Kim Hargreaves’ Peace Cardigan

 

 

I’ve been knitting hats for my husband and friends using Rowan Alpaca Soft yarn for the past few years because it’s so soft, and I finally decided it was time for me to make myself something out of such scrumptious yarn. I chose Kim Hargreaves’ Peace Cardigan to also showcase the beautiful antique Fleur de Lis buttons I had purchased from Unbottons! I added some additional waist shaping to the pattern but otherwise knitted it completely as written. Sorry there is no link to Ravelry, but I have stopped linking my blog there since the redesign caused some readers headaches and other problems a few years ago. 

 

Isn’t this a beautiful use of a Peplum? I feel this V-neck is flattering for different body shapes and will go with a lot of different outfits. I sewed myself a blue and white skirt to wear with it, using McCall’s 7197. Previous readers may recall that I used this pattern to recreate some Chanel zipper-front skirts a few years ago. This time, I just followed the pattern as written and kept the zipper in the center back. I used an Italian cotton poplin I purchased at Britex, and I am very sad about this fabric. As I ironed the pieces of the skirt, the blue ran in some places. Due to the busyness of the print, it’s difficult to see from far awy, but damaging the fabric just by ironing it at the start of the project was a huge downer. From then on, I used a presser cloth to iron the skirt, but I’m still really disappointed by the fabric. I will still wear this piece since I need a blue and white skirt in my wardrobe and I hate to waste clothing. Hopefully the blue streaks are not super visible!

 

 

This back photo illustrates the pretty use of garter stitch in this cardigan to emphasize the shoulders. After all the Holiday gift knitting I worked on from October to December, it was really fun to take a break and knit a garment just for me, and it is so soft and pretty! I am still working on my colorwork sweater, Troutbeck, for my husband, but once I traveled to France and returned with a severe stomach flu, I decided to retire it for the time being. There was no way I could focus on that fiendish color chart during my long convalescence, which meant no chance of finishing it by Christmas, so instead, I knitted my husband a silly colorwork hat with inappropriate reindeer fraternizing with each other, which he had requested about 6 months ago.

 

As soon as I do a bit more knitting for me—three months of knitting for others was a lot--I will return to his Troutbeck project. Hope you all enjoyed the holiday season and are approaching the New Year refreshed, your creativity recharged, and many fun projects queued up for 2023!