FO: POP! Cardigan

See?! I'm steaming through these projects, finishing things left, right and centre!!

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This is a teeny tiny 3-6 month old baby cardi, which I've knitted for the first child of a very old friend. One of those friends we played in the road with as kids. We've not been in touch that much of late, but a little one arrived at just the right point in my knitting, and this cute little cardigan just sort of slipped off my needles!

The design is the POP! cardigan by Rachel Atkinson (aka Knittingtastic), and I've made mine using just two 50g balls of King Cole Merino Blend DK. The yarn is just lovely - affordable, soft, and pleasingly rounded. It is a great match to this pattern - the superwash-ness is perfect for a baby cardigan, and the stitch definition is fantastic in the garter stitch yoke and edgings. And did I mention before, it knitted up REALLY quickly?!

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I had spotted these lovely red rocket buttons on the Textile Garden Instagram feed a few days before I finished the cardi, so I was delighted to realise that they were exhibiting at Unravel. I have visited Unravel 3 times now, and it's a really lovely yarn show. There was so much inspiration to be had! Not to mention all the lovely people I bumped into. But that's for another post...

As well as being super-cute, these buttons were particularly perfect for this cardigan, as the rockets remind me of the Tintin story, Destination Moon, a book I'm fairly sure my friend enjoyed as a kid. The rockets are perhaps more similar to the Wallace and Gromit rocket from A Grand Day Out, or maybe they are a hybrid between the two... My memory is going hazy...

If you know someone who's expecting, then I'd highly recommend this little cardigan. It's a fun knit!

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of the POP! Cardigan for free, after I provided Rachel with a picture of my favourite Christmas bauble. I also work with Rachel from time to time. It's still a great pattern, and I would happily have paid for it.

FO: Wee Levenwick

This monogamy thing is magic!

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I finished off my Wee Levenwick cardigan last week, and it sat for a few days without buttons, as I had a feeling that I would find the perfect match at Unravel. Wee Levenwick is a kids' version of Levenwick, both designs for Brooklyn Tweed by Gudrun Johnston. I've had the great pleasure of working for Gudrun a few times, and I love her pattern writing, and design aesthetic.

This cardigan was lovely to knit. It's worked from the top down, and I just flew through it (once I'd cast off the other bits I had been working on). The New Lanark Aran was just as lovely to knit with as ever - I've got a ball or two over, which I have a plan for as well...

I noticed as I sewed on the final buttons that I'd done the pocket the wrong way round. The main part of the pocket should be reverse stocking stitch, whereas I've done it in stocking stitch. Hey ho. One of those things that makes my project unique - the joy of handmade. :)

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As I expected, the Textile Garden stand at Unravel was pure button heaven. I found buttons for this project, as well as for another little cardi, which I'll show you tomorrow. And I may also have stashed a few more button sets, while I was at it!