Audrey in Unst

I think this cardigan is the loveliest thing I've made. Maybe ever. Last year my favourite knit was Tess' Bella Mia. I love that little sweater and she's still wearing it, even if it's now on the small side. I've been thinking about that sweater and this cardigan and wondering what it is about them that I love so much. Aside from great patterns (both are stylish, a good fit and have lovely interesting details), I think the common factor is glorious yarn. In this case the Skein Queen yarn is a beautiful caramel coloured baby alpaca, silk and cashmere blend. Divine. The Fyberspates yarn for Bella Mia was a dark plum-coloured merino. Both were hand-dyed. Both are semi-solids. I'm also wondering if I'm a little gaga about fingering weight yarn garments... It's all food for thought and I'm planning another cute cardigan in hand-dyed, semi-solid yarn to test my theory! 

Anyway, my Audrey in Unst is finished. Blocked, 10 shell buttons and ends woven in. She's ready for wearing and I promise I will model her soon. I'm just waiting until I can show you my whole outfit in a grand "Ta da" moment and I'm still working away on the rest of it.

You know how I adore the yarn. I will definitely be getting more Skein Queen :) And, I also enjoyed the pattern. It isn't a mindless knit, but it's not so tricky either. The overall shape is flattering with its deep twisted rib and waist shaping. I love that there's no seaming. The shoulders are finished with a three needle bind off and the arms are picked up at the armholes, the sleeve caps shaped with short rows (which is magic) and then knit down to the deep twisted rib cuffs. The cast off along the button band is a nice detail and I enjoyed the icord bind off around the neck. I hadn't tried that before but would love to use it again. It's interesting, neat and sits well. The final great finishing detail is those 10 buttons. 10 seemed like a lot of buttons, but it really works.

The ravelry page for my cardigan is here. If you're thinking of knitting this one - do!