Another very hot weekend here for us, so I spent most of it inside except for the early morning walk time with Lizzie. Normally here at 6700 feet of elevation, things cool off nicely at night over the summer, but this year, we’ve had low cloud cover/smoke/smog from the Arizona fires and it doesn’t allow the heat to escape, which keeps the temperatures overnight in the 60s as opposed to lower 50s. We’ll hope for the monsoon season to kick in here in the next couple of weeks – it’s usually by July 4th, assuming we get one at all this year – to drop those temps for us. What better way to celebrate the hot weather by finishing up a sweater?
This is the In Stillness Cardi by Alicia Plummer (Ravelry link). It’s a nice basic wardrobe piece that I can envision wearing most seasons. This is a top-down raglan-shaped cardigan. I was delighted the yarn color picks up the moss green in this paisley dress I’ve got – this will make a nice pairing if we ever go out to eat again. I did make a few modifications to the basic pattern. I opted to change the 1×1 ribbing on the body hem and cuffs to the broken rib that’s in the upper part of the sweater along the shoulders. I also only did 2 of the 4 called-for increases below the waist. I didn’t want it quite as A-line shaped as the pattern calls for and I think it works just fine with a more classic silhouette this way. I also, as per my usual, made the length of the body a bit shorter so it falls at low hip on me.
The yarn is a DK weight hand-dyed blend of 40% angora bunny, 40% wool, 10% cashmere and 10% baby camel. I picked up 4 skeins at Shilasdair Yarns on the Isle of Skye 2+ years ago now. (The shop had just changed owners so this was stock from the previous owner and is no longer available from them.) It’s naturally dyed with meadowsweet over indigo. The yarn itself is a very lofty and lightweight blend, which worked nicely for a season-spanning garment. It’s light enough for most spring and fall days here, but the angora and cashmere components make it warm enough for cooler winter wear with a long-sleeve tee under it.
I opted for pewter buttons with a floral motif on them to finish the garment off. I made the 39″ finished size and I’ve got 3″ or so of positive ease in it, meaning I can easily layer it come the cooler weather. I used a total of 888 yards to knit this with my modifications, and I’ve got a full skein and a bit left to knit something else with down the road.
Knit One, Spin Too 