Pattern: Featherweight Cardigan by Hannah Fetig, from Knitbot. My project page is here.
Size: 38.75″-ish
Yarn: Knit Picks Shadow Lace 2-ply laceweight, 100% Merino wool, in Foxtrot Heather, 24511; I used almost exactly 2 skeins, approximately 100 grams, 880 yards/ 804.7 meters.
Needles: Size 6 (4.00 mm)
Modifications: Used kf&b increases, worked 1×1 ribbing on the collar.
Started: July 31, 2015
Finished: September 16, 2015
I love the first Featherweight Cardigan that I made so much I knew I wanted another. I believed that by knitting a slightly smaller size, at a more open gauge, I would get basically the right size, but use only 2 skeins of laceweight yarn. I was flying blind and gambling on the yardage, but I’m delighted to find that I was right, and I’m quite pleased with how this one came out.
This type of sweater is exactly the reason I wanted to learn to knit in the first place. I am always looking for lightweight garments that can be worn over printed sundresses (my closet overflows with these) to cover my arms in the spring and summer. It is a combination of modesty and practicality: when I attend the opera, ballet, symphony, etc., the air conditioning inside is typically frigid, but it’s usually too warm outside to be comfortable in a jacket. I find that store-bought cover-ups or cropped cardigans tend to have critical flaws, such as too heavy a yarn, too busy a pattern, too frumpy a style, or sleeves that are really only a conceptual suggestion and don’t properly work the way I’d like as sleeves. I’m often left mystified about what to wear to complement all these pretty, colorful dresses that isn’t just another plain white or black cotton cardigan.
The open, fluttery gauge of this sweater kept the Merino yarn from being too warm even outdoors in the sunshine, but it was warm enough that I didn’t feel chilled indoors. I will admit that because the temperature on the day I took these photos was closer to 50° than 75° and it was unpredictably windy, I did bring a jacket and scarf, but I didn’t feel the need to wear either until the sun had set and I was walking home at night. A little cardigan that can comfortably span 20-30° or more is a real winner in my book.
I modified the pattern slightly by changing the collar and front to 1×1 ribbing, which I also did on my last Featherweight. Once I was happy with the length and the sleeves were complete, I basically knit for as much yarn as I had, and the length I ended at is spot-on. It is just long enough to cover the back of my neck if I am chilled, but because it is so lightweight, I found I could neatly fold it over like a shawl collar in the back as well. I had a much easier time picking up stitches for the neckline and managing the construction in general on this one, and I’m thrilled it looks tidy and clean overall.
I was so enthused upon the completion of this project last fall that I actually immediately cast on another, in pink, which I set aside once I got busy with an exciting new employment adventure (if you’re interested, you can read more about that here), and of course, winter knitting.
I really do need to get better about photographing my finished projects. I have a list of more than 30 things I’ve completed, and in some cases have been wearing for literally years, but it’s rare that I can get someone willing to take a photo. And it’s rarer still that what they take actually shows the knitting well or is flattering enough that I’d like to share it in public. So I’m going to play around with a tripod and a timer or a remote shutter release, to see if I can be a little more timely if I photograph finished projects on my own.
