College-style jacket
When I started this cardigan in early February, I honestly thought it would be a relatively quick project. A classic style, not too complicated, and above all, very nice to look at. It wasn’t until four months later that it was finally completely finished.
It wasn’t a gigantic project in terms of knitting, but it was one that occasionally disappeared back into the forgotten drawer.
I first saw the pattern in the Dutch translation of the book Learn to Knit, Love to Knit by Anna Wilkinson. That retro look appealed to me immediately. The contrasting colours, the ribbed edges, and especially that typical American varsity look… I had to cast that on someday!
That “someday” turned out to be February.
Quite soon, I noticed that the pattern was causing me more headaches than expected. The book is a Dutch translation of an English pattern, and I still don’t know whether my frustrations were caused by the original pattern or the translation. I regularly ran into instructions where I simply didn’t understand exactly what was meant.
As a result, I had to undo sections, start over, and reread instructions endlessly.
And yes, at times there was no other option but to improvise. Sometimes because I thought I finally understood what the intention was, sometimes because I simply didn’t want to put any more energy into it and my own solution seemed more logical.
Fortunately, there were also things that made me want to keep knitting.
I am a real fan of the twist stitch used in the red sections. It is quite easy to knit, and the end result is a subtle faux cable that gives the entire piece more structure and depth.
I was also very curious to see how the diagonal line on the front panels would be made. For this, I had to refresh my colour-changing technique. A bit of trial and error, admittedly, but such a cool result!
I made a few small adjustments while making it.
For instance, I omitted the breast pocket from the original pattern. Personally, I think the cardigan looks just a little nicer without a pocket.
I also hesitated for a moment about inserting a zipper instead of the ten buttons from the pattern. In the end, I stuck with the original version. I found exactly the right colour buttons, and looking back, I am very happy with that choice. They fit the retro look perfectly.
It had actually been quite a while since I last knitted a pattern that required a full sew. I usually opt for seamless patterns.
The assembly itself actually went quite well, although I initially thought the seams turned out a bit thick. Perhaps there is a better technique for that that I am unaware of?
But those overly thick seams were mainly remedied during washing and blocking.
And while doing so, I tried something new. I used steam blocking for the first time. This involves holding the steam from an iron over the knitting without actually touching it. I actually hadn’t expected that to make such a big difference.
After a regular wash, the cardigan already felt softer, but the steam made it even more supple. The seams also looked much nicer, giving the whole garment an immediate, much more professional appearance.
I will definitely use that technique again in the future.
Cheers,
Charlotte
| The Details | |
|---|---|
| Pattern: | College-Style Cardigan with Patch Pocket from Learn to knit, love to knit – Anna Wilkinson |
| Knitted size: | 36 |
| Yarn: | Stylecraft Special DK in Claret (±420 m) and Parchment (±635 m) |
| Needles: | 3 mm |
| Gauge: | 24 stitches × 33 rows = 10 cm |
