Packing? What packing?

I should be packing for the Big Move, but I’ve been procrastinating by uploading pictures of my latest FO.

Pattern: Liesl by Ysolda Teague

Yarn: Lousia Harding Grace Silk and Wool

I’m pretty pleased with this. My maths told me that, according to my stocking stitch swatch, I should be knitting a size 42 to end up with a garment that was actually a 34. My lace swatch was really stretchy, however, so I ignored my maths and went with instinct. I cast on for a 38 and I’m delighted to report that it fits me perfectly. The sleeves are a wee bit snug, but they’re perfectly comfortable.

It was very much a matter of just knitting until I ran out of yarn. I put the body on some scrap yarn when I judged it to be the minimum acceptable length, and then worked the sleeves. Then I went back to the body and just knit until I ran out.

The buttons I got from my local craft shop (very local – just downstairs and two doors down!).

I love the fact that they match the feminity of the cardigan, while blending in with the colour of the yarn, so the overall effect is completely neutral (and will thus match nearly everything!). The top one sticks up past the neckline, which annoys me a bit, but that’s due to the placement of the buttonhole rather than the button. If I knit this again (particularly in a DK weight yarn) I’ll put the buttonhole on row 4 rather than row 2.

Because it’s a lighter weight yarn than the pattern calls for, the three buttonholes end at a higher point on the cardigan than ones in the photos on the pattern. I think that’s fine here, because it’s a cropped cardigan and I’m not very well-endowed! If I had bigger boobs I think it would make me look top-heavy, and if I knit it again I’ll make sure it buttons up across the chest, rather than above.

All-in-all, I’m very pleased with it!