Woop woop!!!
I totally finished the Dark and Stormy Cardigan, as you may know, but just haven’t gotten official photos for you yet.
So I snapped some today (yay for self timer!) and wanted to show you:
PATTERN: Dark and Stormy by Thea Colman
YARN: My Glass Blue Superwash Merino Wool in worsted weight… this colorway pops on the scene from time to time, but you can see all the other colors I have in this yarn base here.
NEEDLES:Â US 4 (3.5 mm) I know, I know, you’re wondering, WHAT? The pattern calls for a size 7!! Well, I actually did three gauge swatches before starting this sweater and I had to use a size 4 to get the required gauge. (I tend to knit more loosely than most).
SIZE: 32 (I’m technically a 34, but I wanted the sweater to fit a bit tighter than the picture shows)
MODIFICATIONS:Â A lot!
•I changed the ribbing to twisted rib. How does one work twisted rib, you ask? Well, lemme just tell ya, cuz it’s SUPER COOL. It makes a tighter ribbing than normal.
So basically instead of working into the front of your knit stitch like you normally do, you work into the back of the stitch every time you knit. YAY! Works out great.
•I shaped the waist as I saw fit, by just trying it on as I went.
•I shaped the arms as needed, by trying on as I went. I wrote down what I did for the first sleeve so I could repeat it in the second sleeve.
•Did some longer ribbing for the sleeves
•Opted out of the shawl collar!  I know!! I know!! You’re saying, but … but… you said you were making this pattern just so you could learn to do a proper shawl collar. Golly. By the time I started on the sleeves (before even picking up the stitches to work the ribbing around the front), I was mentally DONE with this project.
It took all my willpower, gumption and gusto to plow through the sleeves and work the front ribbing. So no shawl collar. And I like it this way anyways.
I’ll save the whole “learning how to make a proper shawl collar” for some other day…
THOUGHTS:Â
Well, well, well.
The time of truth has come.
What do I REALLY think about this sweater?
-Figured out how to do cabling without a cable needle. Google it!! It’s WAY AWESOME and saves you tons of time.
-Loved the pattern. I’d say an intermediate knitter could do it… I was a wee bit confused at first, just because there were so many different things to remember… increase here, start  the cabling there, add this, blah blah. But I did it and you could totally do it too… just make sure to remember everything and use stitch markers!
-Will I actually wear this sweater? Ummm… maybe. I’m not sure. I love the design. The color is to “dye” for. HA! The yarn is warm. The fit is great. But I dunno. I don’t know if it’s “me.” I don’t feel “at home” wearing it for some reason. I’ll have to let you if I end up wearing it much. Time will tell!
-Blocking – I chose to just squirt steam on it from an iron, rather than wet blocking. Worked great and is a great way to freshen up hand-knit sweaters! Just lay it out, blast it (don’t actually touch the sweater with your iron) with steam, gently stretch or shape that area and then move onto the next area. Helps to alleviate wrinkles in folded hand-knit sweaters, so definitely a good trick to have “up your sleeve.”
STOCKHOLM SCARF:
Next project on the needles is the Stockholm Scarf.
I’ve been eyeing this lil’ baby for awhile now and finally took the plunge.
I’m using some worsted merino wool yarn undyed… it’s a new yarn base I’m testing out before purchasing and thought a good, cream scarf would be super usable come the dark, mind-warping days of our Alaskan winters. He he he.
The pattern confused me as I was trying to turn it into a pattern in the round, instead of flat, like she showed. Here is what I’m doing to knit it in the round, in case you want to as well:
CO 252 (instead of 256 like the pattern says)
Rnd 1: K1, P1, K2, P3
Rnd 2: as written
Rnd 3: K1, P1, K3, P2
Rnd 4: as written
And there ya go! It’ll be poifect.
So I’m off to do some work and will keep you posted on this scarf and my future projects!
Let me know what you think of the sweater!!
I dearly LOVE blog comments so I’ll await your response…
Bye for now… We’ll talk SOON!
XOXOXO
Chandi
Love the sweater! It looks awesome.
Thank you sooooooo much for that change in stitches. I was going crazy with leftover stitches I gave up. Now I will begin again…woot woot!
I absolutely love the sweater. It’s a shame you “don’t feel comfortable” in it. Maybe because it’s sorta dress-up? You should wear it and be proud! <3
Love the sweater. I especially like the color and the very cool twisted ribbing. I think I will try it in my next ribbed project for fun.
Love the sweater and it looks great on you. Hope you wear it a lot!
You do such lovely, flawless yarnworks! The finished products are so beautiful!
The sweater looks gorgeous. I think part of the reason you don’t quite feel “at home” in it is because you made it a tight fit. Without the shawl collar, the tightness feels even more magnified. Have you tried blocking and pinning it to be just a wee bit larger?
Amazing!!! What more can be said!
You journeyed and conquered. Next!!
You did an amazing job with the cardigan – your tension is so even, I’m envious! 😛 Have fun with the Stockholm Scarf. It’s a lot of fun to knit, but eventually I got tired of adding more yarn to it… 🙂
You did an awesome job, love the color. If this sweater just isn’t you, maybe it would want to be a present for someone else. Christmas is just around the corner.
I love the modification you did to the collar. It rocks!! Beautiful color. You might wear it more during early spring. Although it’s a beautiful color, doesn’t look wintry. I love your pattern choices!
Love the sweater I’ll start mine soon and I’ll let you all know how I do. Then I will start on the Stockholm Scarf………..Thanks for sharing all with us Mary
Love the sweater, would opt for the shawl collar. The cable detail on the back sells the pattern. One thing to remember about any complicated pattern; you are building the fabric one row at a. Time. Put a sticky note one row above on the chart. That way your focus is on the row our working. Using stitch markers is always a good idea. Love the blue color. Want some of your yarn, but need to wait until I finish other projects.
Love the sweater, would opt for the shawl collar. The cable detail on the back sells the pattern. One thing to remember about any complicated pattern; you are building the fabric one row at a time. Put a sticky note on one row above the chart. That way your focus is on the row you are working. Using stitch markers is always a good idea. Love the blue color. Want some of your yarn, but need to wait until I finish other projects.
I think it is beautiful. Hope it grows on you as it is too beautiful to sit in a drawer.
The finished sweater is gorgeous! And you look wonderful in it. So, I hope you will happily wear it often!!
It’s beautiful, perhaps if you don’t plan on wearing it you could auction it and donate proceeds to a local charity. I love the new scarf you’re making, can’t wait to see it finished, it looks lovely and soft. I just completed my first crochet collar and I’m not sure if I’ll wear it either lol. 🙂
Lisa x
The sweater is gorgeous! I think the shawl collar would have been more you to wear with ur long skirts. Next time don’t try to rush to finish it. The color of the wool is sensational.
Love the changes to the sweater. Both the collar changes and lengthened sleeves appeal to me. The overall appeal of the sweater is its fit, but I am a looser fit and longer overall line gal.
I wonder if you can elucidate us on why you are not comfortable with the fit? I worry that when I begin to venture into knitting sweaters, that I will never be satisfied with them enough to wear them. I have a history of that from my sewing days. It is the perfectionist in me. Is there something specific in the pattern?
Thanks for all the honest responses.
Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful! Wold love to have this pattern? Is it available?
Keep up the super creativity!!! I think I might try the scarf in this blog. Thanks for all your ideas, Jo
PHENOMENAL!!
Hi Chandi,
Beautiful job, beautiful knitting, great yarn, changes are great. For me, I am interested in trying it with the original collar but this is PERFECT for you!
Jo
Love the sweater, it’s beautiful! If you decide not to wear it let me know, and you can ship it to me lol.
Loveeeee the sweater Chandi!! Looks beautiful!! Hope u decide to wear it!!:))
Way to go. The sweater looks GREAT! Good job on the cables on the back. And the color was a very good choice. You did a good job making this. Nice tension control through out the project.
Love it. Cheryl
Chandigarh, LOVE your sweater. I’ll have to put it on my wish list. Gorgeous color and it looks lovely on you.
Please excuse my fat finger typing right after your name. It seems to happen more than I like with the iPad. If you just pass close to a letter it plugs it into the text. My apologies.
That sweater is so beautiful! Those cables are fierce. That is a sweater that deserves to see the world. Too pretty to be stuck in a closet. I like that you went with such a light yarn, you can see the detail in the pattern so much better than when it was the grey. Loving the new fall colors.
Love, Love, Love !