I’ve been knitting for nearly twenty years, progressing slowly from scarves to hats, lace shawls, mittens, flowers, miniature knitted creatures, and eventually socks—slowly accumulating new skills like turning heels, colourwork, grafting, and picking up stitches. But for me, the big one—the project that seemed a bridge too far—was The Sweater.
But everywhere I looked, gorgeous sweater patterns taunted me from websites, books, and social media. Pullovers! Cardigans! Sweet little bolero jackets! I couldn’t take it anymore. Determined to conquer the sweater, I signed up for (Digits & Threads co-founder) Kate Atherley’s finishing class at my LYS, Yarns Untangled. There, I discovered how to navigate the miracle of engineering that is the set-in sleeve. Tell me one thing more satisfying thing than a neatly seamed sleeve—I’ll wait.
(Okay, fine… Turning a sock heel is pretty close on the satisfaction scale.)
For this sweater, now my third foray into sweaterdom, I wanted a cardigan—an everyday go-to wardrobe staple in a lightweight yarn that would be soft against my skin. I had several skeins of Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend handspun yarn in the Steel colourway, and they fit the bill beautifully. For the pattern, I used the CustomFit tool and created a custom V-neck cardigan with an hourglass silhouette and 1×1 ribbing at the sleeve cuffs and hem (5 cm/2 inches), and the button band (4 cm/1½ inches).
The cardigan knit up quickly and easily, and the pattern was straightforward with some interesting touches like shaping darts in the lower third, subtle waist shaping, and twelve—yes, twelve—buttons. I purchased the buttons from a local seller on Etsy; they’re made from a light-coloured wood, and I love the little pops of contrast. (If, like me, you dread sewing on buttons [did I mention there are twelve?], I highly recommend this D&T tutorial.) The yarn blocks like a dream, is warm, snuggly-soft, and incredibly lightweight. And while it pilled a little on the first wear, it (thankfully) never got worse.
All in all, I’m thrilled with my Horizontal Hold cardi and looking forward to my next foray into sweaters—maybe this time I’ll conquer yokes with a nice stripey pullover. Stay tuned!
Photos by Owen Zuliani.
