Worry-free Cardi: Phase 1

Yesterday was a day spent sitting in the hospital, waiting to hear about my daughter's melanoma surgery.

I decided that it was a day to start a project that would take my mind off worry, hence, the "Worry-free Cardi".

The good news: Adrienne did great with the surgery. Dr. Peter Neligan removed the underside of her nose, used skin from
behind her right ear to graft onto the area, then incised two areas to gather material for a biopsy. No negative reactions, everything went as planned.

The dressing on her nose comes off on Friday. Results from the biopsy will be 1+ weeks. Dr. Neligan thinks there is a very good chance the biopsy will be negative. Then, all that will be left is to reconstruct the nose area in about 2 months.

For now, let me show you the quick progress on the "Worry-free Cardi".

The swatch above: I am using Cascade 220 EcoWool. A bulky moderately-priced wool that knits up quickly. I tried a couple of stitch patterns and settled on a simple pattern repeat that creates a vertical line and won't take much calcuating when I'm adding/removing stitches to make sure I stay in pattern. I also tested an integrated i-cord edge (click to see video) for the edges of the cardi. The sample above has a 3 stitch i-cord, but I'm going to knit a less bulky version using 2 stitches. As is normal for me, I'm happier with the knit fabric knit at a much tighter gauge than the manufacturer notes on their label. I'm using US 7 KnitPicks needles.

If you follow my blog, you already know that I love a logical method and something that doesn't waste my time. So, I'm knitting from the top down, using Tuulia's "The Tailored Sweater" method. I'm loving it. Despite the fact that I did the spreadsheet for this pattern, I get no kickbacks, no payment. I really just love this method!

The image below shows that, in one day, I have arrived at the stage where I pick up the sleeve stitches. Now, isn't that logical? You can get to the point that you know the sweater will fit in a few short hours. Intrigued? Yeah baby.

Here the Worry-free Cardi sits on a model:

A close up of the faux seam at the sleeve cap. This method gives you a good strong "seam" at the shoulder and supports the sweater well.

I'll keep you updated on the progress. I plan to knit the sleeves in plain stockinette, and knit a big glorious 2x2 ribbed collar that looks fabulous on women of, ah-hem, a certain age!

Reminder: Click the photos to see a bigger version. Also, did you notice the little holes in the gauge swatch (first photo)? I knit in the needle size by creating yarnovers that equal the needle size. How: On one row *K2tog, YO*, repeat for number of needle you are knitting with. Next row, knit in pattern as usual. You'll then have an easy built-in reminder of what needle size you used.