fast, so I should be on schedule - phew!

More on this when finished.. 

The effortless cardigan is growing. Not a lot of details to give you here, it is a lot of (only?) stockinette. I don't think I will modify the pattern radically. I have taken on board the comments on Ravelry and made the side panels smaller (17 stitches instead of 27 stitches), and changed the point of shaping so that (hopefully) it works better on my body. I may modify the edging, I think, we will see when I get there - although that should be the exciting part of this knit. 

Pattern: Effortless cardigan

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Blue Glasynys (slightly worried 
that it is discontinued, hopefully I bought enough skeins)

Needles: 5 mm circular 

I am still reading About a  Girl by Lindsey Kelk. To be honest it is an ok read but I would have finished it if it was as good as the reviews made it out to be. I will finish it because it is enjoyable, but not the best chick lit out there. 

Joining others at Tami and Ginny's today.  

I am crafting, honest...

Only a sneak peek, but it is really taking shape, trust me.
More printing on fabric -
I am so proud of my little penguin in felt. 

Ready for the next heatwave with a cardigan - more on my colour choice here

Effortlessly Blue {Knitting}

I have been sitting on my future - major - knitting project for a while now. I have very good excuses. First, I wanted to chose a project that could accommodate my growing bump (a random shop assistant asked me over the weekend whether I was expecting twins - and whether I was sure I was not - rude!)... So the growing bump needed to be accommodated. I also wanted a project that I would keep after the B-day. So what was left: a cardigan, Effortless it would - it is all in the name.. Next was the colour.. 

I don't know about you, but I find it really difficult to know what the colour of a yarn is really like on websites (and on my own pictures). Of course Ravelry helps, as you can see other projects using the yarn you may have chosen. But this search involves knowing which yarn you are considering. Of course I could also go to a LYS, but that requires a bit of travelling for me. So the bulk of my yarn shopping is done over the internet.

And not only is the colour important, but for any garment the gauge and how the yarn will behave during the blocking process are important. 

All of this to tell you that I bought 5 different skeins, in the hope of finding THE yarn I would knit a whole cardigan with! Effortless calls for Madeline Tosh DK or Quince and Co. Lark. I have never knitted with either of these yarns. So it was time to test and share my thoughts!

1. Madeline Tosh Vintage in Baltic; 2. Cascade 220 in Jade (#7813); 3. Cascade 220 Heathers (#9332)
4. Quince&Co Lark in Peacock (#109); 5. Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Blue Glasynys (#6213)

In terms of colours, I was most surprised by the Cascade 220 in Jade, I was expecting something more subtle and less yellowish - and it sort of got discarded from the start. The others were in the right colour scheme. The Madeline Tosh is a great yarn but is hand-dyed and has that variegated effect going on that makes it a bit hard to match on a whole garment - you got it, yarn discarded. 

I loved the colour of the Quince & co skein, but I was really surprised disappointed by how little yarn I got out a skein - and made some quick calculations, and thought that it would become a very expensive cardigan (not that knitting is a cheap hobby). 

Left were the Berroco and Cascade in Heathers. 

I knitted all the yarns - with 5mm needles, and did the swatch according to the pattern (19st x 26st). For most of the skeins I managed to achieve the 10cm x 10cm swatch I was looking for - unblocked. I have never swatched on this scale, and it is amazing how different yarns behave whilst being knitted. I am very picky - because I am actually allergic to sheep wool (ironic, right!). So my preference goes for blend yarns, with Merino. 

Although I discarded it on the basis of its colour, Madeline Tosh nearly got back in the race as it was so amazing to knit. It was pure bliss. But it went back to be discarded when blocking - the swatch just grew! Other Ravelers did talk about it - it is true! 

I found Quince & co Lark too scratchy for my taste, so it remained being discarded, but the blocking did not affect the swatch too much. 

As for the Cascade yarns, Cascade 220 in Jade was less scratchy than Cascade 220 Heathers - but as they are both pure wool I did not really took to them. Again the blocking process did not affect the swatch too much. 

That leaves us with Berroco Ultra Alpaca. I am reading my notes and I only have positive comments, on the mix of wool, the colour and how it behaved during the blocking process (it did grow a bit but it is not out of control). 

Effortless will be knitted in Berroco Ultra Alpaca. I need to choose the size of the garment - I have tried similar cardigans in shops to see how much my size has changed, and I think I need to knit it according to my size pre-pregnancy.Anyone has any advice on this?  

I hope you enjoy this review of yarns, and find it useful!

Linking up to Tamis' Amis, go and see other WIPS here.