Kris Howard on Nostr: The Knitter’s Dude - Phew, the cardigan is off the #knitting needles! It took me ...

The Knitter’s Dude - https://www.web-goddess.org/archive/87740

Phew, the cardigan is off the #knitting needles! It took me several hours to graft (https://blog.tincanknits.com/2013/10/03/kitchener-stitch/)* the hundreds of stitches in the shawl collar for the stretchy tubular cast-off. Now I just need to graft the underarms, weave in a ton of loose threads, sew on buttons, and block it. I used nearly 15 balls of 10ply (worsted, for the Americans) wool, so this sucker weighs nearly 1.5kg (more than 3lbs). The colourwork portion is effectively two layers because of the ladderback jacquard (https://www.moderndailyknitting.com/community/how-to-work-ladderback-jacquard/) technique that I used to handle the floats, so it’s very, very warm and cozy. As my friend Alayne said, just in time for summer!

In terms of materials and labour costs, it would’ve been way cheaper to just buy the Pendleton version (https://www.pendleton-usa.com/product/the-original-westerley-mens-sweater/52124.html). But hey, I’m having lots of fun and I’ve learned some new techniques. I’m looking forward to my next project being in much thinner wool though…

* Couldn’t resist the meme. (Explanation for the non-knitters (https://web.archive.org/web/20230311213944/https://www.digitsandthreads.ca/why-we-call-it-grafting-not-that-mans-name/).)