A knitting interlude: My Part II Cardigan

It’s happened!

That roughly about once-a-year moment when I actually complete a knitting project!

Woo hoo! Yeah to me!!

Confession: since my knitting projects are so much rarer than my sewing projects, I almost feel even prouder of them.

I know that they are much crappier. And that I am still a super-beginner knitter, but I’m just so darn chuffed that I’ve even managed to finish something that all of that just fades away!!

This is the the My Part II cropped cardigan by Brosbol Henriksen. Unfortunately, just as I finished this cardigan, I received an email to tell me that they have decided to close down their shop – with THIS WEEKEND (at time of posting) to be the final days. So in the off chance that you might be interested in this knitting pattern, you should buy it pronto!!

The My Part II is a raglan sleeved cropped cardigan, knitted mostly in half fisherman’s rib (a new stitch for me), with stockinette sleeves. It’s knitted with three threads of mohair.

My version of the My Part II is a size large.

I knitted mine using Rico Essentials Super Fine Kid Mohair/Silk which I purchased from the Wool Warehouse. This is the plain old ‘white’ colour.

Finally, just to get all the technicalities out of the way, it took me about three months to knit. Knitting is a very occasional activity for me!

Knitting firsts

Knitting the My Part II cardigan really pushed the boundaries of my beginner knitting capacities. This project involved a lot of firsts for me.

It was my first time knitting with such a lightweight lace-weight wool – having been a mostly super chunky and DK-at-most weight kind-of-gal until now.

First time knitting in a half fisherman’s rib. Ain’t it so pretty! Once I got the pattern right, that is!

First time adding in ‘buttonholes’ after the fact! What the??? OK, they are really just glorified holes poked through the band…

But, speaking of buttons, aren’t these Atelier Brunette ones just lovely…

Most significantly, it was one of the first times knitting a cardigan which is knitted all-in-one without any parts being attached later. This required a lot of concentration for beginner me – especially at the start, but it felt amazing when I managed to do it!

And when there weren’t any ends to be weaving in throughout the process!

It was also one of the first projects that I have ever knitted that wasn’t designed to be beginner friendly. Not that it was unfriendly in any way but the way that the instructions were set out assumed a degree of prior knitting knowledge that I didn’t have.

For example, until now, I’ve generally sewn with very beginner oriented knitting patterns which will describe what you need to do in every single row (even if it’s just by reference to repeating previous rows), and will describe in detail how to do rows with increases or other changes in it.

This pattern, however, assumed that you understood already how to knit increases and continue knitting in a fisherman’s rib pattern. Which beginner me definitely didn’t know how to do.

Seriously – I’m at the knitting level where I had google “stockinette stitch in the round” when knitting the sleeve because I didn’t realize that you only need to knit to get stockinette in the round!

I would like to give a huge thank-you to Brosbol Henriksen who were extremely helpful and supportive because there were a few times where my lack of knitting experience meant that I just really wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do next. I actually had to email them with a question at one point, unsure if they would even answer, and I received a really prompt, helpful and patient answer which allowed me to continue on my way. It’s such a pity that they won’t be maintaining this creative endeavour as I find their designs so beautiful and their customer service is top notch!

In the end, I am so incredibly proud of this My Part II cardigan.

Yes, there are holes in the front where I messed things up.

Yes, there are parts where I did a few rows in the wrong pattern. Cuz my level of knitting ability doesn’t actually extend to me being able to undo and redo my knitting without starting against completely! And I’m not sure that it’s even possible with three strands of mohair intertwined – I didn’t want to be putting that back into balls!

And, yes, the first few inches barely resembles the stitch pattern at all because I had no idea what I was doing.

But I made something way out of my comfort zone, pushed my skill level and I still find it beautiful, despite its flaws.

Plus, did I mention its made out of the most lovely silk mohair! P.S. I had no idea just how warm mohair is to wear! Despite looking so light and fluffy, I’m as snug as a bug in this!

My knitting journey

Knitting is definitely an occasional beginner-level craft for me. Something for those days when I don’t want to be alone in my sewing corner. Or when my sewjo escapes me. Or when I can’t access my sewing machine for a while.

While I’ve recently been going through some difficult times (see last week’s post if you want to know more), I was surprised to find that it was actually knitting that I wanted to do more than sewing!

Whereas sewing, for me, has gone somewhat beyond a hobby and I think of it more as a creative channel, one filled with excitement and challenges and growth, knitting is calming and meditative. A hobby that helps me to relax, rather than get crazily inspired and excited!! And, trust me, relaxing is not something I do easily…

Despite having been knitting for quite a few years now, I knit very slowly and I tend to gravitate towards large projects like scarves, sweaters and cardigans. This gives me great satisfaction because that’s what I most want to wear but it also means that I don’t knit that many projects.

Perhaps, I should try smaller projects more frequently. I’ve very recently started tracking my wardrobe use and the kind of knitting projects I’m wearing wearing every day tend to be hats, so perhaps I should concentrate on knitting a few more hats to get a few quick projects under my belt and to help me to improve and learn new skills.

Oh and on that note, I have quite a few skeins of this mohair leftover, so any pattern suggestions in the comments of what to do with it would be highly appreciated!

I think I’ve actually only blogged a knitting project once before: here and you can see some more of my knitting output over on instagram – this Skiff hat, this little hat and scarf combo, this super chunky combo, this shawl, this Move on Up sweater from Wool and the Gang and this awesome Cable bomber (my fav knitting project ever!).

When I think that I’ve been knitting for 4 years or so, I feel like I should be a lot better at it! But the reality is that I’ve only actually made a small handful of projects in that time, so from that perspective, it’s unsurprising that my skills level remains pretty basic!

Nonetheless, despite my personal knitting limitations, it’s something that I keep coming back to and I’m proud to do so! Plus, I feel that as a “maker”, it keeps me more grounded in my sewing practice to have such a close understanding of what it feels like to be a beginner at something!

Speaking of being a beginner, I think I may have asked before but I really want to know whether there is a Tilly and the Buttons of knitting patterns out there?

The only knitting patterns where I have felt that I can actually pick up a knitting patten and follow all the instructions with ease without calling on YouTube for help are those by Wool and the Gang. But all of their patterns can only be bought as kits and, often, are actually far more simple and basic in design than what I really want.

And there is sooooo much beautiful wool out there that I don’t want to be confined to kit form.

I want beautiful and slightly more complex knitting patterns which still hold you hand and don’t assume you actually understand anything other than knitting and purl in advance.

For example, instead of just saying “knit sleeve in the round in stockinette” it includes a little reminder “to sew stockinette stitch in the round, you knit every row. To make sure it’s the right way out, hold your needles at the 6 O’clock position while knitting the sleeve”. In case you can’t tell, those are the pieces of vital info I had to google after I messed it all up! But I got there eventually!

Any ideas for knitting patterns that hold your hand while still being interesting and not-too-basic styles?

And please don’t tell me to search on Ravelry – was a more overwhelming platform for a newbie ever invented? There’s just too much on there, I find it impossible to navigate with my level of skill and knowledge…

Expanding my me-made wardrobe

It does give me a great deal of pleasure that my me made wardrobe incorporated both knitted and sewn garments. Especially when I can even wear them together – the accompanying Winslow Culottes in these photos are also me-made!

I’m also particularly proud of this My Part II garment because it fits in really well with my wardrobe – both in terms of colour and silhouette, and so is perfectly consistent with my Me Made May 2019 revelation that I need to be more thoughtful in building my me made wardrobe.

Even some of previous knitting projects, although they take me months and months to make, have not actually been worn much and have ended up in the donate pile.

This Salal cardigan, the only other knitting project I have blogged about, falls within that category.

Salal Cardigan by Andi Satterlund in Malabrigo worsted yarn open

Despite it being very cute, its length and colour did not coordinate with my wardrobe and I ended up simply not reaching for it.

I feel pretty confident that this My Part II cardigan won’t fall into that same category. In general, I’m starting to feel more confident in my wardrobe and style and I hope this represents an opportunity to have more of an idea in advance what projects will work for me, thus giving me more confidence to take on knitting projects that I will end up actually wanting to wear!

Cuz given how long knitting projects take, when they turn out to be a ‘miss’ it can be extra heart breaking!

Well, I think that’s about all from me! I can’t go on and on about knitting projects in quite the same way I can do for sewing!

Any other sewists who sometimes try to knit out there? How do you combine the two hobbies? What do they each represent for you?

What’s you next knitting project?

I kind of want to sew every project Brosbol Henriksen have ever designed… Better go buy some of them before they shut down!!

Oh and, finally, a little P.S! If you like to get your blog hits through Bloglovin’, feel free to follow me over there: you can find me here. And you can find me on Instagram here.

27 thoughts on “A knitting interlude: My Part II Cardigan

  1. Have you looked at Ravelry.com? It’s a wonderful resource for patterns – both free and paid – and the forums are great too. Free to join and has functionality to keep your patterns and yarn all online so you can check what you have and where you put it (only works if you don’t shift things without updating it, pity it’s not psychic on that front!).
    I think your cardigan turned out really well, especially for a newer knitter. I was originally a sewer and then started knitting when my eldest was getting into everything; it’s a very calming hobby and all that yarn I have keeps the studio warm, lol. I learned when I was a child, but it never really caught on with me till later. Now I knit a lot, and spin yarn and weave and sew, plus the odd bit of upholstery and woodwork. One thing leads to another and the next thing you know you’re building your own weaving stool or knitting a jersey for your beloved.

    1. That’s fantastic. Weaving seems fascinating. I use ravelry but honestly I find it overwhelming! There is just too much on there. I found the sheer number of results off-putting!! Once I know I’m going to sew a project I always check out other makes in ravelry though! I hope it leads me down the rabbit hole you describe one day – it sounds wonderful!

  2. This is lovely, the mohair looks so soft! When I was starting out I really liked using patterns from some of the indie knitting books, Hannah Fettig’s Texture was especially good. It has really great patterns in it, but also has tutorials throughout which are relevant to the various patterns, which I found really helpful. Tin Can Knits also have some really good teaching patterns!

    1. Great! Just the kind of recommendations I need! I’ve never even opened a knitting book before, so hadn’t even thought of this way forward. I’ll check them out!!

  3. I started knitting before sewing and it is my relaxation hobby for sure. I sew at the weekends when I have blocks of time but evenings after dinner are my knitting time with an audiobook, so calming, but I need the distraction of a book to stop my brain whirring.

    Woolly wormhead hats. Very clear instructions, and stacks to choose from.

    Try Knitty.com they have lots of free patterns but much easier to navigate and a really straightforward dropdown to pick level (eg easy = mellow). You can read through the pattern without any financial outlay and still check other’s versions on Ravelry. It is also a wealth of information and education for the knitter (and spinner which is yet another woolly rabit hole..!)

    Also, socks. Not as hard as they seem, small, easy to pick up and put down and once worn you will never go back! But best learning on 2 circular needles or magic loop. Learning how to manage 4 or 5 double ended needles just seems hellish to me.

    Love your cardigan- looks so delightfully light and airy, and fits like a dream!

    Also, your last post – I’m so sorry for what you have been through, but I don’t doubt that your post will be invaluable for others searching for information and companionship at such a desperately frightening, sad and lonely time.

    1. Thanks so much for such valuable info! I’ve been thinking about socks indeed – they seem a tad scary but I’ve been informed that they’re really knit!

      1. For socks, I’d recommend knitting on small 30cm circular needles. Google “Winwick Mum” and follow her sockalong pattern. Everything is covered in detail with photos and videos. I had no idea how to knit socks and thought it would be too fiddly and difficult but it was surprisingly stress-free!

  4. I’m so proud of your beautiful Cardigan and you can be too! It’s amazing what you challenged yourself with on this project. While reading I sometimes got the impression you felt you had to apologise for mistakes or for not knitting faster or for somehow nor being good enough to simply put this on the blog and be proud. I hope you know how impressive this is, completely worthy of being admired.
    I’m more of a knitter than a sewist myself. Knitting is so much more relaxing, I can take it anywhere (I second the suggestion of socks!) or vegetate at home in front of Netflix.
    I’m glad you got some suggestions for instructions. In Germany, instructions are even curter 😀 I’d recommend getting a really good book with knitting techniques, one with good explanations and pictures. Knitting is different from sewing in that there aren’t really that many different techniques to do, so it makes more sense to have a compendium to look things up.
    And then if you’ve found a few designers whose work you love, maybe from the suggestions of the other commenters, you can favourite them on Ravelry, so you won’t feel so overwhelmed. Or you could save a search for a favourite yarn and see what others are making. Saved searches are also wonderful because you can set so many criteria, so you won’t get thousands of results. Only want patterns with this yarn weight, for adult females, level easy, with at least this many projects etc. Then you can always see what new patterns were uploaded and get inspired. Ravelry works best when you personalise it, I’ve found.
    Hope you continue to have fun with knitting!

    1. Thanks so much there are some great tips in there to help make me feel less overwhelmed by my lack of knowledge! And you’re totally right that no-one should ever need to apologize for being a beginner at anything (so sorry for that :-)!)

  5. Your sweater looks beautiful! I taught myself to knit with the Stitch N Bitch book by Debbie Stoller, more than ten years ago. It has a particular vibe, and the projects may not fit your wardrobe. But I still love its positive, can-do attitude. I moved on to other projects fairly quickly, but I looked up whatever they told me to do in the book. (It was before knitting tutorial videos, alas!)

    The Fetching fingerless gloves from Knitty were one of my favorite early skill-building projects: http://knitty.com/ISSUEsummer06/PATTfetching.html They don’t take forever, so it wasn’t as crushing when I had to rip them back, and they make great gifts.

    I still can’t read through a knitting pattern and really understand what will happen. Like with sewing patterns, if I take it step by step and look up what I don’t know, it generally works out. I do use a row counter, and I often put a life line in when I’m not sure what I’m doing next, or it might be a while before I pick it up again. (“life line” = embroidery thread through the stitches on the needles; I can safely rip back to that point)

    Have you tried knitting from charts? They look mysterious, but can be easier to match up to your knitting once you understand them, I find. They’re usually used for sections rather than the whole garment, though. https://ysolda.com/blogs/journal/using-charts-even-if-you-hate-them

    1. Thanks for all the good tips! Indeed, life lines might be helpful to me! So far I’ve done one charted only pattern and it was indeed better than I was expecting. It’s all just practice I guess!

  6. I think you can claim to be at least an Intermediate Knitter – finishing a sweater is epic!

    Few people notice knitting (or sewing) errors – they just aren’t glaring when you get more than a few inches away. Heck, the fluff of mohair will obscure most errors no matter how close you get! Any errors that might be noticeable can just be called original design elements.

    I’ve used similar yarn for making amazingly warm, fairly short lace scarves – they look better for dressy occasions than something bulky. For other ideas on what to do with the remaining mohair silk yarn – here is information about carrying it along with another yarn:

    https://blog.tincanknits.com/2019/05/30/painterly-yarn-combinations-layering-mohair-over-a-base-yarn/

  7. Hi Beck,
    Your cardigan is beautiful – quite right that you are so happy with it 🙂

    Karen Templer’s blog at https://fringeassociation.com/ has been my jumping off point for exploring knitting patterns and techniques – posts tagged with ‘new favourites’ show a beautifully curated selection of patterns.

    I really enjoy your blog and wish you all the best following your previous very moving post.
    Gailx

  8. Amazing cardigan – well done you. I can make all sorts of sweaters but I’m terrified to try a cardigan, so I applaud your bravery. And those early stitch pattern issues are simply … design elements you’d pay a fortune for in RTW 😂.
    The US-based store and website Purl Solo has a manageable amount of modern sweater and cardigan patterns, mostly knitted top down so no need for sewing up afterwards – definitely worth a look.
    Good luck with your next project

  9. I agree with the earlier rec for Karen Templer’s blog. Lots of useful info, especially in her “Hot Tips” category. I made my first sweater using her Improv recipe:
    https://fringeassociation.com/2016/08/14/improv-basic-pattern-for-a-top-down-seamless-sweater/ and I refer back to that series all the time for the fundamentals, now plugging away at my third and fourth knitted garments using other patterns.
    Another read that has helped me immensely is Felicia Semple’s 3-part series on learning how to “read” your knitting:
    http://thecraftsessions.com/blog/2014/1/22/the-secret-to-becoming-a-great-knitter-part-1

  10. I started knitting last year and found Tin Can Knits really good. They have quite a few free patterns which have good instructions and link to more detailed tutorials if needed. Have done cables, lacework etc with no major issues using their patterns

  11. I love that cardi! It looks great on you.
    Have a look on Drops Design’s website (https://www.garnstudio.com/home.php?cid=19 If you end up on the Norwegian page, you can change the language all the way down at the bottom, but I tried to copy the English-language link for you). They have lots of patterns for all skill levels and they have great little tutorial videos for all types of stitches.

  12. Anything by Denise Barron (@bayronhandmade) is GREAT for beginners. She does fantastic video support with all her patterns and deliberately tries to test her patterns with a few brand new knitters so she knows exactly what the beginner sticking points are. She’s also just the most lovely and encouraging human on the planet, and is always happy to answer a question or help. Check her out on instagram, and then you can buy her patterns on ravelry if you find one you like!

  13. Another vote for the Stitch’n’Bitch book – nice clear instructions and a range of patterns included. Thinking about your leftover silk mohair, if you want to try lace knitting, I ca recommend the pattern Wisp which is on ravelry. It’s a simple lace pattern alternating with rows of garter stitch and the fluff of the mohair hides any errors well – definitely no unknitting with this one! And yes to socks but no to multiple DPNs – someone taught me magic loop when I started my first pair of socks & I’ve not used DPNs since.

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