Fo Friday - Alma Cardigan Test Knit

 I finished my latest cardigan, the Alma Cardigan, a test knit for Sanna and Co.

It was a pleasure to knit - steeking is always my preference over knitting flat, and my last cardigan had a lot of purling!

I sewed a ribbon on my buttonbands to finish the steek, and I love the effect.

I followed this clearly written pattern exactly, including the length of body and sleeves. With loose sleeves and tight cuffs I find that kitting them long often leads to bit of puffiness, which is what I got here, except because the colourwork makes for a firmer fabric than the upper-sleeve it produced a slightly odd effect.

The same problem happens in the body - Susanna (the designer) recommends going down a needle size after the colourwork. Because my gauge is usually pretty much the same, I did not, but it means the plain knitting has a lot of drape, while the colourwork does not (and it might also be tighter). That, combined with it being somewhat over-size means there is a whole lot of fabric under the arms. Or maybe it's because I knit a size up, and it's just too big.

I love my colours, I love my self-made buttons, and I think it is a lovely design, but on me it is a bit shlumpy. Ah well, I guess I can't win them all and I think I'll get some wear out of this, because it is different colours and has a different, more casual, feel than many of my cardigans and jumpers.