This didn’t take much work to get it from where it was last week to a finished garment. And then what happened was I accidentally put the garment, which contains 25% wool, through a cotton wash cycle instead of spin and drain as I had intended… But I kind of love the fuzzy outcome!
It was one of those ‘hang on, hasn’t that spin been going for quite a long time?’ moments. Also I had soaked the finished item with hair conditioner, as is my wont, and so essentially took a knit soaked in cold water and let it tumble about freely in the machine with hot water. If there had been more wool content, it would have been a disaster but on this occasion, it’s been a happy accident. Bob Ross would be proud.
For the final eight rows of the front and hood, which are folded back and sewn in to make a hem, I used 100% acrylic in a purple/black marl. You can really see where the acrylic has toughed out the 40°C water and the wool blend has succumbed. The colour also serves to give a bit of shape and structure which I think is a nice addition.
The only trouble with the fuzz is that it’s not content to stay on the cardigan and transfers to other clothes (or computer chairs, ask me how I know) with positive glee. I’ve been over it with one of those wee shavers but it’s had very little discernable effect.
I haven’t done any further blocking and, while the bottom seam does roll considerably, it actually makes for a nice neat fit round the waist. So I think I’ll call it good and not risk any further incidents.
Last post, I talked about being uncertain about the hood – you pick up stitches and knit out perpendicularly (definitely a word) to shape it, and the change from one direction to the other gave a very noticeable bump. The bump is still there, but the washing and fuzzing has taken care of it to an extent, and it sits really nicely when worn. Sometimes you have to trust the pattern.
Another picking up stitches situation that didn’t come out so well is the seam where I picked up stitches from the front. They get picked up going in the same direction so should be easy? It’s just not my forte – even though it’s very neat, there’s a clear line where I picked them up. With that said, the drape of the fabric covers it, and there’s so much going on with Twilight that the eye isn’t naturally drawn to smaller details!
All in all, a lovely pattern and a lovely knit. No hesitation in recommending it. I also enjoyed the yarn – it’s not at all fancy but it’s pleasantly soft and tweedy and enormously reduces the ends you’ll need to sew in. Plus it’s evidently somewhat resilient to washing machine related incompetence. The pattern is Twilight (Ravelry link) by Fabienne Schulte (designer’s site). I made it in Woolcraft aran with wool (The Wool Factory link) in Charcoal. The pattern stated 1600m for my size, and I used 1380g so have about half a ball left over for future experiments, accidental or otherwise.
I’ve added this post to the Unraveled Wednesday linkup, with thanks to Kat for hosting.
The Crafty Yarnster 