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Knitting Friday - using shawl pins with cardigans

 

I'm at an older, slower computer today. In fact, things take so long to load that I knit a row of 64 stitches while I wait. But I want to talk briefly about cardigans today. I want to talk about an "Eureka" moment I had I regard to them, just recently.

 

First of all, I don't make a lot of cardigans because I look dumpy in the ones made from DK weight (I consider DK weight just below bulky; I know there are a lot of definitions for DK weight.) However, the ones I look good in are those fine fingering weight ones which would take me ages to hand knit. So, I wear thin yarn, finely machine knitted cardigans but I don't knit them.

 

OK, having said that; I have to say I lied because I have knitted DK weight cardigans in the past. Many are for winter; long sleeved and fully buttoned. Those I usually wear as a pullover and that works. Some are for winter and long sleeved but only meeting at the neckband for one button closure. 

 

And then there are the useless summer/spring cardigans which are made out of cotton and really nice looking but their one button closure has always looked tacking. The button stretches the yarn and many times as I go to unbutton it, I have to play: Button, Button, Where the hell are you?  

wooden shawl pin

nice bottom hem

So until about a week ago, I was ready to Goodwill all my cotton summer cardigans. But that's when I read somewhere in blog heaven: "I use a shawl pin to close my cardigans." Bells went off, the heavens opened and I grabbed a scissors and removed single buttons from 7 cardigans. Talk about getting a new wardrobe and not leaving your home! The picture on the right is a light beige cotton sleeveless cardigan and you can see the small wooden shawl pin (another blog tip: these are wooden cable needles [3 for $4.99] from Knit Picks and similar in color to their Harmony needles.) In the picture on the left, you can see the bottom hem which I really liked so it was a disappointment not to wear this sweater.

 

I really think that these shawl pins give these sweaters the punch they were always missing.

 

OK, got to go. This computer is so slow and glitchy; with my luck, it'll crash, but it will probably be a slow crash.

 

Next week: I'm designing a very easy, only two threads of yarn to weave in, shrug. Unfortunately, my prototype is in black cotton which is "bleeding" all over my hands. If this works, I'll post the pattern next week. Happy knitting.