Mender's Cardigan
For the past couple of years I’ve been trying to pick knitting projects that will teach me a new technique or skill, so when friend-of-MBR Brienne Moody released the Mender’s Cardigan Pattern that features a fade, I was really interested in trying it. I am old enough to remember the Great Fade Fad of 2016 (sidenote: is that even right? I’m completely making that up but there was definitely a moment a few years back when it felt like every single knitter alive was making the So Faded Cardigan or Fadealicious Shawl…um…I feel that second one is definitely not a real thing…is it?), but at that point my knitting skills were still at “google how to knit a purl stitch every September” level and “oops, I knitted that hat inside-out so now it’s accidental reverse stockinette,” so I wasn’t really at the point of comprehending how one might go about executing a fade if one wanted.
Brienne suggests using three scrap DK yarns that coordinate to get the fade, but I haven’t been knitting long enough to have three coordinating DK scrap yarns that match, let alone two, so I veered into Spun one day when the kids and I were at the farmer’s market to se if they had something that would work. I immediately fell in love with these two yarns that are from two different yarn makers but ended up working together perfectly. As a result, my “fade” is a bit more subtle than Brienne’s, but you can see it if you’re looking for it, which is all that matters, I suppose. I bought two skeins of each, and guessed at when to switch from one yarn to two yarns, and miraculously, it worked!
Yarns: Primrose Yarn Co. Classy DK, color “Tangerine Dream” & fiberstory CORE dk color “Marmalade”
Another technique I learned in this pattern was the way you seam the underarms to get an invisible seam, which I can’t remember the name of and am too lazy to look up and by now if you’re still reading this you’re thinking good god woman can’t you do even an ounce of research for this post and the answer clearly is no.
Don’t worry, it wasn’t completely smooth sailing with this project. I effed up the sleeve/body stitch allocation and didn’t even realize it until I was finished with the body and about to cast on the sleeves. As I recall — though my memory of knitting this project is growing ever-hazy — I think I “fixed” it by casting on some extra underarm stitches. I don’t remember how many, so this note is not meant to be helpful or informative in any way, just to shed some realness on what might otherwise appear to be a flawless sweater execution.
This is my favorite way to wear it: layered over my rust Trillium Dress, Blockshop scarf, jeans and boots. The pink hair really completes it I think.
