Hello! Last week was a bit of a whirlwind and I didn’t get round to composing a post, but this week things are back to a more even keel. In between everything else, I did manage to finally finish a cardi for our daughter. It’s Matilda Kruse’s Be Mine, a longish cardigan with pockets. Viewed from the front, it doesn’t look very exciting. But just look at the back – ooh là là! C’est joli, non? Isn’t it pretty?
Worked from the top down it was a lovely project that flew off my needles (I knit the body and sleeves in about three weeks). So why did it take me so long to finish? Well, two things: 1) the binding off and 2) the pockets.
First, the binding off. The pattern simply said, ‘Bind off all sts’, so that was what I did. Uh-oh, the ribbings curled upwards – not a nice look. Going onto Ravelry, I saw that several other knitters had had the same frustration. One even frogged all the k3, p1 ribbings and re-knit them in k1, p1. That would solve the problem, but I liked the way the pattern on the back merged into the ribbing too much for that.
So, I tried out just about every bind-off under the sun. Here are some of them, in case you are as pernickety about this kind of thing as I am:
- K3, p1 as per pattern – curls up.
- Entirely knit bind-off – even worse.
- Picking up loops on the wrong side (video here) – interesting, but gives an unattractive thick welt.
- Adding kfb increases (video here) – would be great for toe-up sock cuffs, but gave a wavy edge on this cardigan.
- Purl bind-off on the right side – this is what I chose in the end.
Clearly visible, but at least it doesn’t curl up.
For the pockets I had knit in a piece of waste yarn that had to be unravelled later, with live stitches to be picked up on either side. Scary! What if the entire thing unravels? (It didn’t and was easier than I feared). The pocket is knit in the round and finished with a 3-needle bind-off. This means that it hangs loose on the inside of the cardi – can you see it?
After knitting the pockets, there were considerable holes on either side of them:
How to close those invisibly? Also, stitches had to be picked up for the pocket tops in a straight line, and the pocket tops had to be mattress-stitched onto the fronts. If I botched that, it would spoil the entire cardigan. In the end I just got on with it and am fairly happy with the result.
I hope the pockets won’t pull on the sides of the ribbed tops too much. If they do, I may have to reinforce them somehow on the wrong side.
The yarn I used for Be Mine was Rosy Green Wool’s sport-weight ‘Cheeky Merino Joy’ (100% Organic Merino extra fine; 100 g/320 m/341 yds) – finer sister of ‘Big Merino Hug’, which I used for my OXOX XL shawl. Both oh so soft and gorgeous to knit with. The shade our daughter chose is Reed:
Reed? For this greyish green? Reed, with its feathery plumes, grows in every ditch and along just about every waterway and lake here. There are also extensive beds where reed is grown for roofing material. Reed can take on many colours.
In winter the dried stalks are a pale to golden yellow, depending on light.
In spring, the young reed leaves are a vivid, fresh green. And the dried reed stalks used for roofing gradually darken to brown.
But the greyish green of the Be Mine cardigan? Never! Well, perhaps in summer when the light is just right it can be said to have a greyish tinge.
Reed-coloured or not, this cardigan was a great knit and I hope it will bring the wearer much joy. I hope there is something on your needles that is bringing you joy, too, and hope to see you again soon. Bye for now!
What a beautiful cardigan!! I think you did very well with the challenges, and I’m sure your daughter will enjoy wearing it a lot. Reed? You added beautiful pictures to show reed isn’t greygreen at all, okay, maybe in the sun, like the picture with the dragonfly. Well, what’s in a name? In the end the cardigan itself is what matters, and it’s gorgeous!
Thank you! I’ve really enjoyed knitting this cardigan, and also looking through my reed pictures from different seasons.
For bind off, a suggestion maybe for another time, three stitch i-cord bindoff. Just did this on a cardi ribbing edge w soft yarn. It took several hours, but lies flat and gives a nice edge. Lovely discussion of yarn names for colors. We all have our own associations and color perceptions! Thanks for your sharing of projects and places.
Thank you for reading this post in its entirety and your kind words (I was afraid it might be boring), and also for your suggestion. I did consider an I-cord bind-off but thought it would be too prominent on this particular cardigan. Will keep it in mind for future projects, though. Your soft cardi sounds lovely (it’s in the words soft and nice edge) – what pattern and yarn did you use?
Always enjoy your sharings. Thank you. Photos, discussions, colours, tutorials. Love it all.
I was admiring the subtle colourings in the sweater yarn before we got to the ‘reed’ debate. Despite that, I thought the colours within the yarn were attractive. I trust the beautiful gift will be enjoyed, worn with appreciation and will be much admired. Beautiful from start to finish.
You’ve really taken a close look at the photos! The yarn I used has some brownish or greyish fiber in it. It isn’t exactly marled, but it isn’t entirely solid either. Very attractive, I find. Thank you for your very kind words – they give me the courage to keep going!
Absolutely gorgeous sweater – and the front isn’t boring. Glad you found a good bind off. As for the pockets – I have been successful the couple of times that I have added pockets, but now I don’t remember how I did them!!!
Thank you – I’ve given it to her now and it fits perfectly! I try to keep notes on Ravelry of how I did things (like pockets), but don’t always get round to it.