Finished! and a Fall Day in Philly to Celebrate.

As promised, a long overdue FO, and, for all of those patient souls who visit this blog full o' unfinished objects, a beautiful fall day in Philly as the back drop for the momentous occasion.

Finished: Inky Blanket Cardigan
Pattern: Sarah Dallas Knitting
Fiber: Rowan Wool Cotton
(11 balls of 908 "Inky" and 1 ball of 903 "Misty")
Needles: size 8 Addi bamboo circular needles
Completed: October 21, 2006
Modifications: I modified a few things related the style of the cardigan, but not the shape. I added a contrast stripe to the left arm to mirror the stripe across the back panel and the stripe on the left front panel. I primarily added the arm stripe because I ran short of yarn (the pattern called for 10 balls of the MC for the size I was knitting and I ended up needing an extra ball) so I had to use a different dye lot for the upper section of the left arm. I thought adding in a stripe would put space (albeit a small one) between the two differing dye lots, which would make it less noticeable if the dye lots didn't match up. In the end, it turned out that the dye lots weren't different enough to be noticeable, but I ended up really liking the look of the extra stripe on the left sleeve. The only other purposeful mod to the pattern was that I made the collar all moss stitch, rather than the called-for garter stitch collar. I am just not a fan of garter stitch, and I wanted the collar to match the moss stitch detailing along the edges of the front panels.



For me, the unique details are the most important aspects of any knit pattern. The details are what make me choose to commit to a pattern. In the case of the Blanket Cardigan, it was the single stripe details in a contrasting color on the body of the sweater. I also really love the contrast color cuff edgings.







As far as my final satisfaction with the outcome of this project, I'd say I'm a bit mixed. The pattern itself was well-written and easy to follow. However, I knit the medium size and, surprisingly, I still found it on the overly large size in the end (and I am by no means a twig!). Granted, it *is* called a blanket cardigan, so I am fully congizant that it was meant to be a comfortable fit, but still, some portions of it just don't lay and hang as well as I would have liked. On the other hand, this sweater is *extremely* comfortable, and it makes for a perfect robe-like garment that I now habitually wrap myself in upon getting out of bed on cold mornings.



This project was made possible by the super-generosity of my sister and her husband, who purchased the sizeable amount of wool cotton needed for this knit over the summer. I am so grateful to them both for doing so, since it kept me preoccupied while my boyfriend was away excavating in France without me. I am all the more grateful because Rowan wool cotton is notorious for never being on sale *anywhere*, so without their intervention, I would have never been able to expand my fiber horizons to include it. It's sale yarn or no yarn, on this girl's measly grad student stipend. I enjoyed the awesome softness and cushiness of the wool cotton immeasurably while knitting with it. I will admit wholeheartedly, however, that I am 100 percent a pure wool kinda gal. I can appreciate such blends as Rowan's wool and cotton, but I really would prefer pure wool fiber (and something with a little tweedy-ness, really). The wool cotton was oftentimes just too slack-feeling and had that laziness about it that cotton fibers tend to have. I constantly felt like I had to make an effort to keep my stitches taut while I knit with it. That said, I enjoyed knitting with the wool cotton, and I *really* enjoy wearing it - no itch whatsoever!



I've also come to realize that this cardigan, while perhaps a little more roomy than I'd like on it's own, makes for a super-awesome layering piece with my favorite old green cargo jacket for extra warmth. I really love the look of the big moss stitch collar.







And an extra special thank you to my photographer (and, incidentally, my boyfriend) pictured below, who happily entertained the idea of partaking in an extended photo shoot for a knit item that involved galavanting all over Washington Square Park in an attempt to capture "the perfect pose."



And now for some gratuitous shots of beautiful Philly fall foliage.









I hope everyone else's Sunday was as colorful as mine.