Not too long ago I decided that I would stop buying yarn. My yarn stash was growing bugger and bigger and the number of finished and loved projects was still very small. Some of the knitted projects I have finished lately are:
- a white cardigan (my first knitted garment!) which turned out cute
- this vest which is in the unravel pile right now
- this mint knitted t-shirt which turned out meh and was since donated
- this cute pom pom hat I wore all winter + 3 other hats I made as gifts (so rewarding <3)
- and this wool chunky sweater, which I really liked but couldn’t really wear as it was too warm to layer under a winter coat or to wear inside during winter and not enough to wear on its own
At this point I was left with lots of tiny skeins of yarn in different colours, textures and weights. What to do?
And then, one day I saw the Pegouno (Penguin) cardigan designed by Stephen West, a knitwear designer based in Amsterdam. The pattern (like everything he designs) is really funky and really fun. A sort of patchwork for yarn, which allows you to mix yarn in different weights and textures.
Here are other amazing knit patterns by Westknits: this short-sleeved coat-cardigan, this magical sweater, and this embroidered panda dolman sleeve sweater.
Inspired by the Pegouno cardigan, I started knitting a similar cardigan. As usual, I am not following a pattern, but rather trying it on as I go. My cardigan – which I am calling the leftover cardigan – is a bit different: first it’s fitted and a bit longer. And I want to make it long-sleeved. But the principle is the same: play with the yarn you have and make something new.
To knit this, I started with the two square blocks that make the back and then added the rectangular stripes to the sides.
Then I picked up the stitches from the collar and front lapels and knitted a border. I did the same with the bottom hem and then I joined the shoulders.
If I leave it as a vest, I could to the same with the armholes, but I would rather like this to be long-sleeved, so I think I will knit another rectangle at the bottom of each armhole and then pick and knit the armhole on circular needles. Unless you have a better idea? 🙂
With the lovely weather outside I am not very inspired to keep knitting this, but it would be nice to finish it before moving to a next project.