Junkyard Pumpkin

If clothing had feelings, this poor cardigan would be complaining that it was being bullied or racially vilified for its skin colour.

Recently I had a short holiday. Not that I went away anywhere. I just wasn't at work all the time. Over a couple of weeks I juggled the final marking of this semester's batch of exams and the attendant meetings to ensure consistency and compliance with regulations with some serious couch potato knitting time. And so I cast on for a new work cardigan. I'm definitely a cardigan rather than a blazer girl when it comes to my professional work clothes.

I have copped more flack on this poor project in the knitting process than anything else I have knitted. None of my male acquaintances have had anything flattering to say about this while I was knitting this. “You really gonna wear that thing? It looks like a giant pumpkin!” (Cue gratuitous Charlie Brown picture. It made me think of Linus and the Great Pumpkin, though at least no one was denying my cardigan's existence, just its wearability).

I love the colour, after all that's why I bought the wool, but the menfolk had to be convinced. The first day I wore it work it got three compliments including the ultimate, “Where did you buy it?” I feel vindicated.

When I saw the beautiful Yui cardigan in The Knitter Issue 55, I initially thought that this simple and elegant cardigan would fit beautifully in future Doctor daughter's wardrobe. But then I thought, I'm the Queen of Cardigans, why not make it for me?

Pattern: Yui cardigan The Knitter Issue 55
Designer: Kyoko Nakayoshi
Needles: 3.75 mm set of dpns for the sleeve cuffs, 4 mm straight needles for the beginning of the collar, 4mm 80 cm long round needle for the body and my favourite jumper length set of antique size 8 (4 mm) Aero needles for the sleeves.
Yarn: Pure wool up-cycled wool from an op shop. I suspect that this is old Bendigo Woolen mills machine wash. 14 balls ranging from 110 to 180 g.

The wool is up-cycled pure wool from my favourite op shop. I love the invisible little old ladies who unravel unwanted knitted garments into balls of yarn and put them in cool see through bags in big tubs at bargain prices. It lets me indulge my love of quality natural yarn without breaking the budget. Real wool is made to last and I love the fact it’s almost resurrection and re-invention of a well loved garment.

This was such a fun knit. Its my first top down seamless cardigan but it won’t be the last. I love the simple elegance of Kyoko’s pattern. The knotted cable detail make it sit beautifully across the front and still swing. I would have liked it a little longer but the perils of recycled yarn is you can only use what you’ve got. I have about 1 meter left….

I'd like to acknowledge the boy for his willingness  to track into the perils of mud, muck, slime filled ditches and coal dust and help me take photos in the old workshop area near one of our local power stations. I used to work here when I was first married before it was all privatized. It's sort of sad to see what was once such a bustling work area wearing a air of forlorn neglect and dereliction. But it makes for an interesting backdrop.

Intricately knotted cables