I want to knit myself a black cardigan for Winter. A cardigan that will 'go with everything'. Black is not an easy colour to dye in quantities big enough for a cardigan, so I'm using a commercial yarn rather than spinning my own:
This yarn is made in Turkey and is 25% wool, 75% acrylic. I looked at patterns and settled on two that I liked:
Then it was time to knit swatches. The cardigan on the left is knitted on 4 mm needles. I cast on the number of stitches for the tension square given in the pattern, plus a border of 3 stitches on each side:
It's not absolutely square, but the width is correct, which is the important thing. The cardigan on the right is knitted on 4 1/2 mm needles. I didn't knit much of the square because it soon became clear that while the measurement was correct, the fabric was too thin. I've held it up to the light to show that there are too many spaces:
So the choice has been made: Classic charm from Knit-today magazine, April 2012.
I like the way the figures for different sizes are written in different colours, which makes it easy to follow the directions for a given size. I've cast on for the back and made a start:
Black is the one color sweater I do not have. I admire your ability to set a goal and then sit down to achieve it. I look forward to seeing how quickly you knit up this pattern!
ReplyDeleteThat's a heck of a 'start'!!! You'll soon be done with it at that speed!!!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you are off to a good start!! :)
ReplyDeleteA black sweater in a tighter weave for Winter will be quite the wardrobe staple. You are such a wonderful knitter.
ReplyDeleteI like black, but have discontinued knitting with it because of my preference for all-over patterned/lacy knits - after all the effort, the pattern just doesn't show up :-(
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your work ... it should be a quick knit, especially for you :-)
Yes, I know what you mean.I've chosen a simple pattern to make the knitting interesting without expecting it to look dramatic.
ReplyDeleteThis will be a nice practical cardigan, black goes with anything and can be worn for many occasions.
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