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Monday 27 February 2012

Cutest Cardy

My latest love is this pattern.  It's seamless, it's all in one, it's top down, it's done on circulars and it's done with aran yarn, which all adds up to a super quick and easy cute little cardigan for a special girl in your life.  I bought the pattern to make up a cardigan for my little niece's first birthday.  I'm probably by now notorious for not finishing projects and presents on time.  But I think, as I'm going to the extra effort to make something special, and a lot of my time and love does go into these things, then people should cut me a bit of slack, and, luckily, they do.  As usual I wasn't on track to finish this present on time, but I wanted to be as close as possible.  Then, the evening before her birthday I was knitting away when I had a dawning realisation that I was actually in sight of the finish, that I was nearly done, that this present would be finished in time to give to her on the actual birthday it was intended for.  I was elated.  I held it up to admire my work, to confirm that I was just a few short rows away from being done.  My eye glanced over the detail.  Then glanced back.  I brought it closer for a better look.  My fingers roamed over the knitted fabric.  No no no no no.  My brain revolted, refusing to acknowledge what my eye had found.  But, finally, it succumbed to the pain, the full realisation and implication sinking in.  I had dropped a stitch.  Not just a couple of rows down, no.  About a third of the way down from the top, just after the armholes, I had dropped a stitch.  The amount of times I had held it up, laid it out, checking my progress, seeing how it was coming along, and at no point had I seen this, this abomination.  I was gutted.  The smile evaporated from my face.  I had never done it before but I knew dropped stitches could be picked from a couple of rows down, but 20, 30, 40 rows down?  So I did the only thing a sane person does in this situation, I pulled it off the needles, and I ripped back to my downfall and put it back on the needles, then threw it in disgrace in the corner and refused to even look at it for a week or so.  Now whether it could have been salvaged I have no idea.  Should I have investigated first, taken a step back from my misery to seek a solution.  Probably.  But at the time, it seemed like my only option. 

You'll be glad to hear the story does has a happy ever after though.  After a suitable period of mourning, I picked it back up, and finished it.  It was a couple of weeks late, but who am I to question my obvious destiny.





Details:
Pattern: in threes: a baby cardigan by Kelly Herdrich from Ravelry
Needle: 5.0mm circulars (80cm)
Yarn: Robin Aran with Wool
Shade: 1084
Bought: Indoor Market, Gloucester
Price: £7.99 (400g)
Extras: 3 buttons also from indoor market, can't remember price
Total yarn used: approx 85g
Total price: £1.69 for yarn

I did the size 12-18 months, CO 58 using cable cast on.  I used the suspended cast off for the capped sleeves and for the final cast off.

I love it and will have an adult sized one please!



Peace Out x

6 comments:

karisma said...

Its gorgeous. I love patterns that work from the neck down. My only gripe is I sometimes am unsure of how many stitches to start with. This pattern reminds me of a longer sleeved version I knitted last year. Very easy and sweet. Love love love those buttons and the colour looks just perfect for a little girl.

Prettee Craftee said...

Hi there, I've just my 4th "in threes cardigan". Absolutely love the pattern. Love the colours you've used.
Celeste

The Craft Giraffe said...

Its beautiful, well worth all the work :)

Jackie said...

It's lovely! The colour is really pretty and the pink spotty buttons finish it off perfectly :O)

Jackie said...

Hi ~ Thanks for your lovely comments on my blog. The sock pattern that I used was Sox by King Cole which my mum got free when she purchased some sock yarn. It is listed on Ravelry but I'm not sure if it is still available. It came with the King Cole Zig Zag sock yarn :O)x

WS said...

It's beautiful! I'm sure the recipient (and her mum) loved it. I'll tell you a naughty secret... I've found dropped stitches in my knitting before, and if the mistake was not very obvious, I caught the dangling stitch with a short piece of yarn and secured it invisibly where it was... ;-)