Vanessa is a cardigan that I have been working on for more than a year. I first noticed the pattern in November 2018 when I was in Oxford Yarn Store with my World War 1 Memorial Quilt. I wanted to have another go at knitting a fair-isle cardigan. I still haven’t actually finished it. I have finished the knitting unless I need to alter the sleeves but the garment is still in bits.
The cardigan is knitted in several shades of Rowan Felted Tweed – which is a lovely yarn. I made a mistake and used the purple colour for the diamonds when I was supposed to use blue. The chart is so small – I misread the symbol. However I think it looks more cohesive to use the purple twice. Also it demonstrates a point that Kaffe Fassett makes that colour look different depending on the colours that they are next to. I think the purple looks like a different shade further down the pattern when it is next to the pink.
I don’t think I have ever finished a fair-isle cardigan for an adult – I remember trying to knit a Debbie Bliss design in cotton. I never finished that. I have knitted lots of little fair-isle cardigans for babies and small children and I have knitted a fair-isle jumper that I don’t think I ever wore.
In order to make this cardigan more wearable I have knitted the sleeves downwards (so I didn’t exactly follow the pattern - I knitted the instructions backwards). This means that if the sleeves are too long (or too short) I can unravel or knit more rib. I know I should measure them and I do but somehow I often still have problems.
I have been to my local yarn
stores more recently – and on one of my last visits to the nearest one (Banbury
Sewing Centre) – I bought a lot of buttons.
For many years I have said I must start a cardigan with the buttons and
then get the yarn to go with them because I always have problems the other way
around. Also although I have a lot of
yarn and lots of odd buttons – if we have another lockdown – it would be good
to be able to finish garments because I had already bought the buttons. I still haven’t finished a jacket I knitted
during lockdown because although I have now bought some buttons – I haven’t
sewn them on. I need to keep up the
momentum on a project or it just drifts.
I have started knitting a few
things for Christmas. I did do some in
April but now the deadline is a bit closer.
This is good because it does focus the mind on finishing them. I hope I am doing better this year because –
at least it isn’t December yet. Unlike
some knitters who are still knitting on Christmas Eve – I have to be more
organized because most things need to be posted – so I have to complete them
before the last posting date!
