Textureweight Hybrid Cardigan

In the spirit of Masterchef, I performed a little invention test.

My friend DrK recently made a gorgeous clapotis from Malabrigo Silky Merino. When I saw it, I remembered a had a few skeins of it stashed, and I began to wonder what I might do with it.

So I turned to ravelry to look at shawls. Most popular shawl, with a heart rating of 4,643 was made by 83 people in silky merino and they all look good. So that was the starting point.

I'm still suffering from a bit of cardigan fever from autumn, and I'm still not over my love for the top down raglan cardigan.

So I did this:

Cast on for the smallest size of the featherweight cardigan.
Knit a few rows stocking stitch from the pattern.
Switched to the textured stitch pattern from the shawl (enter challenge 1) and kept that going through the increases to the split for the underarms. I tried it on to determine when to stop increasing, the pattern abandoned completely by this stage.

Continued in stocking stitch until it was long enough, finished in a few rows of the textured pattern again.

Picked up all around the collar and fronts in one piece, knit two bands and a collar using short rows and the textured stitch. The front bands are twice as wide as the back collar (enter challenge 2).

Went back and finished the sleeves with the remaining yarn.

Sewed on a little wooden heart button for a simple embellishment (embellishment. something I need to explore further I think, as I think embellishment is very underused in my knitting).

The result?

See for yourself!



Cute button.



Increases worked well incorporating the stitch pattern - I had to think about this as I was doing it.



Short rows even disappeared into the textured stitch pattern (I had to think about this also)


And it even fits!

Not all invention tests are a success of course, but this time I think it's a cracker of a dish! I'm calling it the textureweight cardigan recipe.