Done Deco

Meet my new favourite item of clothing:

I really need a photoshoot director to give me notes on posture

Pattern: Deco by the immensely talented Kate Davies
Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers in #9322 Silver Spruce (4.75 100g skeins)
Needles: 3mm circulars
Modifications: I started the neck shaping at the same time as the armhole shaping for extra "scoopiness" and knit all parts of the cardigan with a 3mm needle (as I didn't think that I could use a smaller size needle without breaking it).
Ravelled: here

so that's what my hair looks like from the back

if you look carefully you can see the photographer

As those who know me will testify, this has been a bit of a slog. Nothing to do with the pattern which is completely joyous to knit and contains some of my very favourite techniques. Nothing to do with the yarn either. This was my first time knitting with Cascade 220 and I love it - it's soft, sturdy, felts beautifully (very important for spit splicing) and comes in a cracking range of colours. The issue really was with trying to knit a yarn with a recommended gauge of 18-20 stitches per inch on 4.5-5mm needles at a gauge of 26 stitches per inch on 3mm needles. It's lucky that KnitPros are so sturdy. If you do try this at home I warn you in advance that it will be tricky and there will be a lot of soul searching about drape and whether, when finished, your cardigan will be able to stand up on its own. However, if you stick with it the reward is a wonderfully soft, structured cardigan that keeps you toasty even on a nippy September morning when you're wondering whether footless tights (as opposed to ones with feet) are such a bright idea.

Now for the details:

The buttons (which complement the design of the cardigan splendidly) are from Darn it and Stitch as is the ribbon (of which I hope Kate approves). I probably could have done a more invisible job with the blind stitching but when you're using vintage Sylko threads it seems a shame not to see them.