A week or so ago I dug around in my stash and found some “Second Time Around” cotton. I knew what I wanted to make out of it, but I needed to modify the pattern because my gauge was going to be very different than that of the pattern. I ended up changing some elements of the Buttoned Cardigan, by Eva Weichmann.
The pattern calls for 6 st/inch. My gauge appears to be about 4.5-5 st/inch.
The simplicity of the pattern is one of its most appealing qualities. Knit in the round – really, back and forth – on a circular needle, from the bottom up, is something I prefer in sweaters, just because I hate sewing. The sleeves and sweater are connected with minimal sewing – no setting in of a sleeve.
The garter stitch accents, especially placed between stockinette at the edges of the sleeves and at the bottom of the sweater, are really elegant. This creates a slightly more formal quality to the sweater, giving it a more finished appearance than a 2×2 rib. The same for the sleeves. Also, if you look closely at the buttonholes, you will see that the garter stitch surrounds the buttons, but changes to the finished edge of stockinette, which makes for an interesting and attractive buttonhole band.
The yarn I am using is rather “busy” but it shows up the garter stitch very nicely between the stockinette. The photo, unfortunately, doesn’t really do justice to the yarn, but hopefully will give you an idea of what it will look like.
The green buttons bring out the lighter thread running through the yarn, and I think will really add interest to the sweater itself.
Ink, Yarn & Beer 