The Gardigan-Cardigan

Pattern: Garden Cardigan

Designer: ANKESTRiCK

Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed, which is a DK weight yarn. Color = Bilberry 151

Needles: US 6 for the main body/sleeves; US 4 for the ribbing

Finished: January 2025

Made for: Me

Size made: 2

Details and notes: First . . . why “Gardigan-Cardigan”? Because everytime I tried to tell someone the name of the pattern I was knitting – which is Garden Cardigan – I answered “Gardigan-Cardigan.” Eventually I just gave up and called it that. Anyway. This is a lovely design with a straightforward, easy-to-follow pattern. I initially started this cardigan with a different yarn (Dapple from Brooklyn Tweed in a lovely green) that didn’t end up working well (too heavy — and would have required alternating skeins throughout), so I started over with a more appropriate yarn for this design. Good choice, although I would have preferred that green. The pattern calls for holding two strands of lace weight yarns together OR a single strand of DK weight. I think this would be just lovely in lace weight, but I wanted a more “workhorse” cardigan — one I might actually wear for spring gardening.

Some notes:

  • Amount of yarn I actually used – Most of 5 skeins, which brings me close to the called-for amount of DK weight yarn for this sweater in this size
  • Modifications – I followed the pattern as written EXCEPT I did the Italian bind-off for the bottom band and sleeves rather than the tubular bind-off called for in the pattern. (And for the record, I hated every minute of it.)
  • There are two options for making the sleeve decreases, and I chose to “Decrease in Pattern” (the first option listed), which worked out well and was actually much easier more intuitive to knit than the instructions might lead you to believe.
  • I did not make the “hidden pocket,” and I know I won’t miss it.
  • I did hold off on knitting the bottom ribbing and sleeve ribbing until AFTER I had the entire body/sleeves (except the ribbings) knit. I blocked the cardigan and then tried it on for fit. THEN . . . I did all the ribbing and finished it up. (I did block the completely finished sweater one more time.)

Bottom line: I really like the finished cardigan — and love the split neckline feature at the back. It fits well — just the way I wanted it to, and I know I’ll wear it a lot. It did get a bit tedious to knit, and I really got bogged down with that Italian bindoff, but I really like the look of the lace pattern and have no regrets. I do wish it were green, but I can live with the purple.