Alice’s Christmas Cardigan

Alice’s sweater is done! My mother gave me this red wool from her stash and I couldn’t find a pattern that used fingering weight and that was exactly what I was looking for, so I made this up. At the beginning I was planning to write a pattern for it as I knit it up, but I wasn’t organized enough for that in the end. Ah well.

The wool is Dale of Norway Daletta and I had just enough…I would have made the collar a little larger, but I was on the last inch of yarn. I love the pure red color and it feels nice- not too soft, not too scratchy.

I went with an eyelet pattern to dress it up a little and knit the collar and bands in seed stitch. I knit this all in one piece on straight needles and then I picked up the sleeves on double pointed needles and knit down to the wrists. I haven’t blocked the sleeves yet since they are the right length right now and I figure I can block them later to get some extra length.

I decided on three little shell buttons at the top (I conveniently had three already kicking around in my button box) and I picked up and knit a little collar. I like Alice’s sweaters to have collars so that the straps on her car seat don’t dig into her neck.

The back is my favorite…I decreased in a panel of garter stitch so that the back “skirt” of the sweater is slightly gathered, which looks adorable and also fits nicely over cloth-diapered bottoms.

Alice seems to like it, and I’m quite happy with it as well. Here she can be seen doing a joyful heel click:

So now I have a few little Christmas gifts yet to make, but then I’ll be needing some new projects. Hmm…