Season 4 Episode 1: A Deep Dive Into Knitting The Felix Cardigan

Lessons For Any Knitting Project

Transcript of Episode:

Oh!, it's so good to sit with you here and have this conversation, my friend. And while we're doing this, my Felix cardigan is on the dining room table, almost dry, and it smells so wonderful. I gave it a good long soak in jasmine scented Eucalan, which I purchased as a treat when I visited far north Yarn Company in Anchorage. When I was there, I got to spend many lovely hours with Annie laughing as we were squeezing yarn skeins and working together to try to create the perfect palette for a project that I had no idea I even wanted to cast on. And truth be told, I actually haven't cast that on yet. So the cardigan in the center of my table, which is laid out much like what the main course of a fancy dinner would be, only that fancy dinner isn't happening. Well, that cardigan is actually the topic of today's conversation, and it's knit in yarn that I had in stash, not what I had purchased from Annie's lovely yarn store. If you are ever in Anchorage, Alaska, I encourage you to visit the far north Yarn Company. It's not only a wonderful, comfortable, beautiful shop. Annie is a joy. She's the owner and the operator. Not only was she wonderful to engage with, or not only is she wonderful to engage with each time I go, but the people that come through are just they're so wonderful to talk with about their projects and about the yarns they're using. What needles Do they like to crochet? Do they like to felt? What are they knitting? It's just a great place to connect with people who love knitting and crochet and and using fibery good things. Okay, so before I got off track, I was talking about the lovely smell of the wool wash. Well, actually, that's not true. I was already off track at that point, so before I get back on track, I should just wrap up by saying it really does seem like every aspect of my life is tucked into my knitting, whether it's the feel of what I've knit, or the smell of what I've knit, or the the end project, right? All of these things that are happening in life are tucked into my knitting, into your knitting, creating such rich fiber of moments that are interconnected in much the same way as the physical stitches I've worked and so on that note, we are going to discuss the Felix cardigan by Amy Christopher's and a lot more than that. So to get this started, I need to tell you where we are today. A steady, unrelenting rain has settled here in Kodiak, Alaska for the last two weeks and three days. Not that I'm counting. Actually, I am counting, because even though the calendar reads June, I am wearing, as I'm talking to you right now, woolen knits inside my home, I am indoors, dressed in woolen knits, except for my hat, which is a store bought Carhartt hat, which is not wool. So that's saying something. But again, I'm indoors. I just cannot bring myself right now to turn on the heat, because it's supposedly summertime, or at least the cusp of summertime. So anyways, I was in mind to knit in a soft, round, warm wool. And I've just moved my yarn and my fiber and all of my knitting related items to a different part of my home. And fresh in my mind was the. A Barrett wool company home yarn, which I had neatly stacked at the bottom of my organized, worsted weight section, which most likely, when I finished talking with you, I should go back and tidy that up, because I've made a complete mess of that because in my excitement to cast on, I just grabbed the yarn and ran and neglected to behave as an adult and clean it up straight away. The great thing about messes, they wait for you until you return, right? So there's a little something to keep me busy while I wait for the cardigan to be 100% dry, because once it is, I'll be able to weave in my loose ends. So before I tell you about the project, I'd like to talk a little bit more about the wool, and I'm hoping that I can help you picture what I'm knitting as I talk to you, however, because I know that sometimes what I say does not always convey what I mean or what I'm feeling or what I've experienced. I want to remind you that in the show notes, there's a link to the blog post that goes with this episode, and there you will see pictures of the yarn, so you'll get a sense of the actual color, which is a beautiful color I'll talk more about. You'll also see the newest member of our family who was quite a help to me as I knit. You'll get to see the actual cardigan that I'm describing. And the great thing is, if you are on a smartphone while you're listening to this, for instance, maybe you're in Apple podcasts, or maybe even Spotify. If you go to the episode and you tap the link that takes you to the post, you can actually see it while I'm talking, which is kind of fun. So anyways, the yarn, right? The yarn. Barrett wool company is an American company which is founded by Susan B Anderson, who I'm sure most of you listening have seen some of her beautiful projects that she has made, everything from the inside out, topsy turvy collection, which is a great book of knits that have reversible like it's one knit on one side, and you can tuck it and pull it through, and it becomes something different. She's amazing at creating small animals with huge personalities just because of their beautiful little faces. Anyways, she's an incredible pattern designer and author, and she founded a company that she runs, I believe, with her son. And it is always a quick yes for me when I get an email which is sharing a new kit available, the yes comes easily because of the thoughtful kits that are curated by Barrett wool company. And also because the wool, which is 100% American wool, has a variety of vivid colors. And when I say vivid, I mean they're just they're just so rich and saturated, and they also feel good in your hands, or at least in my hands, as I knit with them. Then they do create beautiful finished objects. So some time ago, I purchased the worsted weight yarn, which is home, H, O, M, E, home yarn, and I got several skeins in the color field, which is a green gold color that just reminds me of all the happiness and joy of being outside. It's a three ply yarn, and it's round and it's soft and it's happy to be worked into my summer sweater. So it is a yarn that has 230 yards or 210 meters per 100 gram skein. And for this project, I used three full skeins and 26 grams of the fourth one.

Now I'm going to kind of go off and I'll come back, because I want to talk about these skeins. But I gave you the quantity of what I used for this cardigan, and I just. Want to broaden this spot here, when I measure for a cardigan, and I know oftentimes we're we're supposed to measure like if you're measuring your bust, or you're measuring your waist, or you're measuring your shoulder, I have seen plenty of tutorials on measuring where someone is in a, you know, a fitted long sleeve blouse, t shirt, something that's fitted on them, and then they measure. I just want to share with you a quick tidbit as to how I measure for my cardigans that is a little bit different because of where I live. Again, I live on a very remote island, which is absolutely beautiful. It does not get piping hot. Here, I knit sweaters year round, because I wear sweaters year round, and something I've noticed that helps ease frustration and give me more satisfaction in my finished object is using this Felix cardigan as an example. I envision what I'm going to be wearing this with and most often, I'm not wearing a fitted t shirt underneath my cardigans. I am usually wearing a cardigan over multiple layers. For example. I'm not going to talk too much about the cardigan because I don't want to spoil the story, but I envisioned, once the vision was cast, I immediately started thinking of how I was going to style this new sweater. This this piece for my wardrobe, and I have several corduroy dresses and corduroy almost like they look like little apron jumpers. And underneath of those, I often wear flannels that are buttoned up and have a collar and long sleeves. And under those, I will often wear a a woolen camisole and or a silk woolen mix camisole underneath of that shirt. So what I want to introduce to you is an idea that when we measure our chest or bust line. The idea of what we're planning to wear with our sweaters is valuable. It's data. It's information. How am I going to wear this if I'm wearing it with a fitted t shirt and I measure my bust line and say, we'll just say it's a 10. So my bust is a 10, and the cardigan the measurements, I'm looking at it and thinking, okay, great, with three inches of positive ease, this is the one I'm going for. Now, when I put on my silk camisole, which insulates me my flannel and my corduroy jumper, and think that I'm going to wear my cardigan over top of it, my three inches of positive ease is already eaten up by what I've put on, because when I measure myself, instead of having these layers on and measuring and getting a 10, I will oftentimes put these garments on which have their own positive ease. And instead of measuring a 10, I'm measuring a 14, or maybe I'm measuring a 16, especially with the corduroy jumpers, they're very loose. And when I say jumper, I'm not talking about the European word jumper. It's not like a pullover sweater. It's a it's a little dress that has cute pockets, and the corduroy is a nice, thick, Welty, sturdy corduroy. So my starting point is no longer a 10. My starting point can be upwards to 16, and so we have a difference of six. Now I know I'm not a 10 when I measure what I'm saying is I'm giving you just information. So if you are really excited about a particular garment that you are thinking about knitting, I'd like to encourage you to consider what it is that you're planning on wearing this with if it's something you're wearing to work. For instance, maybe you work at the hospital and. And you have to wear professional clothes that are look a certain way, or maybe you have to wear scrubs, they're going to fit you differently. And so the cardigan that you wear over it is going to look and feel differently on you, if you are like me, and you are going to wear your cardigan at home, perhaps not in the professional setting where you are wearing layers upon layers underneath of it, then things change. Your chest measurement change my arm. When I measure my arm with my layers on it changes. And so if I don't want the positive ease that is built into the cardigan to be lost, then I need to make sure that where I'm measuring from starts accurately. So that's just an aside, and some of you may be living in places where you don't put on the layers, and it may be like no big deal. But for those of you who have places where autumn and winter are, you know an opportunity to have an adventure in layering. You may find a bit more satisfaction when you measure yourself based on not wearing your just your bra and a T shirt and measuring the fullest part of your bust like everybody tells us to measure yourself based on what you're actually planning to wear This with. Okay, so anyways, that's where I was seeing a great opportunity for me to share something that I've learned. And I hope if any of you found any value in it, hooray. And for those of you who have no need for it, let's just move on. Okay, so I'd like to talk about what happens after I grab all these yarns. So I have four skeins of this yarn, and I put each skein on my umbrella Swift, and I ball them by hand. I balled each of these by hand as I went. And this is a part of knitting that I enjoy very much. For me, the time that I spend balling by hand is actually an opportunity to spend time with just the yarn before introducing the pattern or the needles and the stitch markers and all the other things. It is just me and the yarn. A bit of bonding. Okay, maybe bonding is a bit too far, but assessment, assessment is closer to what it is for me. So I've strategically used this time of balling by hand on many occasions to rethink my choice for a project. And there have been yarns that I've put on my swift balled up and I rescanned them before I cast on a stitch. There have also been plenty of times that I don't even finish the first ball and I just start to wind it back up onto the skein. And often it's not because I don't like the yarn. It actually isn't that at all. So actually, I'm gonna take a deep breath and let me just reconstruct what happens in my brain when I decide to knit something. So this is just one example, and it's the example, the true to life example of what just happened with the Felix. So usually I'm in the middle of something. In this case, I'm in the middle of knitting a sock, and my brain says, What are you doing? You need a sweater. And I don't know how many of you out there also have ADD or ADHD. And if you do the next part of the story will make sense. And if you don't, I need to inject here that this is, in fact, a true story how my brain works, right in the middle of working the heel flap after having to knit back 12 rows because I noticed I had messed up a cable sequence, my brain sets off alarms. Hello, hello, anybody there? Why are we concentrating on fixing this when I need a sweater? Winter is coming, and now is the only time that I have to start a sweater, and suddenly I can think no other thought besides, I need to start a sweater. So I put the sock into its project bag, knowing full well I am not going to be returning to this project until mid mid autumn at the earliest, and down the hallway I go to look at yarn. Now I should also mention that my current sweater knitting status includes I am number one actively knitting a vest for my youngest daughter, a vest for myself, a simple pullover. And I say simple. Because, I mean that it's stockinette stitch. It's a classic style, very tailored, and I'm enjoying knitting it. It's in mohair and a strand of mohair and, oh, it's a single strand of single ply fingering weight silk Merino yarn. And so they're held together, and it is creating the most cloudy, fluffy, magical thing. So that's one daughter's vest. My vest, simple pullover. I have a scrappy pullover that I have no pattern for, and I'm actually enjoying creating that pattern up as I go, super straightforward, simple, and I have another color work, pull up, pull up, pull over. It's from the bottom up, and it's in progress. So when my brain is panicking because I need a sweater, what it's really trying to convey to me is my need to get a cardigan started, and I'm not wrong. So to recap, I am knitting one project and suddenly made aware of the fact that my attention is urgently needed on a different project. Anybody out there. Can relate, I leap into action and I get on it. So in this specific example, at first, I looked to yarn for the inspiration, and what happened was I saw too many perfect options, too many newly organized yarns are staring at me. And so I switched tack, and instead I looked for a sweater pattern, specifically a cardigan. Amy Christoffer's of savory knitting is a brilliant knitting pattern designer, and quite honestly, a lovely human she's just a joy if anyone has the opportunity to take classes with her, or show up at a place that she is, is teaching, or wherever she is, I encourage you to go. She honestly is just, not just a lovely human but she's kind, she's compassionate, and she's very knowledgeable, and I have spent many moments laughing with her. And I just highly recommend anything where you can go and have her instruct you. Highly recommend. So I've knit many of her sweater patterns, and I've enjoyed the process as well as the finished object. So when I was searching in my phone's knitting pattern folder for you know, something to knit, several of her projects were there and they're ready to be cast on, right? So I knit the Felix pullover a few years ago. Now, I think it's several years ago, and the raglan increased detail was interesting. It was fun and had bonus points because it looked lovely when it was worn. So the Felix cardigan pattern popped up as I scrolled, and my brain was like, Yes, let's go. So with that choice made, back to the yarns I went. Now the pattern calls for Aaron weight, and I'm going to pull it up so the pattern notes state the cardigan is worked at an open, airy Gage. If substituting yarn, look for Aaron or chunky weight yarn to match Gage. Now the gage is 14 stitches by 20 rows, which will equal 20 No, that's a lie. It will equal four inches in stockinette stitch, and the Barrett will co home yarn was calling out to me, and like I said earlier, the field. Colorway is just so good. So I pull it out from the bottom of the stack, I make a mess, and I hurry off to the switch, the switch the Swift So now, in case I did a poor job of explaining things, which very well may be I may not have conveyed to you that this whole episode was a bit of a hasty undertaking, very impromptu, and that's where this hand winding comes in. Clutch. I don't read a book, I don't listen to podcasts, I don't FaceTime a friend, I don't watch a TV show when I'm bawling the first skein, because this is the time when I can, and I often do, evaluate and re evaluate what I'm about to start Do I like the yarn? Do I like the yarn for this project? Does it feel like it's going to be a good fit for the pattern requirements? What changes can I expect if I'm substituting this specific yarn and this yarn weight? For the recommended yarn or sample kit, and I do all this before I even swatch. Why bother swatching? If, as I'm letting it run through my hands and I see it, if I can evaluate it and pre evaluate it, most often, I make it to the swatch phase, either happily convinced this is a good choice. Or I go ahead and I vet this yarn and say, You know what, not for this. So I actually have knit with Green Mountain Spinnery. Is it mountain mohair? Yes, mountain mohair before, which is the pattern, example yarn. And so as I'm balling the home yarn, I do it slowly, very, very slowly and trying to recall the mountain mohair, because, yes, there is going to be a difference using this yarn instead. And so what I try to do at this time is to think through the properties of the two yarns, not to talk myself out of the substitution, but to think through the differences in the fabric that's going to possibly be created. So if I take time now and come to terms with the expectations versus reality, I can confidently make a decision. So when I reach the end of the ball and it's complete, I've had time to let my activities catch up with my thoughts, and I like the idea of this cardigan in this yarn being the project that interrupts my sock. So I cast on now this cardigan starts at the top, but not with the ribbed neck band, just straight away to the main event, and the neck band is going to be picked up once the body is done and complete, but before the front button bands are picked up and worked. Now, spoiler alert, my cardigan has no buttonholes as I'm taking this cardigan knit in a different closure direction, so now the knitting was rhythmic and relaxing, and because I love purling, those rows were very pleasant for me. Now the aforementioned Raglan eyelet detail is simple enough for new to sweater knitting pattern, new to sweater knitting knitters to give a try, and those who have more sweater knitting in their repertoire will certainly enjoy the break in stockinette that you get in these little bits of eyelet detail for the raglan. So before I knew it, I had cast off at the bottom hem and I was onto the sleeves. Two things were instrumental in the joy of knitting the sleeves and keeping me preventing me from having that dreaded sleeve Island monotony that so many knitters struggle with, and those two things were treats to listen to. So I'd like to pause the knitting process for just a moment, because the two things that I listen to while working the sleeves, are worth more than just a passing comment. So I am a huge mystery fan, the kind of who done it that's akin to like cerebral gymnastics, but not gore. My imagination is it is far too vivid for what gory writing allows me to create in my mind. So murder mysteries that I like are akin to the golden age of mystery like Poirot and Miss Marple and sometimes Morse, who's, strictly speaking, I know, is not golden age. Rather, he's modern. So to be fair, though, there are often details and descriptions that I have to skim when reading about Morse says efforts to keep Oxford safe. So all right, I know I need to stay focused. Okay? Because once I start on mystery tangents, I go on and on, but this is too good to miss the opportunity to share this with you. So I was recommended the book How to solve your own murder a week or two before casting on my Felix cardi, and I walked from my house down to the local indie bookstore, and they didn't have it in stock. So I wound up purchasing a few other books instead, but I really wanted to read that book, and as the aforementioned sweater incident showed you that I'm a bit impulsive, and I have to do it right then, sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes. So I did whatever. Every impatient bibliophile does, and I downloaded that book from audible to listen to on the way home. So about 10 minutes into the walk home, I was actually questioning the decision I'd made on this book choice, and I was considering, should I continue? Because in much the same way with books, as with my knitting, if I'm not digging something, I'm I'm not gonna stay there. But as luck would have it, I met a friend en route, and I popped my earbuds out, and we chatted for a few minutes, and squirrel I sort of forgot about my book dilemma. The conversation with my friend wrapped up, and I resumed my hike and the story, and I was in a different headspace, and the story soon took a twist. And no kidding, I walked past my house and continued on for another 30 minutes just to keep listening to the story. So hooked on this book was I that on each of my afternoon walks, I listened to the book, and when I got to the part of the pattern for the sleeves, it completely made sense to incorporate listening to the mystery while I was doing that, I could solve the crime and get the sleeves done. Now Poirot cannot do that, so the narrators did such a great job that my knitting flew along, and before I knew it, I did. I solved the mystery, and I created this. Created a sleeve, and that's not bad. Not bad at all. But now my book was done, and the remaining second sleeve was not so I decided to treat myself to Wagner, who I deeply enjoy. It. So happens that my family has been out of town and I've had the house to myself because my family is not as passionate as I am, but oh my gosh, The Ride of the Valkyries is such an anthem, and so I put that on, and also Das Rheingold such a moving piece. So having Wagner's music with the powerful highs and the despairing lows, well second sleeve two, done and dusted before I even realized it. Now, if you enjoy TV knitting, I just putting this out here. I encourage you to find an audiobook to give a try as you knit, despite what I shared about the sleeves finding their way to completion without me paying the slightest bit of attention, that isn't the usual truth, most often when I'm listening to an audiobook and knitting, I find that I am completely engaged in the story, while at the same time being fully present in each stitch that I make. For example, when I look at my hand spun yarn in my night shift shawl, I return at once to hiding amongst the rhododendron by the edge of a lake, almost almost completely obscured by the mist. I'm on a stakeout waiting for the villain to make an appearance, and my friend that was knit three summers ago at the time of recording this, and yet that moment in the story is steeped into those knits and purls and slipped stitches. It is such a great pairing to listen to a story and knit up a sweater, a sock or a shawl. So if you're an audiobook aficionado, please, please, again, as you're listening to this click the link. You can go to the blog post that supports this episode, scroll down to the comment section of the blog post and share your audiobook recommendations. And I gotta say, bonus points for a good mystery recommendation. I really love cozy mysteries, cozy crimes. Again, not, not really, nothing gory. I just so anyways, Felix had its sleeves quickly done, and as I mentioned earlier, the neck band was picked up and worked on afterwards. Once I finished that, the right and the left bands were picked up and worked in one by one ribbing, yes, one by one ribbing, no buttonholes made, just straightforward ribbing. Instead of buttons, I plan to sew on some vintage velvet ribbon to the facing sides of the band, and after that lovely ribbon is secured, I'm going to add snaps. I'm not going to wait for this, for that part to be done, though, to wear this cardigan, especially since the high today will. Was 40 let me look 42º—42 degrees high today, June, June, 42 degrees Fahrenheit. So for sure, my plan is to put it on as soon as I weave in the ends. And I have a bit of a weight before the ribbon arrives. But it's coming a great distance, and that story, my friend, is one for another episode, which I am already eagerly looking forward to. So in the meantime, I am ever so thankful for the time with you here and on the blog, and also for those of you who take the time to send me messages and add your comments, so many of those were treasures, really. They were stored and savored while I've been on a break. So thank you, and welcome back to you and to me to our time here together to encourage better knitting in one another. So until next time, my friend, I hope that the sun is shining on you, wherever you are, and that you feel warm. Hear me when I say that you are valuable and valued, and I am so very thankful for you.