Fall Fantasy

Several years ago, I devoted a healthy chunk of an extremely hot, sticky summer to my first top-down sweater, a cardigan. 

Working on that project taught me several powerful lessons. In a nutshell, top-down cardigans are:

• Cleverly constructed.
• Basically blankets with sleeves.
• Cozy to work on in winter but sweltering in summer, especially when the yarn is wool.

Not long after it was finished, I realized it was a flop. 

I loved the yarn (Merino 5 by Crystal Palace) and the color. The pattern (Flair by Wendy Bernard) was nice, versatile and adaptable. The finished cardigan was the ideal weight for fall and fit just fine.

The problem? As lovely as they are on others, on me raglan sleeves and top-down designs accentuate my weak points and are very unbecoming. So the sweater languished in a drawer for a couple years, but was never worn. (Never. Nada, zilch, zero. Not once.) 

I finally faced facts and frogged it. Frogging a finished item is difficult under any circumstance, but it can be particularly problematic for those of us who are slow knitters because sweaters, afghans and similar large projects represent so very many hours of diligent effort.

That was then, this is now. 

I've been studying various swatches, trying to decipher what this yarn might want to become.

A few months ago, I thought it might be destined for an afghan. That option is still on the table, but I think I was on the right track the first time (cardigan) and just choose the wrong method (top-down). 

With that in mind, I'm adopting a fresh approach. The design is extraordinarily simple (of course), features some of my favorite stitches (of course), incorporates modular construction (of course), and has been floating around in my portfolio for years (of course).

The crisp air has me indulging in a familiar fall fantasy: This will be the year this lovely yarn becomes the sweater it was meant to be.

PS: I know, I know! Afghans, shawls, a flurry of Christmas knits, quick cowls and mitts on the needles (more on these soon), and now chatter about a cardigan. It sounds like the early stages of startitis. I'm working hard to prevent a relapse, but we shall see ...

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