Tea Leaves Cardigan

Almost a year ago, I whined here about wanting more hand-knit sweaters for myself. Well, I am happy to report that I have a finished beauty to add to my collection (now it is a collection of 2).

Love the neckline...

I am all squealy about my new Tea Leaves Cardigan. I am wearing it all the time. I had such a hard time narrowing down which sweater to knit, so it's satisfying that this ended up being a really great choice.


The Pattern
This pattern was sooooo easy to knit. I am a big fan of working top down. (My other hand-knit sweater, Liesl, was the same.) The detail on the yoke is simple but elegant and the miles of stockinette made for great mindless TV watching/knitting. And, there is very little "finishing" work to do on this sweater which is always a big plus.

The yoke in progress.

One problem:
I actually knit a gauge swatch before I began this project because I wanted it to fit just right. I was spot-on with gauge so I was surprised in the end that my sweater is about a size bigger than I'd like it. My body measuring must be off. The next time I make a sweater for myself I am going to do more research on this subject and make sure I am doing it properly.

With that said, I did notice a lot of people on Ravelry mentioned that they ended up ripping back after knitting the yoke and making this sweater in a smaller size. So maybe it's not just me. For a better fit, I ran a piece of yarn through the neckline to tighten it up a bit. It helped immensely.

The back view of my new sweater. It could fit a wee bit snugger.

The Yarn
I used the Madelinetosh merino that the pattern specified. It was spendy, I was nervous. I was worried that it would be wonky. Then I would have a hand-knit, expensive, and ugly sweater in my collection. I put my reservations aside and mustered up my kitting bravado...casting on with confidence.

I am not that experienced knitting with hand-dyed yarns so I wasn't sure if pooling would be a problem. To be safe, I alternated between two balls on every row. A bit of a pain, but better safe than sorry.

Madelinetosh Merino in Nutmeg.

This yarn knits up like a dream. Beautiful stitch definition yet as soft as can be. And the color...oh Lordy! It is so rich. I am not generally a fan of variegated yarns, but this is so subtle. No wonder I fell in love with it in the store. This is a bad, addictive kind of love though. I want more...

Wonderful pattern, wonderful sweater. I can see why it's so popular on Ravelry. I have some dreams about the next one on the needles for me...

–Cassandra

Dream Sweaters

I have a dream that my sweater press is filled with practical hand-knits. Cardigans and pullovers in all colors and textures just waiting to fit me like a glove. Not a store-bought machine knit in the bunch. My Ravelry queue is full of patterns for these dream sweaters. So, this past year I picked a pattern from the list and I knit my first sweater for myself - the ever-so-popular Liesl sweater by Ysolda Teague. I knit it in a beautiful mushroom brown that goes with everything. I love that dang thing so much that I'm sure I wear it too often.

With dream sweater #1 accomplished, and my sweater press begging for more, I set my sights on another practical sweater project for next year. (One sweater a year is reasonable, right?)  I had found a gorgeous vest and even bought the yarn, until Alex pointed out that it looked like "fat on a stick" [ed comment from Alex: Look...someone has to tell you the truth. That sweater-vest would have made you look like an overstuffed sausage!], and, on second thought, she was right. So I think I'll stick with a regular sweater. There are a few cardigans in the running, and since I am in the mood for daydreaming, let's talk about them.

The first sweater I want to talk about is the very popular Tea Leaves Cardigan.

Photo by madelintosh

I love the simplicity of this sweater. I can see myself wearing this a ton if I make it in a practical color. Something is telling me to make this one in gray. I'm not a big fan of multi-color yarn, but I could be persuaded on this design to use something a little varigated. I might just have to use the actual madelintosh yarn this pattern calls for.(Check out the madelinetosh site for gorgeous hand-dyed yarns!)

Next in the order is Old-Fashioned Girl by Verena Design Team.

Photo by Vikant Crafts Publishing, Inc.

What a cutie! I have the notion to make this one in black. The diamond pattern would really stand out with such a dark color and the cables wouldn't be too bulky. The only thing that concerns me about this pattern is that only 17 people have made this sweater on Ravelry. I usually use that sort of thing as a gauge on how user-friendly a pattern is.

The last one I am going to dream about today is the Coraline sweater by Ysolda Teague.

Photo by Ysolda

I have already made a sweater by Ysolda, as I mentioned above, so I know her patterns are well-written and her sweaters are flattering. I particularly like the little smocking detail on the yoke and the tiny buttons. The color in the photo shown is pretty yet practical so I could go that direction, or, maybe a moss green?

So enough with the daydreaming... I need to get to knitting and sewing my "have to's" before the holidays!

–Cassandra