Knit Cafe Cardi Done!

Well, one of the batches of wool I picked up on our way back from the Chicago show is now a cardi and I’m in love! It’s the jacket I picked up at the Knit Cafe on Queen in Toronto…. buy the wool get the pattern sort of thing.

I had tried on the jacket last fall thinking I’d wait until I had funds and time to hand knit and treat myself. They had one on a form in the shop which I tried on and it was a Large, so I decided to make a medium. It had very stylish 1950’s 3/4 length sleeves that were knit straight from cuff to underarm, I did a full length tapered sleeve as I am wearing this to keep warm as well as to look ‘fabulous’!

I wanted to wear it on a trip to Ottawa to see the 30 Years of Craft at the Museum of Civilization last week when the weather was minus 24 or something so as I worked in the studio I’d work on my projects then take a break and sew on the collar. Then work again until another break to sew on a sleeve… and so on (sew on?!) until it was done and I could try it on. It fit!! Next…Hmmmm buttons. I was going to make some to go with it but looked through my cache of my own hand made buttons and found some that, though not what I want eventually, were perfect.

It’s dynamite as the collar is very flatteringly face framing and you can scrunch it up around your face if you want. It knit up very quickly… if you like to knit in bed, over dinner, over breakfast, on any car ride where you’re not driving. Heck, I was winding the skeins into balls all the way home up the 401!!!

Now I’m knitting a sweater for my dear patient other half, something out of KnitScene mag (I think it’s called). He’s waited so long, and done the driving while I knit for me.

Why am I not knitting my own patterns you ask? I do that aaaaaallllll day, knitting from someone else’s when doing hand knitting gives me a break and relaxation, someone else has done the work.

30 Years of Craft is a wonderful exhibition by the way!