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My New Favorite Cardigan.



Can I just start by saying that I'm in love? This cardigan is just perfect.

This was one of those knits that you are happy to get off your needles but at the same time your fingers are itching to knit another one. Happy to bind off for two reasons: it was a lot of work and at the same time I just couldn't wait to wear it. The Exeter pattern is one of those rare designs that feel perfect in every way: the shape, the fit, the details, the finishing. I'm finding myself wanting to cast on for another one immediately but at the same time wanting to focus on other projects for a while. I'm still undecided what to knit next, but first I need to finish the countless WIPs I have already on my needles (3 baby cardigans, as well as socks and a hat for the little one + one scarf and a cowl for myself). *** Update later in the evening: ok, I just ordered yarn for a second Exeter, couldn't help myself, I need another one. ***

This took me almost one month to finish. It would have taken less time had I not knitted other projects at the same time but as you all know - I'm not a very monogamous knitter. The pattern was very well written and logical - something I've come to expect when knitting Brooklyn Tweed designs. The pattern was also easy to memorize and really intuitive. I was surprised to notice that not all the cables are really cables but rather mock-cables done by knitting stitches together and increasing back to the original stitch count by making yarn overs. The long ribbed side plackets on the front were a bit of a bore to knit but made good TV time knitting which I didn't really mind because there was the new season of House of Cards available on Netflix. 


The only modifications I made were making the sleeves a size smaller than the body (I like me sleeves to be of a bit tighter fit) and leaving out one round of increases in the side plackets (so I did only three rounds). Oh and I left out the bottom-most pair of buttonholes: I saw a few people had done it on Ravelry and thought it looked better that way. Other than that I followed the pattern.

This cardigan is a real yarn-glutton, I used almost 18 skeins of Drops Alpaca for this (although I did hold the yarn double all the way through). The cardigan is really heavy (it weights almost 900 g!) but it still feels quite light to wear and doesn't look bulky at all.


Pattern: Exeter by Michele Wang
Yarn: Garnstudio Drops Alpaca Mix held double
in shade #517 medium grey
Needles: 4.0mm (ribbing) and 4.5mm (charted sections)
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Comments

  1. JulieMarch 13, 2015 at 9:01 PM

    Gorgeous cardigan, and in that great steel grey, I bet it goes with almost everything. Tell me about your cat! What is his/her name?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SariMarch 16, 2015 at 5:06 PM

      That was exactly what I was going for: something that works with almost any outfit. The cat is called Milla, she loves to be in front of the camera always posing :) We actually have three cats, Milla is the leader of the bunch.

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