Skip to main content

Summer Cardi

 

All of my cardigans have buttons, and I hate sewing on buttons. What is the solution for this problem? Open Cardigan!!!!

It's summer so lace pattern is the way to go for a nice cardigan.

Next question: colour? I love light colours in spring/summer and I have a very few white garment, so it was obvious for myself that I need some white yarn.


The last question: material?
In the summer my go to material is cotton (or cotton blend), bamboo.
This yarn is very soft, not thin but not too thick so that's why I decided to make the cardigan with this material: Loops&Threads Capri (57% cotton, 28% nylon, 15% polyester). This material is also so bouncy, you can stretch it real good, but it bounces back.

The Summer Cardi is worked from the bottom up in sections, starting with the back panel. There are 5 panels you have to attach together: Back and front (2) panels and the sleeves (2); and finally the collar is made at the end. You can find many videos on YouTube on "how to seam a knit sweater", if it's your first project with seams, pls check a few video tutorials out. If you take a look at the last photo, you can see that the seaming is perfect, the pattern is perfectly align with each other. Why? Because of the k1 edge stitch at the beginning of the rows.
17st and 25 rows in lace pattern

For best result, use the same material as I used
XS/S: 500g/800m, 17.5oz/870yds
M/L: 574g/918m, 20oz/1000yds
XL/2XL: 669g/1070m, 24oz/1171yds

Needles: 5mm (US8) and 4.5mm (US7) circular needles
Other: Tapestry needles, scissors, tape measure
Gauge: 17 sts and 25 rows = 10cm x 10cm (4" x 4”) in a lace pattern swatch.

Your blocked pieces (back/fronts/sleeves) might be a little different in sizes (measurements), because we all have different tensions. (If you get too many stitches in 4" change to a larger needle size. If you get too few stitches in 4", change to a smaller needle size.)

What size should I choose?
I wanted my cardigan to be a little snug, so even though my dress size is S/M, I went for the size XS/S for this project. I could have made the front panels with size M/L for a less open design (with the back panel size XS/S), but my goal was an open style. You can make the cardigan longer by continuing with the lace pattern, and of course you can make the sleeves longer with the lace pattern.
You can also make the side/neck band wider or narrower. There are many options for you, you can be your own designer!
Here's another blogpost for helping with your sizing: https://www.erikadesigncanada.com/post/what-size-should-i-choose-from-a-knit-crochet-pattern


How to style it?
I use my cardi for every occasion, in the office, for a date night with my husband, when I'm running errands; with jeans, with skirt, with dresses, and after I wake up in chilly mornings. The possibilities are endless.









Hope this short blog post helps you with your Summer Cardi!

Don't forget my FB group (Erika Design - Knitting tutorials and more), so I can help you with knitting/crochet questions you might have.

Pls tag me on Social Media when you make something after checking my tutorials/blog/patterns: https://linktr.ee/ErikaDesign


Links to the pattern:
Ravelry:
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/summer-cardi-6

Etsy:
https://etsy.me/3x6emoR


Thank you for reading!






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to block your handmade projects?

  Blocked and unblocked panels. You can see how blocking can help with your measurements. When I started to knit I had no idea what blocking was. After many years of knitting I learnt about it, and started to use it for my knit wearables. I find it very useful when I make lace patterns. What does blocking do with our projects? First, it helps our stitches look beautiful and even. Second, you can block your pieces to a certain measurements. How big can you stretch out your pieces? It depends on your material. Acrylic tends to stretch more, and probably wool has the least stretch to it. Blocking methods: Wet blocking: when you use this blocking method, you soak your piece(s) in a sink with your favorite wool detergent. After it's equally soaked, squeeze the water out from the project very gently (be careful not to wrinkle it too much), roll it in clean towel to get the water out. Finally step on the towel to get out most of the water from your knit project. There shouldn't be an...
Post a Comment
Read more

Yarn weight and Wrap Per Inch tool

  When we want to knit or crochet something, we need to know the yarn weight, so we can determine what size needles/hook we should use. We all know that for thin yarn, we usually need to use small size needles/hooks, and for thick material we need to use big needles/hooks. Of course when we have a really thin yarn, we know that we can't use 10mm needles/hook. And vice versa: for thick yarn, we can't use 2mm needles/hook. When we use a pattern for our project, the designer usually tells us what type of yarn we should use, and what is the yarn weight s/he recommends for the project. North-Americans, Brits and Australians use different name for the yarn weight. But the symbols on the labels are the same in every continent/countries. What other information can the yarn weight give us about the yarn: Different weight has different gauge with the recommended needles/hook. When we work with thinner yarn, we need more stitches to get the 10cm (4") swatch. And of course the thicke...
Post a Comment
Read more

What size should I choose from a knit/crochet pattern?

  We, ladies, tend to see ourselves bigger than we actually are. Because of that, we don't use the right size when it comes to crochet/knit/sewing patterns. There are patterns that supposed to be bigger, loose, but there are patterns that they look better if they more fitted. So it is very important to use the right size when we're making our own wardrobe. Now, I know that many of us feel insecure about our bodies, but trust me! You're beautiful! You don't have to hide anything! Sometimes loose outfit make us even more bigger than we are. What size should I choose for myself? Patterns should state the bust measurements of the garment, that's the most important measurement. The other is the measurements of wrist/sleeves. (Sometimes it is important to know our hip measurement as well.) So the first step is to measure ourselves. Then we have to compare our measurements to the measurements of the pattern. NOT to the sizes the designer gives us! According to some designe...
Post a Comment
Read more