I’ve been meaning to make one for a few years now with Caron Cakes Big Cake Cookie Crumble, but—like my dad—I never quite got around to it. At the last knitting group meet-up at Falls Manor Restaurant here in Niagara Falls, a friend showed up working on her hexagon cardi, seaming the sleeves. It was gorgeous, made in Red Heart Super Saver Bitty Stripes, and she’s about my size. I’ve admired another jacket she made for a while, and with WP cranking them out quickly in worsted weight, I couldn’t help but feel inspired. The final push came when I stumbled across Red Heart Super Saver Retro Stripes—packs of three on Amazon for under twenty bucks. I ordered two right away, and a few days later ordered two more, making sure I had enough. Crochet eats yarn faster than I devour a pizza when I’m hungry.
By the 17th, I had finished one side of the cardigan and seamed it inside out, since that’s second nature from my sewing days. The sleeves turned out a little short, but not by much. On the 20th, I repeated the process with the second side. This week, I learned how to do the cuffs—and yesterday it hit me that I could have skipped a stitch and slip-stitched into the next to bring the sleeves in at the wrists. Of course, I realized it too late, but that’s me. At least I’ll know for next time.
Now I’m hoping I’ll have the confidence to actually wear this when everyone else is bundled in “real” jackets. In my head, I always feel like I need to mimic people who look more put together—even when I know they’re just as frantic underneath. Tanya logic at its finest. I run warm anyway, something I’ve always blamed on my weight, thanks to a few comments my late husband once made about my sister being (maybe too) thin and always cold. The irony being he was overweight himself.
At this point, most of the cardi is finished. I just need to make and attach the “long” parts, then put in the hours on the ribbing and button band around the front closure. I’m also planning to add two granny squares below the top pieces—it just feels more logical and practical than doing strips back and forth across the back at (or just below) my butt. To me, that only draws more attention to that area—but what do I know?
So wish me luck. Thankfully, this project is actually going according to plan—unlike the two “skimpy” summer tops that have been sitting half-done on my WIP cart for the past two or three years. If you’re curious, you can follow along on my Ravelry page, where I’ve been documenting the progress. And who knows, maybe that Cookie Crumble yarn will be made into a cardigan yet this year.
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