This sweater is proof that ripping and re-doing pays off.  Initially, I had knit  I-cord borders down the fronts but wasn’t happy with the zig zag effect this created.  I frogged the borders and went shopping for a sturdy, navy yarn that would pull the stripes together.  Lamb’s Pride Worsted, from  M1 Yarn Studio in Calgary provided just what I needed.

My inspiration for this sweater came from Dyeing To Knit by Elaine Eskesen.  Using my colour wheel while digging through my stash of cottons and wool, I chose colours that fell within one quadrant of the colour wheel only. To create a bit more unity I hand dyed some chenille and handspun yarns and threw in a bit of yellow to brighten it up.

The cardigan is knit in the round with the sleeves knit seperately and sewn in afterward.  Another learning curve was the steeked front.  The body is knit as a tube, to avoid purling, then cut down the middle to create a cardigan. My edges ended up a bit ragged on the underside of the front edges so I finished them with bias tape facings, sewn in by hand.  The bottom border of the sweater uses a pattern from Nicky Epstein’s book, kntting beyond the edge, called ‘tree tops’.

Truly an adventure in colour and design, this sweater is destined to become a comfortable favourite in my wardrobe.

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