KNITWEEK2016 Pt 5 Marion by Andi Satterlund

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Hello chums,

Welcome back to my KnitWeek2016 series of posts. Part 5 is my Marion cardigan in mustard. First I want to say thank you so much for all the helpful comments on my previous post where I mentioned knitted garment fit issues. At least I know where to start now with all the resources mentioned.

Marion is a seamless and cropped cardigan with 3/4 length sleeves. The body is knit in one piece, starting with the upper back. The fronts are picked up from the back cast on edge, and everything gets connected when the underarms are cast on. Sleeve stitches are picked up from the armholes, and short row shaping is used to create set-in sleeves.

So, I have made this cardigan before <link here>. It will always have a special spot in my heart as the first knitted garment I made for myself plus I learnt so much when I knit that first Marion. I still wear it – though mostly on weekends now due to the pilling. When I finished the first Marion I was determined to do it all again but perfectly right the second time.

Somehow other projects got in the way but around June 2015, I decided that I wanted a yellow cheerful cardigan to go with the many navy blue items I was sewing up. This yarn also happened to be on sale at Loveknitting.com. Its called Drops Paris: a soft but sturdy 100% cotton yarn. I was sold on this line “Spun from multiple thin strands, it creates a fabric which is breathable and cool to wear on those warmer days“. So I bought 6 balls in mustard. Its out of stock at loveknitting.com now but I did a quick google and found it at woolwarehouse.com.

Here is a copy of my Ravelry Project notes:

20 June. Cast on the small size. Last time made Medium and felt a bit loose. My gauge was off by half a stitch but I wont let that bother me. Hopefully it turns out ok. So far so good.
5 Aug 2015
Halfway through the decrease set. Going slowly due to lack of time.
20 Aug 2015
Argh! The armhole too big. have to unravel so I can repick at armhole using the smallest size. The yarn seems to grow with weight.
22 Aug 2015
Ok so I calculated I need to pick 46 stitches at armhole.

It used up 6 balls of yarn exactly. I was very excited when I started this project and it knit up relatively fast but I had issues with the yarn. I seem to recall that its quite a heavy yarn – I mean as the fabric grew – it sort of dropped a lot from the weight of the yarn. And it looked droopy. I really worried that the rope cable would not be distinct – it wasn’t a fun yarn to do cables with (I guess that why I should swatch the cable pattern as well – I made a swatch but just in stockinette). Initially the armhole came out far too big so I had to unravel and recast using the size for the smallest armhole. The instructions are very well written and easy to follow. There is a cable chart and written cable instructions – I cant read cable charts so I really like that about Andi’s patterns.

Again I lost steam around the time I bound off and it stayed in its carrier bag until October. Once I picked it up again it took me 30 mins to weave in all ends and set up for blocking. I wet blocked it and that transformed it. The yarn looked completely different once blocked. A note on this yarn – it had a lot of colour run and I had to drain out the water about 4 times before it ran clear.

I love it but I wont be knitting with this yarn again. It wasn’t as joyful an experience as I have had with other yarns. I checked out what other people use this yarn for and it looks like its mostly great for home interior projects, like tea towels, blankets and toys. Its a case of using the wrong yarn for this project. It doesn’t feel nearly as nice to wear as my brown Miette either – again because the yarn is not as soft.

fran-visit-plus-october-photoshoot-1148 mustard-marion-back-view marion-front mustard-marion-cardigan

The fit isn’t too bad but there is still that swayback issue. It looks like I will be getting a book …or 2 and throwing myself into fitting knitted garments. Someone mentioned Amy Herzog and I have looked that up in the library and unfortunately they have none. Looks like it will have to be either Amazon or Craftsy. And in future I think I will sew buttons on the dress form for more accuracy.

I still really like this pattern and will be casting another one next year but I want to get the fit spot on next time. I like that the first one has so many errors in it but this one is a huge improvement. I am excited to knit the 3rd one – surely it will uber…..?