Finished at slowcoach speed. This was definitely not a fast knit for me but the results are great. Finished just in time for him to grow out of it!
Tag Archives: cardigan
Mid Knit Pattern review: Tot Toppers Gramps Cardigan
I very much looked forward to knitting’s this Tot Toppers cardigan for the littlest one (who has lost his regal title this week as he’s refusing to sleep). The images in the pattern show a supercute cable knit that is just the thing for him to wear over his weekend shirts. Tot Toppers is a series of patterns by Kate Oates.
I started this in September which seems like ages ago now, when we were staying in a train carriage near Ironbridge for a few nights. That seems like an age ago now; I’ve just been so super busy with work and family life so I’ve been making slow but steady progress.
The early parts of the pattern are really clear. The cabling is nicely laid out in both words and charts. All was great until I hit the point attaching the sleeves. At this point the pattern becomes comparable to a Great British Bake Off Technical Challenge! “Attach the sleeves” is the only real instruction given. I don’t know if this is pattern not being well written, or I’m too inexperienced to get it. This isn’t my first cardigan knit, it’s not my first cable project but I’d dearly have liked some extra detail in the pattern.
So in true Cosmo style, I’ve made up my own instructions for attaching the sleeves to the body and who knows if it’s right? It’s looking OK right now but whether it stays that way is yet to be established.
Another addition that I think would be helpful is more detail being given in the pattern about the decreases and how the cable pattern can be continued while decreasing. There is a link in the pattern to technique tutorial which helps but for someone of relative inexperience it would be great to have each line of instructions written. I suspect this becomes very complex with all the different sizes but it would be nice all the same.
So at this stage I would say…
Lovely pattern (results so far look great) but quite technical, with a lack of detail in parts of the pattern. Not for a beginner, potentially a challenge for an intermediate knitter.
Finished Object: Latte Baby Coat
This is the first of two wee cardies I’ve knit for Baby. No soft pastel colours here, just dark green. Everything else we’ve been given has been pale in colour and not surprisingly babyish so I thought something more grown up was called for.
- The pattern: Latte Baby Coat
- The designer: Lisa Chemery
- The yarn: Stylecraft Special Chunky in Khaki
That’s right, I’ve put the yarn snob in me aside for the practicality of acrylic for this one. Stylecraft Special is such good value and easy to get hold of so why not. The pattern is great, well written and easy to interpret. I might have made a minor mistake in the woven basket stitch section but boy is it a nightmare to fix when you do so I’ve left it in and fortunately it’s not really noticeable. Pay attention, close attention if you take this on when you get to the woven basket stitch if you don’t want to repeat my mistake.
Casting on… Magic Cast On for Toe Up Socks
Baby’s hat is blocking so it’s cast on time again. I love cast on time and this time it’s a new cast on for me. I’ve picked a pattern with a number of new skills this time so there’s likely to be a few posts about it that get my blog back to it’s orginal purpose of keeping all my knitting ‘stuff’ in one place so I can find it in the future.
A magic cast on for toe up socks. “But you hated knitting socks” I hear you say puzzled. Well don’t worry, I haven’t lost my mind and decided to knit socks again. I won’t be using this for socks but for the hood on a cardiagan/coat for my little wriggler that still has about a month to cook.
I found a number of versions of this cast on. What seems to be the original posted online is from Judy Becker published here on knotty.com known as Judy’s Magic Cast On to the web (recommended by the pattern I’m following). Then there’s another version from Curious Knitter known as Judy’s Magic Cast On a la Jeny. Both are really well illustrated and I didn’t need to resort to YouTube to work either of them out.
Plumping for the original, just because it’s the first I tried, rather than any preference for the technique and the result is a very boring invisible cast on at the top of the hood on Baby’s cardigan. So boring in fact that I’m not even bothering to photograph it!
Agatha begins….
I have started my first ‘big project’. My first real adult cardigan. Cropped, to suit my vertically challenged stature. All 5 foot of me struggles with standard lengths and I’m not confident that I could adjust a pattern appropriately to fit. I have carefully selected Agatha as the pattern. It avoids significant seaming and has pretty lace patterns that should keep me entertained. I’m not working too hard on it at the moment as I hope to take it on holiday with me, along with another project that is yet to be chosen following a yarn donation from MIL (more on this another time).
Cosmo and Knits 