Dear Diary,
Jesse: It was about time that I knitted something for Adam. I bought a pattern on Etsy for this reversible cardigan. Interestingly, I had knitted this pattern in a size for babies as well as for the 8" Hitty doll. I am well acquainted with it.
 |
| "I think red suits me!" |
For you knitters, I'll give the run-down details. This was knitted with a 5-ply knitting wool. Ordinarily, that size wouldn't be my choice because 5-ply is slow to knit with; extreme care and attention must be paid to avoid splitting the strands. I had a skein of this wool and I didn't want to waste it. I have several more skeins in different colours so there's more to come.
 |
| He's very handsome in these clothes. |
I used 2.75 mm needles for the ribbing and 3.50 mm needles for the body. These needles gave me the exact gauge (28 stitches/10 cm) in the final blocked garment. I did learn that I need new eye glasses, however!
 |
| Back to front view. |
The pattern has a couple of issues which I want to point out. They are not errors but funny things that I think could be improved. I contacted the author to enquire about them but, based on her reply, I'd say she's not one to think outside the box. I'll just point them out here. My experience with the pattern gave me the knowledge to evaluate it critically as I went along. And, I'm not a novice knitter. First, there are no buttonholes in the pattern. At the end, it recommends using snaps under the buttons. I disagree with this as button holes are easy to make and add a level of sophistication to the garment; in other words, it's not a plaything but a serious piece of clothing. Unfortunately, I didn't notice that the button holes were missing until I was half-way through knitting. Next time I'll add them in. But, I did not use snaps as I can still button it if necessary. Second, the pattern calls to knit the sleeves before the body (remember, this is knitted in one piece). Trying to knit the sleeves after the body has pulled together would be very difficult. The versions of this pattern I've seen and used in the past call for the sleeves to be worked first and then the body. This is how I did it and I know it made it easier.
You might be able to see that I did an invisible rib bind-off which gives a fantastic finish to a ribbed edge.
 |
| The pattern is versatile; one minute a cardigan, the next a jumper. |
I'll add something here about these cords from Carpatina. I removed the nasty velcro from the waist and replaced it with snaps. Now they have a less bulky waistline and it allows some room to tuck in a shirt or the like. Velcro has its place, like for children and for those with handicaps, but it has no place in fashion. I cringe when I see it used on otherwise lovely doll clothes. A zipper and button or clip fastener at the waist would be preferred but I don't have a zipper sized properly for Adam.
I'm about to cast-on for another cardie, using another skein of 5-ply. You can expect to see three more colours in the next little while.
