I admire people whose wardrobe is entirely handmade. A few years ago I had the same goal, but I’ve slowly given up on it. Sometimes it’s nice to just buy something that’s literally ready to wear. I try to shop sustainable and socially conscious if possible though, which has gotten easier ever since I’ve had a bit more money at my disposal. Anyway, this cardigan is a good example why I won’t ever have an entirely handmade wardrobe: It’s taken me a looooong time to finish it.

I bought the yarn, DROPS Belle, back in 2017 when I still lived in Heidelberg. After moving, I started knitting this cardigan several times, then frogged it again. For a while, I had the back piece and 1.5 of the front pieces finished, then stopped when I realized the latter didn’t line up. They languished in my WIP box until I took them out again to re-knit the front pieces. However, I can’t knit for a couple of hours without interruption as before because my neck and back will kill me later. So I spaced my knitting time over August and September until I had finally finished this cardigan. It’s how I roll these days: very, very slowly.

The pattern, Sage my Kim Hargreaves, takes a while to memorize with its cable and lace repeats, but the A line shape means there isn’t much shaping going on to complicate it further. At some point knitting felt – well, not mindless, but fairly intuitive I guess. DROPS Belle frays a lot even for a cotton blend, but I adore the colours and feel of it. Plus, it washes up great! Easy to take care of and doesn’t lose colour in my experience.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Pattern: Sage by Kim Hargreaves, size L

Yarn: Garnstudio DROPS Belle (DK, 53% cotton/33% rayon/14% linen), in 12 Cherry

Pictures: Phil