Sometimes, the hardest part of a project is to keep myself from casting on before I think through how I want to finish it. Some decisions made in the excitement of new yarn! new pattern! can’t be “undecided” later. I finally just started a long cardigan that I’ve wanted to make since I first saw it. Because some of our readers wanted more “in progress” photographs and information, I thought I would walk you through some of the decisions I made before I cast on and then update you on other choices as I progress.
The cardigan is Milkweed, designed by Carol Sunday of Sunday Knits. I loved its length, the dramatic “milkweed” cables, and its vintage look. Carol has designed many beautiful sweaters that are in my mental queue.
I didn’t have any yarn in my stash screaming to be used, so I bought the yarn from Sunday Knits as well. I chose her Angelic 5-ply, a nice blend of merino and angora in the colorway “Bone.” It’s a “natural” color, with the barest hint of a gray undertone. Lovely. It came beautifully wrapped in tissue with a lightweight tote. Even better!
Two decisions were made off the bat:
1. I decided to knit the body of the cardigan in one piece to the armhole. (The pattern has you knit the back and fronts separately, as many patterns do.) On one hand, I knew it would make the knitting feel “slow” even though it’s the same amount of knitting in the end. My reason for doing it this way was aesthetic: I don’t think that seams in seed stitch ever look perfect — at least mine don’t. Even though it’s a short little 2 inches of seed stitch at the bottom, I prefer the continuity all around the bottom.
2. As you can see in the picture of the cardigan itself, the bottom of each front piece is angled or slightly curved. I chose to square my fronts off. That meant I had to figure out ahead of time exactly how many front stitches I was supposed to end up with and where the cables were placed. Not hard, obviously, but just one more thing to do before casting on.
So, I was good to go, except I had to choose which cast on I wanted to use because they all look slightly different flowing into different stitches. I swatched a little bit, and then settled on a cable cast on, with the “wrong” side of the cable cast on being on the right side of my cardigan. Finally, I made one other small decision. It may not be evident in the cardigan photo above, but the small cables within the milkweed design alternate in how they cross. I kept that alternating, but started one of my front milkweed charts in a different place so that the cable crossings on each front mirror each other. (They both either twist away from the center or towards the center.)
Are you beginning to wonder whether I think too much? Here are a few progress photos. This is unblocked, raw knitting still scrunched on the needles, but I think it’s turning out. I can’t wait to get to the shawl collar!
The left front
The back
Finally, let me share a little touch of spring. We have a beautiful cherry tree in our front yard and when the petals fall the yard is carpeted in pink “bunny snow.” This year, Thor the Wonder Puppy (our aged but beloved golden retriever) was rolling in the grass when he was hit by a sudden petal blizzard. The result was an overload of cuteness.
Your Milkweed is going to be beautiful, and your pup is totally adorable. Overload of cuteness, indeed!
Comment by joanna — April 15, 2012 @ 6:41 pm
Well, I was quite taken with your sweater but then I saw the dog and — what sweater was that you were knitting? That picture is FABULOUS — you really should submit it somewhere — too, too, cute!
Comment by Wool Free and Lovin Knit — April 15, 2012 @ 7:23 pm
Oh, oh, oh!!! I am struck dead by the cuteness of Thor the Wonder Puppy covered in bunny snow!
Comment by janna — April 15, 2012 @ 8:29 pm
Thor is so adorable! I’m in love!
Your sweater is gorgeous – enjoy the process. I’m intrigued with all of your pre-knitting decisions.
Comment by Barb — April 15, 2012 @ 9:43 pm
What a lovely sweater! Carol Sunday’s designs are beautiful. As for the pup. . . So.Cute.
Comment by Kym — April 16, 2012 @ 6:28 am
wow, your (both of you) stuff impresses, but this one really does – more than usual anyway 🙂
Comment by Janetcc — April 16, 2012 @ 10:02 am
LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! the picture of Thor the wonder pup! And the sweater is a beautiful pick.
Comment by Sara — April 16, 2012 @ 11:12 am
Agree with all above. That last picture is priceless, just love the wonder pup. What a wearable garment you are creating, beautiful job.
Comment by Joan — April 16, 2012 @ 12:50 pm
The fabulous-ness of your sweater and yarn choices and the cute-ness factor of your dog photo have raised the bar to a new level that will be difficult to surpass in future posts! LOVE the Sunday Knits yarn!
Comment by Ann — April 16, 2012 @ 5:08 pm
Love the sweater, LOVE the pup picture!!!!!
Comment by Ruth — April 16, 2012 @ 7:34 pm
Beautiful project is the Milkweed by Carol Sunday ! and so cute is your dog dressed by all those cherry tree petals !!!
Comment by lo de lille — April 17, 2012 @ 5:39 am
Your sweater is going to be beautiful. I have had that same pattern in my queue for some time but I have been afraid to start it. I’ll enjoy your progress. Thor the dog is as cute as can be but not quite as cute as Thor my grandson 😉
Comment by rebecca — April 17, 2012 @ 10:19 am
Awww, Thor….
Comment by Marsha — April 17, 2012 @ 8:14 pm
Such a cute puppy in the petals, and I love that sweater. Thanks for the details on how you’re constructing it. So glad I found your site.
Comment by Reyna — April 17, 2012 @ 11:46 pm
Lovely sweater! Magnificent, perfect dog.
Comment by Catherine S. — April 18, 2012 @ 9:37 pm
Wow! Thanks so much for the lovely mention. And because of it, I’ve just discovered your blog and added it to my must read list!
Comment by Carol Sunday — April 20, 2012 @ 12:08 pm
hey ladies,
my mom is knitting the milkweed sweater and we bought the pattern online from sunday knits but my mom has not used this type of chart before. she is used to the british charts I guess. She is having difficulty with the 48 row repeat for the back and front. did you use the chart as such or did you somehow convert it? Do you by any chance have a written instructions for each row?
My mom is not understanding p+3/3 RC for example and the way the cables twist. She has done a great deal of knitting but unable to interpret these instructions very well. any suggestions?
thx
kiren
Comment by kiren — April 3, 2016 @ 4:18 pm