Puff-Sleeved Feminine Cardigan

Finally, it is done. Had I finished it a month ago I would probably have had a few opportunities to wear it right away, but now I will probably just pack it away until fall.

Pattern: Puff-Sleeved Feminine Cardigan from Fitted Knits by Stefanie Japel
Size: 36
Yarn: KnitPicks Merino Style in Iris (bought 12 skeins, have 1 or 2 leftover)
Needles: size 4 and size 3
Started: March 13 and finished sometime in early June
This Ravelry link has a couple of different pictures (and you should be able to view it even if you're not a member.)

Modifications: I added a lot to the length, because otherwise this would have been a very cropped sweater. Before the waist-shaping, I knit 35 rows instead of 17, and after the waist-shaping I knit 19 rows instead of 7. Because of the added length I made 11 buttonholes instead of 8. I used a stretchy bind-off for the sleeves.

Buttons: Expensive. I bought the only buttons that Windsor Button had in this color. They were over $2 each because they had a textured pattern on them, which isn't even showing because I wanted the plain side facing out. I looked at non-purple buttons, but really I just wanted something to blend in with the color of the sweater, not stand out or detract from it. I love cardigans, but I could do without having to choose buttons (not to mention sew them on.)

I'm mostly happy with how it turned out, but it is disappointingly boxy. Normally, I choose a size that is a bit small on me and block slightly larger so it is nice and form-fitting, but this time I knit it exactly to my size because the next smallest size would have probably been too small. It fits well, but is just a bit baggy around the waist. Perhaps I should have modified the waist-shaping somehow, but it's so hard to tell how anything will look once it's finished. I even think that maybe I shouldn't have added quite as much length. You can't tell in some of the pictures, but there's one at the Ravelry link above that shows the boxiness, and you can sort of tell in this picture of the back.


I do like the slightly puffed sleeves, and I like how it looks with the neckline open. I meant to take pictures of it buttoned up to the top (which is how it is pictured in the book) but forgot. Oh, and I love the color.