I am so excited about this project, as anyone who follows me on Instagram or Facebook already knows (sorry for the picture overload). I've been knitting for two or three years now, but just haven't really advanced beyond the basic knit and purl stitches, and have only used those to make scarves--basically long rectangles. This year I've set a goal to improve my knitting skills by making more advanced projects that will force me to learn new techniques and stitch combinations. Also, I've been dying to try my hand at making a sweater, and thought that a baby cardigan would be a good place to start. I hope to eventually work my way up to make myself a sweater. :)
I searched for weeks and weeks to find the perfect pattern...one that I could read and understand the instructions, and one that I liked. I found the Gidday Baby Sweater pattern on ravelry, and immediately fell in love with it. I read through the instructions and I could understand them even though there were a lot of things I'd never tried before, including yarn overs, ssk (slip, slip, knit), alternating colors, kfab (knit front and back), casting off purlwise, etc.
I've built up quite the little stash of yarn over the last year or so, and was able to select the perfect yarn from what I already had. I chose a blue for the main color and white for the accent.
I was a little nervous to start but also excited. After watching a few YouTube videos to learn the stitches and techniques that I'd never done before, I just jumped in. By the way, isn't the internet SO amazing. Tutorials on almost any skill you want to learn can be found with a simple search. I love it!
I used a new cast on technique--the cable cast on. I like it so much better than the method I've been using, and think it's going to be my new go-to cast on method. After just a few rows, the sweater's yoke started to take shape.
I searched for weeks and weeks to find the perfect pattern...one that I could read and understand the instructions, and one that I liked. I found the Gidday Baby Sweater pattern on ravelry, and immediately fell in love with it. I read through the instructions and I could understand them even though there were a lot of things I'd never tried before, including yarn overs, ssk (slip, slip, knit), alternating colors, kfab (knit front and back), casting off purlwise, etc.
I've built up quite the little stash of yarn over the last year or so, and was able to select the perfect yarn from what I already had. I chose a blue for the main color and white for the accent.
I was a little nervous to start but also excited. After watching a few YouTube videos to learn the stitches and techniques that I'd never done before, I just jumped in. By the way, isn't the internet SO amazing. Tutorials on almost any skill you want to learn can be found with a simple search. I love it!
I used a new cast on technique--the cable cast on. I like it so much better than the method I've been using, and think it's going to be my new go-to cast on method. After just a few rows, the sweater's yoke started to take shape.
I was happy to find that switching colors and making button holes were both much easier than I initially thought. Since it was such a small sweater, it knit up really quick. The only thing I did wrong was accidentally use needles one size bigger than the pattern called for. I didn't realize it until I was finished with the striping rows on the yoke, and I didn't really want to start over so I just went with it.
Creating the armholes was very simple as well and in the span of one row, my circular yoke transformed into the top of a sweater. It was almost like magic!
Knitting the body up in stockinette stitch was super simple, and with each new row I fell more in love with this project. I was so happy with how great it was turning out.
Picking up stitches for the sleeves was probably the most difficult part, but even that wasn't horribly hard. Once I figured out the spacing, it was a snap. I used double-pointed needles on the sleeves because they were such small diameter, and that wasn't even as tricky as I thought. I think the hardest part of the whole project was keeping track when counting my rows. They aren't quite as easy to identify for me as the rows in crochet, but I got a lot better at it during this project. It's still just easier for me to count rows as I'm knitting and remember that count, than to go back and recount the rows I finished.
After a couple of extremely busy weeks, where I had no time at all for knitting, I was able to sit down and finish the last sleeve one afternoon. I was so excited (and relieved) when my counting and measuring worked out and both sleeves ended up being the same length. I was worried about losing count and ending up with one sleeve longer or bigger round that the other. Haha! I sewed on a couple buttons, and viola, a complete baby cardigan.
Even with the larger needle size, I think the proportions came out right...at least I think it looks fine. My finished sweater was intended for a 3-6 month old baby, but with the slightly larger needles it may fit a slightly older baby better. I don't have a baby handy to try it on. :)
All in all, it was a success, and I'm just in love with it. As with any crochet or knit project that I finish, now that it's done, I feel a little lost. It's exactly like that feeling you get after you finish a really amazing book...you wish it hadn't ended quite so soon. I'm searching for my next project, while still feeling proud/wanting to show off my last one.
This is so nice
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