I wanted to take a second to thank you for your warm comments on my announcement about my upcoming first pattern release. It’s pretty exciting! I really appreciate all the support, it means a lot to me. I was so happy to finally share the news with you! ♥
In other knitting-related news, today I’m sharing my latest finished project. I’m in love with it!
The pattern is called Hedy Tyrolean-Pattern Cardigan (Ravelry link). It’s a modern rewrite of a vintage pattern from the book Knit Vintage by Madeline Weston and Rita Taylor. There are several delightful patterns in this book.
The styling in the book is admittedly a little funny. It’s kind of a cross between shabby chic and a French provincial estate meets 1980s television dramas like Dynasty. But if you look past that, you’ll find several lovely patterns. Including Hedy, who I’ve fallen in love with.
I do not love working intarsia, although I knew that going in but couldn’t resist, since I bought the book specifically for this pattern. The intarsia panels are the reason that I knit about three-quarters of this cardigan in the spring and couldn’t bring myself to finish the second front panel until August, when that’s all I had left to do! Seriously, just 3 flower motifs on the left front, and the button bands was all I had to finish up.
I don’t usually knit sleeves first but in this case I wanted to get all the painfully boring knitting out of the way. To follow with the intarsia, which was painful in its own way.
I know it looks like I matched my nail polish to my sweater but they’re totally different blues in person. Secret’s out!
The color of the cardigan in the book is light green, with pink and purple flower motifs. I knew right off the bat that was totally not me, so I changed it up to a cream heather background with red and blue flowers. I used KnitPicks Palette which isn’t the most exciting yarn on the planet but is inexpensive and comes in a dizzying array of colors.
I couldn’t be happier with the flowers! They pop off the cardigan, and with it featuring greens, blue and red, it should match a lot of what I wear.
The buttons I used are forest green vintage ones from my stash with a cute little swirl pattern on the outer rim. I bound off three stitches for the buttonholes instead of two as the pattern called for, since my buttons were bigger. The button bands are sewn on after in a typical 1940s style. For sheer curiosity’s sake, I keep looking for older knitting patterns with a picked up button band along the edge like most modern patterns call for, but haven’t encountered one yet. You usually see bands (sometimes called strapping) in this style or crocheted on afterwards.
I’m about to start on a cardigan for which I’ve decided to knit the button bands on at the same time. It will result in the same look but with no seaming. However, it takes a lot more specific planning about where the buttonholes will go, so you don’t end up at the neckline with two buttons needing to be crammed closer together than you wanted. (Anyone interested in a how-to on that?)
I really didn’t change much except the gauge, but I admit that since most of this was knit months and months ago, I don’t remember everything I did! I think because of my gauge change I recalculated the shaping of the sleeve cap, but that’s all I really recall, other than omitting the seed stitch on the yoke. I think I mostly knit this as written.
I am sooo pleased to have this cardigan off my knitting needles just in time for fall. I can see myself wearing this all the time!
Outfit details
cardigan – made by me (Ravelry link to pattern)
skirt – made by me
boots – Hunter wellies
What’s your latest knit??
This is the dreamiest cardigan I’ve ever seen. Delicious!
I love this so much! I have this book and I must admit the cardigan didn’t appeal to me because of the way it has been styled, but your version has made me change my mind. I haven’t done intarsia since I was young, but this cardi may well persuade me to have a go again.
That cardigan is crazy beautiful! I’m sitting here with my mouth open, so beautiful! I’ve avoided intarsia till now, but I want a cardigan like yours. Really really awesome!
Wow, this is gorgeous! Totally worth all the time and effort you put into it– it’s absolutely lovely!
Your creations blow my mind! This is fabulous. It seems to take me years to finish a sweater.
This is so gorgeous, I’m in love with it! Also very jealous because my knitting skills aren’t sophisticated enough just yet to knit a pattern like that. I’m sticking with plain things until I’ve improved a bit more.
You’ve done a beautiful job on your cardigan – I love your colour choice. I’ve knitted this cardi too but with the short sleeves as in the book. I ommited the design at the front and swiss darned my own flower design as intarsia was making me squeam! 😉 I really want to try this again though after seeing your version. Were the long sleeves on Ravelry? Or did you change the pattern yourself?
Just for info, I’ve knitted the ‘Wallis’ cardigan in the same book. I love it! But there were some problems with the pattern…
I guess I didn’t even remember the pattern in the book has those kind of not-quite-short but not-quite-three-quarter sleeves. I just did them myself since I had recalculated the gauge slightly anyway. 🙂
Gorgeous as always!! You are helping motivate me to finish my first cardigan….Only about FOUR MONTHS in the making so far!! :^)
I love it! It’s beautiful, but that’s so much intarsia! I can see why you needed a break from it.
Thanks Andi! Yes, it will probably be a loooooong time before I knit that much intarsia again.
I think it looks quite lovely 🙂 And I agree- knit picks palette DOES have a fabulous array of colours 😀
Wow this is beautiful! You are so talented!!
The cardigan is gorgeous! I have just taken up a UFO knit that has been in the pile for 2 years. This was just the inspiration I needed 🙂
Gorgeous! This was one of the main patterns to draw my eye in this book. It’s really great to see it on a “real” person! I love your color choices.
I CAN’T believe you knit this!! I just knit my first hat in baby size and was so proud of myself. This is incredible!
It’s GORGEOUS! Your photographs turned out beautifully! I’m glad that you took some detail shots so I can better exam your work! It’s lovely!
Oh gosh you could totally have asked me to examine it close up on Sunday, I would not have minded. lol So glad to have finally bet you btw! 🙂
This is a gorgeous cardigan! I’m right there with you when it comes to intarsia knitting. I’m much more of a Fair Isle sort of girl, which is why I’m working on a Fair Isle knit tam.
You seriously blow me away with everything you knit!!!!
Oh I love this cardigan! It’s so nice to see a finished knitwork from you! I think it has been a while, or I just missed it.
Such a cute sweater and congrats on the upcoming release. Can’t wait to see it!
Absolutely beautiful cardigan. You truly have amazing and extensive knitting talents!
Really lovely Tasha. I’m looking forward to your pattern, will you be doing a knit-a-long?
This is such a classic, completely lovely sweater. The gentle oatmeal backdrop makes the vivid, classic flowers pop all the more. Terrific colour palette, button choice, and styling, dear Tasha. You look entirely marvelous!
♥ Jessica
I can’t even fathom making something like this! I look at knitting how-tos and just making a basic row for a scarf is completely beyond me. This is lovely.
This cardigan is absolutely beautiful. I love the colours, they’re gorgeously bright but still wearable.
I wanted to let you know you’re the inspiration for my decision to learn to knit. I’ve recently fallen in love with cardigans and vintage style, and knowing you have a pattern coming out I decided I’d learn. My mum recently (in the last two years) started knitting again, and when she’s back from holiday at the end of the week she’s going to start teaching me. Probably not a cardigan straight away, but something that’ll teach me the things I need to know.
(And even if your pattern isn’t a cardigan I am still going to make it!)
Heather, that’s one of the sweetest comments I’ve ever received, thank you so much! ♥ Good luck on your upcoming knititng journey! It may take some time to get the hang of it, but it will be so worth it in the end. 🙂
Gah! This looks so fantastic and so much better than in the book! The colours suit you so well 🙂
Ohhh….I LOVE this. So adorable.
SO GORGEOUS! This is truly a perfect cardigan. You did a wonderful job!
xoxo,
Tina
Oh this is simply gorgeous! I have immediately added it to my Ravelry favourites for a future project…just need to finish off a mountain of others first 🙂 x
Jo | adventuresandteaparties.blogspot.co.uk
This is just lovely! I’m adding this to my Ravelry favourites, for when I’ve plucked up the courage to try out instarsia.
Wow!! I love your cardy. The colours look fabulous. I have this book too and absolutely love this pattern although I haven’t knitted it yet because I can’t decide what colours to use.
It’s so pretty. I love how the design looks classic yet really different from anything else I’ve seen. If I ever get the time to pick up more knitting I should check out the pattern designers. I told myself that first I would finish the sweater I started 8 years ago!
That is really lovely! The colours you’ve picked are fab.
I was thinking of knitting the same cardigan… I’d better go and find a different pattern, mine would never look that good!
Oh say nothing of the kind, you should definitely knit it! 🙂
This is pure amazingness!!!
Your cardi turned out stunning!!! It brings back the spirit to finish my own cardi. At the moment I am struggling with the intarsia which I kept for last. Now I see how lovely the cardi can be I will pick up the needles again! So thanks for the inspiration! 😉 I am curious at your next knitting project??
Love from Holland! GonnieMarie
wow, it looks amazing! You have so much patience to make cardigans and jumpers in such thin yarn!
Gorgeous! Love the whole outfit. I’m always impressed by your knitting!
My goodness! It’s beautiful!! Your so generous with information on all your projects, thank you. It’s because of your gorgeous knitting that inspires me to try it. I can only hope create equally as pretty things! 😉
Love this! I just recently saw this pattern in the book and have been meaning to put it in my queue. Yours turned out so great!
I’ve been following your blog for quite awhile but almost never comment. I am excited that you are starting to design your own knit patterns! I’d be happy to test knit. 🙂
Thanks so much Jill, I may take you up on that some day! 😉
I could have sworn I commented on this post already… Anyways, you are absolutely brilliant at knitting and you inspire me so much with your skill. I wish I had like, 1/28th of your knitting talent. I also love how you put together outfits. Sooooo cuteeee!!!
Oh my, you make me wanna learn knitting very bad. Thats so awesome!
Your cardigan is gorgeous. It is beautifully done. I am always put off intarsia but really must face my fear! Perhaps you could do a post on how to get started with intarsia?
Beautiful! I absolutely love how vibrant the flowers are.
I have to say that I ordered the book so I could have the pattern, it came today and I had to go through it a couple of times before I realized which one it was! I know that is a talented I lack, being able to see a silk purse out of a pigs ear. I wouldn’t have knit the one in the book for anything, but there are some beautiful patterns in there.
This looks beautiful! I’m going to see if I can grab some of the sublime yarn from work for this beauty! 😀
I’m knitting this right now, cannot wait until it’s finished! Your colour choices are perfect, I can’t find any that match really well, hopefully I’ll find some soon!
I bought the US version of this book specifically for this pattern and they left out the neck ribbing instructions. I will have to muddle through it because I can’t seem to find the errata for it. Yours looks so lovely, I’m willing to suffer through it!