Distractions Part 2: The Summer Cardigan

Every summer I get the same itch... the desire to knit the perfect summer cardigan. Actually itch is a rather weak word to use here. Obsession would be much more fitting... as in an unhealthy, life-disrupting, brain-soaking, possibly expensive... obsession.

This summer is no exception, except that I have recently been informed by my dear hard-working husband that my yarn budget for the next couple months is $0. He is so generous and never says a word about my yarn buying so new yarn was definitely out of the question. Fortunately for me, I've been stashing very carefully for just such a time as this and have a few white yarns on hand including a bit of Cotton-Ease and some off-white Cotton Classic. As a matter of fact, I even have some white yarn that has been partially knit into cardigan hopes from summers past.



Not a bad start. The one on the left was one of the first perfect cardigans I found.



I found it in a Tahki pattern book and ordered the yarn online for a ridiculously cheap price. The yarn is Tahki Java, and upon arrival is was easy to see why it was so cheap. In a word, it sucks. It's like some nylon ribbony sort of string. Yes, I probably could've substituted... and as I recall I did try... but, well summer was probably over by that point.

Moving on...



I came across this pattern on the internet and it was so perfect that it involved tracking down an old Rowan magazine on e-bay and ordering a bunch of (not-so-cheap) Rowan Cotton 4-ply. The pattern is actually pretty addicting and the first side knit up in a few days. But that was about all the knitting of cotton on size 1 needles that my hands could manage so it was put aside... and well, I suppose my interest must have waned and that was that.

I do like this cardigan though and fortunately I made notes of all the minor modifications I made (probably a first - the notes I mean) and this solves the mystery of the missing size 1 needles.

Then last but not least is a Classic Elite Sundance cardigan...



Obviously, the biggest problem with this one is that it's not actually "white". But it is the closest to being done. As I recall, I had some concern about this fitting but I'm not sure I ever blogged about it (and my old blog pictures got all messed up because I'm a dork and apparently don't know how to use Flickr so I have to correct them all - argh)... but I do have a picture from last August.



I put it back on today and once it's blocked and has button bands, I actually think it should fit just right. And hey, if it's a little tight, who says I have to button it right? Right.

So out of the ashes of my UFOs come two potentially perfect cardigans. (I must admit I'm feeling remarkably resourceful about now.) And if they don't work out, there's always Kohls.