FO: Big-collar cardigan

I've finished this cardigan knitted from an improvised pattern. I generally don't like to wear sweaters with narrow necklines but I wanted to make a winter cardigan with a cozy collar because even in the SF bay area, it does get sort of cold in the winter. The yarn is Shepherd's Wool from Stonehedge Fiber Mill, which is probably one of my favorite worsted weight merino wools.

The sweater is a basic cardigan with garter stitch at the hem, the sleeve cuffs, the yoke, and the collar. I wanted to use garter stitch for the collar because it creates a thick layer. I didn't want to use any fancy thick texture stitches because I'd have to deal with the increases. A surprisingly large amount of thought went into the yoke and collar construction. I wanted a collar that would rise up on the neck a bit and then lay flatter on the upper shoulder. If it didn't rise up on the neck, it would look like a peter pan collar, which I dislike. My ravelry project page has more details on the amount of increases done for the collar. The collar is picked up on the front from live stitches because I wanted a seamless transition. On the back, it is picked up from bound off stitches because the binding off keeps the neckline from stretching wide with wear. The vintage-y rhinestone buttons were purchased from my favorite button vendor at Stitches West.

I love this sweater. I'm also surprised how tailored and almost formal looking it turned out. When I wear it, I think I look like someone who should be working in an art gallery in Europe, or something like that.