I want to share a sweater project I'm really proud of because it's the first cardigan I've made that I modified a good bit to suit my needs and my body - and it was a success. Earlier this year, I made my Owls sweater and changed the length and the waist shaping to suit me. I think this gave me a little boost of courage to take a stab at modifying other patterns that almost worked for me but needed a little something.
Last year, I saw Hannah Fettig's Carrot Cardi pattern spring up on Ravelry, and I was drawn to it, but not in an "I must make this right now" sort of way. I faved it and then kind of moved on, busy with holiday knits and other delights. But I kept thinking about it.
I've spent a lot of time in the last year getting better at making sweaters, but also thinking more about what kinds of garments are fun to knit AND also get worn. As knitters, we often find ourselves drawn to a pattern because it's beautiful or interesting in its construction (looks fun to knit). But too often, those beautiful sweaters end up on a forgotten shelf in our closet and not on our bodies. I know this has happened to me a lot in the past, and I'm trying really hard to pinpoint what makes a sweater both fun to make and then really wearable.
One thing I've realized is that I like layers, given the climate I now live in, and I like sweaters that are easy to take off or throw on over other tops. For my lifestyle and wardrobe, this means cardigans - but mostly open cardigans, not so much with the cropped or buttoned or decorative cardigan. Functionality is the main objective. I've also realized that, as much as I love hand-dyed yarns, the sweaters I wear the most often are colors that go with a ton of things in my wardrobe. More often than not, they're neutrals - greys, browns, blacks, creams, perhaps a dark blue or that perfect shade of green that goes with so many colors. Yes, I think green can be a neutral. I'll revisit that in a few weeks when I have a new sweater FO to share.
So with this in mind, I kept coming back to that Carrot Cardigan, and as I studied the photos, I became more and more convinced that I needed to make this sweater, but with a few changes. First of all, I didn't like the baggy sleeves. I'm pretty small, and Hannah's patterns tend to run large as it is, so I knew that I would have to do something about the sleeves to make them more fitted, because I definitely wanted a cleaner, less bum-around-the-house look - although I did want a sweater I COULD bum around the house in. Also, this sweater had knit flat, seamed and set-in sleeves. I hate seaming shoulders. A few sweaters ago, I learned how to pick up stitches around the sleeve hole and knit down in the round, and I figured that's exactly what I would do in order to make the project more fun for me. Also, I knew that it would be easier for me to modify the sleeve tightness if I knit them in the round from the top down - try it on as you go! Finally, I decided to add a faux seam to the side of the garment to give it a bit more structure, another trick I learned on a previous sweater. I read through the pattern carefully and made some notes about the changes I wanted to make, and then I was off to the races!
Since moving to Seattle, I've made a few friends who also happen to be handy at dyeing yarn. I love supporting them in their small businesses, so I decided to ask my friend Brigette over at Hermosa Fiber Co. to custom-dye the yarn for this sweater. I had seen her Coal colorway before and knew it was the exact sort of neutral colorway I needed to make this sweater more wearable as an everyday kind of garment. The yarn came out perfectly - semi-solid and beautiful, and I got to guinea pig her brand-new sport base. Loved everything about the results.
PATTERN: Carrot Cardi by Hannah Fettig
NEEDLES: US 6 (4.0mm)
YARN: Hermosa Fiber Co. Sport in Coal
I know I always say my latest sweater is my favorite, but I've actually knit other since, and I can say this is STILL my favorite sweater to date. I love everything about how it turned out. It fits me perfectly and it suits my wardrobe entirely, and of all the things I have made, this is the one that fools people the most in terms of looking like I bought it at a store.
I'm really happy with how the sleeves came out, because as I expected, slimming them down gave the whole sweater a much more streamlined and sleek look. I do like the comfy look of the original, but with the slimmer sleeve, I feel like I can wear this to work and not look like a bum (albeit a cute, cute bum).
The faux seam is such an easy addition that I think I'll probably end up adding it to many of the seamless sweaters I make in the future. Seamless sweaters are so appealing because you don't have to do any sewing at the end other than weaving in ends and closing up underarms, and often the knitting is more mindless than knitting flat pieces with more shaping to them. But the faux seam adds more structure without actually adding any difficulty. You just set off a column of stitches on either side with some stitch markers, and then when you've knit the entire body, you drop the stitch all the way back down and then use a crochet hook to weave it back up, creating a seam. It's awesome and easy and fun!
There you can see the fake seam, just near my hand.
I love this sweater, and I hope everyone makes one - whether you follow Hannah's pattern as written or make your own. I was really excited when a fellow Raveller contacted me recently to let me know she had followed my mods and made herself a sweater and loved the results. Yay! I am getting better at this whole modification thing!
