I’m not one to set New Year’s Resolutions. Just the word resolve has such a challenging tone to it. However, I’m all about goals, lists and project planning. There’s just something so satisfying about writing down a list of goals and checking them off as I complete them.
The beginning of the year brings the opportunity to work on projects that were set aside in the rush of holiday knitting and for me that means sweaters! I recently joined this group IntSweMoDo2011 on Ravelry. Everyone in this group has the same goal – to knit or crochet12 adult sized sweaters in 12 months. What I really love about this group is everyone is so supportive of each other. It’s not a really big deal if you don’t complete all 12, it’s really that the group is united in one common goal.
So, here’s my first sweater of the year:
This is Greenfield Cardigan from the wonderful book New England Knits. There are so many great projects in this book, I had a really hard time deciding which one to knit first. This simple cardigan won out mostly because it was well, simple. I love the classic style with the pretty leaf detail at the bottom hem. The yarn is Cascade Pure Alpaca in Ranier Heather. While this pattern calls for a DK weight yarn, I got gauge with this worsted weight. Plus, because 100% alpaca has a lot of drape, knitting it on slightly smaller than called for needles helps it keep its shape.
I made just a couple tiny modifications. I started the waist shaping about 2 inches lower than the pattern called for because I didn’t want the decreases to start right in the bust area. Also, I slipped the first stitch on each row of the body. I did this because I think it’s easier to pick up stitches from a slip stitched edge, especially with garter stitch.
I’m very happy with the way this sweater turned out and I’m sure I’ll wear it a lot now that we are finally getting winter weather here in the Denver area.
If you’re ready to get started on your own big projects, all worsted weight yarns are still 25% off through the month of January at Doodlebugyarn.com and all orders placed between 1/17/11 and 1/24/11 are eligible for a drawing for a $100 gift certificate! That would be a great way to stock up for your next sweater project or whatever you feel like knitting or crocheting.
Happy knitting!
Gayla
