Hi everyone, I’m back home! I have massive catching up to do on my feed reader. My, how everyone’s been posting like a maniac!
We had a lovely, albeit somewhat brief, trip to my mom’s outside of Washington, D.C. I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet up with any D.C. bloggers, however with Thanksgiving and a family party, and my best friend from college visiting too for part of the trip, time was very limited.
Just before we left for our trip, I finished up my latest sweater! I’m over the moon about it. The pattern is Bestway B2637, called Fair Isle Cardigan. You can purchase the .pdf here, and find it on Ravelry here. I don’t have an exact date, but the pattern is from the 1940s.
You can see I didn’t stray very far from the original pattern colors. I liked the color scheme so well I didn’t see a need to go in a different direction. Lately I’ve been more inclined to do that with vintage colorwork patterns, because I like the original so much.
While I kept the color scheme about the same, I made a few other changes. The first change was gauge. The pattern was knit at 9 stitches per inch in fingering weight yarn. As someone who loves vintage styles, I knit a lot with fingering weight. However 9 stitches an inch is generally a bit more dense than I like to knit sweaters. I prefer to knit fingering weight on somewhere between 7 to 8 stitches per inch for a sweater, obviously depending upon the yarn and pattern. So this pattern I knit at 7.5 spi, though in the end I blocked it closer to 7 spi.
Changing the gauge as I did, I also had to tweak the sizing a bit. The final width around the bust is 1″ larger than my full bust. While it looks like there is shaping to the body, there isn’t. The ribbing is knit on about 10% fewer stitches than the body, then in the first body row I increased to the full number of stitches that was knit with all the way up to the bust.
(Oh yes, here’s the new haircut too! Only this isn’t representative of how it looks after a fresh set, but is how it looks the day after if I don’t put rollers back in at night, except for my bangs. So they are much softer curls.)
The complicating factor about changing the sizing of an allover colorwork pattern is making sure the colorwork lines up the way you’d like it to. That took a little bit of doing. I started by charting out the pattern, so I knew it was 16 stitches across for one pattern repeat. I decided where I wanted the center stitch across the back to be, and worked around to the front from there.
I knit this with a combination of yarns. Mostly St-Denis Boreale, with a bit of Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift and KnitPicks Palette. I knew the Shetland yarn was stickier than the other two, but it was just the right gold I was looking for and all the yarns played well together.
Because I changed the sizing in the pattern, I had to change the sleeve cap. I wanted the rows of the pattern to match up from the sleeve to the shoulder, so I had to make sure the sleeve cap was two things: 1) exactly the same number of rows as the upper body of the sweater (from armhole to shoulder shaping), and 2) started at exactly the same row on the chart as on the body after the armholes. The excess ease could not be worked in along the pattern, otherwise it would throw off the row-to-row seaming. So I gathered the sleeve caps at the top when setting in the sleeves, which I did with mattress stitch.
The chart doesn’t flow from the sleeve to the body (even I’m not that anal!), but the rows line up quite nicely. The gathered cap works great with this style, too.
This project was steeked. A steek is a bridge of extra stitches knit where you would like an opening to be. You later cut through the steek, leaving the opening. One major benefit of steeks when used in stranded knitting is not having to slow down to purl in a stranded pattern, as well as being able to cut away all loose ends so you don’t have to weave them in.
In the body of this sweater, the front of the cardigan and the armholes were steeked. I also knit the two sleeves together separated by steeks for the length of the sleeves, then for the sleeve caps. Once they were cut, I seamed up the sleeve seams. I could have knit them separately, but it ensured they were perfectly matched and I didn’t have to weave in any ends.
I reinforced the steeks with sturdy hand stitches prior to cutting. This wasn’t really necessary with the wool I was using, as it’s grabby enough not to ravel, however it leaves a very neat and tidy edge inside. I didn’t even bother to tack down my steeks. (Incidentally, these are all topics I’ll cover in the long term in Colorwork: 101! But I’ll be writing up more posts about basics, first. I did post a number of photos with explanations on my Ravelry project page, if you’d like to see more.)
The lumpy bits you see at the top of the shoulder in the below photo is from the end of the sleeve cap steek and the gathering of the top of the cap. This actually worked a little bit like sewing in a shoulder pad, so I didn’t need to make any!
I’m just in love with this cardigan. The fit is perfect and I love the design and colors. I’ve worn it several times since I finished it, and I only finished it last Monday. Even though I have a million other projects planned, it makes me want to run right out and knit one just like it, but with another colorwork chart. I had a couple of people yesterday on Ravelry say it reminded them of the 1940s Shetland fair isle cardigan that knitwear designer Kate Davies posted about on her blog, which is a huge compliment to me.
I hope my sweater looks as good in 70 years as a real hand-knit one from the 1940s does now!
Oh, Tasha is amazing what you can achieve, this cardigan is really nice ….. I love the detail of the sleeve ….. I’m glad to see often in your posts I made the skirt Pinafore.
It’s amazing! I love the colors you’ve chosen for it; I bet it would match with nearly everything in one’s closet.
I can’t believe how fast you’re able to knit such intricate patterns; I’m completely blown away.
Lovely indeed! I really love the colors and pattern of this one. It really does look like an original. I love your new hair cut as well. The set is adorable.
Wow- Tasha, that REALLY came out very nicely! You are right about the colours too- fabulous! It will certainly brighten up any cold day you wear it for 🙂
How much yarn did it eventually take you?
wow. the cardigan is sooo beautiful.
Truly impressive work. Beautiful.
Just Beautiful!! Great Job!
I have trouble knitting even one stitch, so I am in awe of you and your sweater! 🙂
You did an amazing job, Tasha! It is absolutely gorgeous!
Perfect! Congratulations!
Tasha, this is gorgeous! What a great piece to have in your wardrobe – I am sure you will continue to be proud of it for years to come.
that is GORGEOUS! i don’t even have anything else to say… i’m just in awe over here 🙂
Holy. Awesomesauce. This is amazing! I bow to your mad knitting skills, I really do. I just started knitting and the idea of making any kind of sweater at all fills me with glee/terror. This is unbearably impressive and so beautiful! Well done.
*Falls over* Amazing knit work!
your knitting is always so inspiring! the colours are wonderful together.
It’s beautiful! I love how cheerful the colors are and the modifications you made are quite impressive. It’s definitely a FO to be proud of.
Waouhhhh!!!!! Amazing, what a great work!!!!
WOW! Your cardi is gorgeous!!! I’m so impressed with your speed, too.
Oh god this is to die for. Do you sell these? Because I would buy one instantly. I want to learn to knit but I don’t think I’d ever be able to do this. Seriously so beautiful.
Tasha, this is absolutely stunning. The colors are amazing, the style is beautiful, just gorgeous!
You are so clever that looks gorgeous! If it’s any consolation I haven’t blogged like a demon, in fact I haven’t blogged eek!
Tasha, this is just amazing! You’re so clever to be able to knit something so beautiful and NEAT 🙂 Definitely an heirloom.
Wow, that is so beautiful. I am so in love with this.
You lovely, inspirational clever clogs!!! This is, seriously, the BEST home made thing I think I have EVER seen.
OH-MY-GOODNESS! That cardi looks so lovely. I wish I had the same patience than you do. I have been dreaming to knit 30’s or 40’s style cardigan (not to mention the wool-silk knitted cami knickers for winter I’m also dreaming about) but I have trouble even finishing smaller knitting projects that I got in-the-making.
Auuuugh! You make it looks so easy! Truly gorgeous pattern and I think you were right to keep the colors, they ‘re so cute! Plus I love the little gathered caps at the shoulders.
Great work.
Bowing deeply… 🙂
I am speechless! This is absolutely amazing!!! I love the colors and style. It’s hard to believe someone can knit this by hand.
It is so pretty, beautifully finished and fits so well. All the work you took to chart the pattern paid off, it is perfect! 🙂
The cardigan looks amazing!
I also love that you knitted the sleeves together – I have been wanting to knit a stranded cardigan and it looks like such a clever way to do it.
What an amazing knit! I love it. And you look so pretty in it, the colors are great for you.
Oh my!! That cardigan truly is fantastic. Your’e such an amazing knitter! Wonderful and truly beautiful cardi. I understand that you wear it a lot!
Oh my you are so talented, just love the cardigan only wish i could knit like you, maybe one day….
Wow – you are an exceptionally talented lady!
Oh lordy lordy – that’s a fabulous cardigan! Love it!
That is so beautiful.I can’t quit looking at it.The detail is amazing.And I just adore the shoulders.great job.xx
Oh it turned out fantastic, Tasha! I love that you kept the original color scheme, and the mods you used turned out perfectly. I can’t wait to learn how to do that in the course! =D
Wow it looks amazing!! It takes colour work to another level! You have made it so well and put it together beautifully. I love the shoulders. I’ve never heard of the steek thing before. Can you please check out my colourwork, its a few posts down in my blog but I would love to know what you think!! Your hair looks gorgeous too!! XxxX http://thesecondhandrose.blogspot.com/
This is beautiful !! I am really impressed ! 🙂
I am in utter awe, what a beautiful, beautiful cardigan. You are too clever for words!
Fabulosity!
Everything I could say here, has already been said by others, so I cannot add anything creative here. I am very very impressed by your knitting skills (again) and I’ll have to practise stranded knitting A LOT if I ever want to come close to your league.
You can checkout my first pathetic attempt at stranded knitting where I am trying to apply all your tipps in my Ravelry project (http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Couturette/1940s-style-sweater). I will make steeks for the armholes too since stranded purling just ist too awkward.
Oh gosh, it’s so beautiful! Wow. One of my goals next year is to finally challenge myself with my knitting, instead of just knitting very plain things – even if it’s just starting with knitting up swatches of things that are more complicated. Your knitting is definitely a big inspiration for that goal!
-Andi x
My goodness. I’m speechless!!! It’s gorgeous, Tasha! I love that you kept a similar color scheme to the original; it really pops. Now I really need to get my ducks in a row and give multi-colored knitting a whirl! 😉
Wow it’s so beautiful! What a great job 🙂
that sweater is just gorgeous!! i love the colors and you did an amazing job.
Wow, just wow! How long did it take you to finish this?
So fab! Neat that you did steeks for shaped garment. Always wanted to do it. My one attempt at vintage snowflake sweaters (from Nomis Snowtime Sweaters) was a failure because of having to purl back. But I never wanted to do the shapeless drop-shoulder look exclusively.
This is jaw-dropping gorgeous! This just looks so dreamy on you…your craftswomanship is incredible!
This is a well-polished and well-made piece. Fantastic work!
Ok this sweater is fly!
I’m a 40’s vintage lover also and recently learned how to sew which makes building a wardrobe a lot easier.
This sweater; I want one, want to make one, gotta have one.
I don’t know how to knit (other than a basic stitch) so I know something like this outta my league. And I’ve been searching for that exact silhouette, rockin puffin sleeve and all, but everything is too cheap or too pricey.
How did you learn to knit like that Tasha?