Girl Friday Cardi

Have you ever planned something and been so excited by it that you actually thought it was already finished?  This is what happened with this cardigan.  For the last few weeks I've been reaching for it only to find it wasn't there because, duh, it wasn't finished yet!

I love knitting but cannot knit in the round.  Well I expect I could if I had to but I really don't want to.  That is what my Mum is for.  So I was on the hunt for a flat knitted cardigan that would be suitable for Cascade 220 wool.  I had bought some of this for my Mum to make my last cardigan and it was so nice I bought some more for me to use.  I chose to go with fairly neutral grey because I was anticipating this getting a lot of wear but then brightened it up with the turquoise accents because I do like a bit of colour.  I think the combination works really well and since finishing this last Sunday I have worn it every day!  The buttons came in a big button box which was a gift from a very lovely friend.  She thinks they were her Great Aunt's and I am truly grateful to her for amassing such a fantastic collection of buttons!!

The pattern is Girl Friday from Knitty, Fall 2009.  It is a really nicely written pattern and very straight forward to knit.  I only really knit on weekend evenings so although I have been working on this since August is doesn't feel like a lot of work.  Two to three evenings a week over 10ish weeks isn't bad for a cardigan, especially when my last piece of knitwear took a year (with other bits in between) and I'm not that happy with it now! I do love this though.

The lace pattern is very easy to remember and get into the rhythm of so halfway up the back I no longer needed to be staring at the chart and from then on this cardigan sped along.  It does help that it is knit on 5mm needles.  I had a few issues with the collar not folding down neatly but I have just realised this is because I knitted it on the wrong size needles (oops!).  I have fixed the problem by tacking down the collar all the way along the back so it stays where it is supposed to.  I like it like this, no rearranging when I put it on or take it off, so it's all good.  

 Now I just need to decide on my next project.  I have narrowed it down to 1 of about 10 from my huge collection of Stitchcraft magazines.  I had wanted to do a christmas jumper but time is decidedly short now so I think it will be a compromise.  I'm hoping to get the wool ordered this weekend so I can make a start on it next week.  Below is the current favourites with the forerunner on the left, decisions decisions!!