Raspberry Conserve Cardigan (in various weathers)

 

Hi All

I'm back from my holidays on Orkney, and my goodness wasn't I glad that I had finished knitting my cardigan? The weather wasn't fantastic - a bit cold and overcast for most of the time but not too rainy at least, which I was very glad about as we did some camping. Nonetheless, we had a great time, as there is a lot to see. I wore my cardigan nearly every day, under a jacket and with jeans. Sadly the photo opportunities I had been hoping for, where I was swanning about in a vintage dress with my 50s style sunglasses, did not happen.

Never mind, I was able to redress the balance in a lovely hot and sunny Glasgow this afternoon.

 It definitely looks best with a dress

 Worn with a vintage silver and marcasite lizard brooch that belonged to my Gran - You can't see from this photo, but it has sparkling red eyes too

 Close up of the cables

I began knitting the cardigan on 17th April, and it took me nearly 3 months to knit, in between other knitting and sewing projects. It was quite an easy knit and really enjoyable. The cable pattern was simple to memorise and the pattern straightforward. I added a little bit to the length but the style is a for a cropped and closely fitting cardigan or jacket. The sleeves finish just before the wrists in the classic 'bracelet sleeve' style - this term was a new one to me, but as you might guess refers to a sleeve length that is designed to show off bracelets. This was also my first time knitting from a vintage pattern and I am definitely keen to do more.

This is definitely my favourite cardigan I have made, of the 3 I have knitted. I think it might even be my favourite item I have ever knitted and that I'll be getting a lot of wear out of it this autumn. I bought the wool from The Black Sheep online, it is Sirdar Balmoral which is a mix of wool with alpaca and silk. Including P&P the wool cost less than £25, which I consider to be an utter bargain. I have christened it the 'Raspberry Conserve' cardigan as the colour reminds me of raspberries.

Thanks for all your comments on my last post, part 2 of the interview with Helene. I'm glad so many of you enjoyed it. I would definitely love to do more of the same and will put some feelers out, however I think luck played a big part in that one! That said, I have been reading up on 20th century fashion, home sewing and knitting, so expect more posts relating to that in the future. Thanks also for your holiday wishes too, I had a lovely time on Orkney and look forward to sharing some of my recent finds and knits (of the baby variety) in the near future.

K x

Knitting on the beach at Birsay