It was my first experience of knitting with a Rowan yarn, and nothing has yet shifted 4-ply Soft from the top of my list of the best yarns for drape and finish. It has virtually no 'bloom', washes brilliantly and wears as new. The colour is aptly called 'Beetroot' and is a bit darker than the picture below.
The pattern was straightforward to knit, and as a result I think I will forever be partial to a Kim Hargreaves pattern. The edging was knitted separately and sewn on, which was a challenge for me as I am not too confident of my hand sewing skills when it comes to knitted fabric!
I have learnt many things since I knitted this a couple of years ago. One of them is never to carry 'live' stitches across the back of the neck of a cardigan. At the time I thought I was being rather smart and saving myself the work of casting off and picking up - creating a professional finish. What I got was a neckline that was too wide and gapey and I had to sew in a ribbon from shoulder seam to shoulder seam to hike it up into shape.
The yarn for this cardigan was purchased at HK Handknit in Edinburgh. There I met Julie, who is so sadly and tragically no longer with us. She was so helpful and encouraging. Although she didn't have enough yarn for the next item on my list, she posted it home to me free of charge. Everytime I am back in Edinburgh, I wish I could let her know how I got it all knitted up!
More 4-ply Soft was used for Veronica, this time in 'Raincloud' - used double as a matter of fact (!). At this point I began to wonder if there is such a thing as investment knitting. Spending more that you should to knit something that you just know you will want to wear again and again for ages. I have never found another pattern that I feel the same way about. Designed by Marion Foale, everytime I wear it, I am glad I took the plunge and knitted it. It's a bit of a 'couture' knit that I wear for work - less than a suit jacket but more than a cardigan.
The seaming was so well designed:
And at the back, a surprise the Rowan magazine didn't show in the picture!
Just in case you're wondering - I haven't done any investment knitting for a while! Since this I have been using up bits and bobs and trying to plan and budget ahead - rather boring really, but I have eventually come to the realisation that time is precious, and if I am to spend some of it knitting, then I better make sure that what I produce will last for a good long time too.
Comments
India
Stephanie
Your investment knitting is lovely, so smart that it gives hand-knitting a good name.
You've made such a lovely job of them too, they look like well-finished "tailored" garments.
I never really looked closely at those designs when they came out, but I'll be looking at them now!