Sunday, April 24, 2011

FO: Nespelem



I've finished Nespelem by Norah Gaughan. I really love the look of the cabled collar. I think the design is just brilliant and I wish I had enough of a right brain to dream up stuff like that. The rest of the cardi is pretty straightforward, with some ribbing on the sleeves. There's also some ribbing on the back center and waist which I did not show in a photo. My yarn is Louisa Harding Grace Silk & Wool. It's only 50% merino wool, so I'm hoping it won't be too warm to wear for spring. I made mine a smidgen longer than the pattern's length and changed the side shaping a bit to suit me. For the ribbed fronts and collar, I slipped the first stitch on each row on the front opening side to give it a slightly cleaner looking edge.

The yarn feels soft and comfy when worn and looks nice enough, but I didn't love knitting with it. A new ball has a nice shine, but it's one of these slightly fuzzy yarns that gets fuzzier as you knit, and it's sticky. Also, some parts get thicker than others as you knit, so you end up with a slightly thick-and-thin look.

5 comments:

Ellen Bloom said...

The cardigan looks great on you...excellent color and that collar is a stand-out!

yoel said...

What a cool design! How does it close though? Is there a hidden button/closure in the cable twist?

betty said...

The pattern doesn't provide for a closure, and the pattern booklet shows the model wearing a belt around the waist. I'm not a big fan of the belt-over-a-sweater thing, so I'm leaving it open. I did try sewing on a clasp button closure but it looks funny because the ribbing gets tugged a bit and loses the nice line.

soknitpicky said...

It's absolutely stunning! Thanks for the slipped stitch tip.

knitseashore said...

It looks like a perfect fit, and great for transitional weather. Many of the cardigans in fashion now don't have any closures, so it looks up-to-the-minute. :)