Featherweight Cardigan

Now that I have a little more time on my hands, I've been partnering with Miss Babs to knit samples, work shows, and hopefully come up with new ideas. Here's one of the samples I've knit for her booth.

We were looking for a simple, straightforward garment to show off the qualities of the yarn and ended up with Hannah Fettig's Featherweight Cardigan. The original sweater was knit in Malabrigo Lace, which is oh-so-soft but frankly not very durable.

I was the first person to get to knit a sweater with her new Northumbria fingering weight yarn. It's 100% Blue-faced Leicester wool, which means it's smooth and strong while still being soft and a little silky. Let me just say I love this yarn for garments! It's lightweight and I'm sure it will wear really well. The colors are also incredibly vibrant (this color is called Aubergine, if you like it).

Featherweight Cardi

Here I am. I knit the 40" size, even though I'm closer to a 36" bust, for two reasons. My gauge was off - the pattern calls for a size 6, but I liked the fabric I got better on a 5. Since I was using a smaller needle, the 36" sweater would have come out too small, and I like a little positive ease in my sweaters. I don't think anyone looks good in a skin-tight sweater! So the finished sweater ended up being about 38" - perfect for me. I also lengthened it by a lot, because I don't care for cropped sweaters. It's a top-down knit, so this is a very easy modification. Just keep knitting.

Featherweight Cardi

I visit the sweater and wear it any time I work a show with Babs... but I think it's time for me to make one that I'll get to keep. It's a lot of mindless knitting, so here's hoping we don't run out of James Bond movies and soccer matches to watch.

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