Crafting - Crochet Cardigan

Woe is me! I just love to start a new hobby and just jump right in!

Instead of, you know, crocheting a scarf or blanket, I decided to start my crocheting journey with an oversized cardigan. In a complicated counted pattern. That is labeled as an intermediate pattern.

Yay!

See, it started last July. While in Germany, I went to a local department store and fell head over heels with their haberdashery department.

What?!? In a department store?!?

Seriously, we are missing out in the US. From what I've read on the internet, many other countries have haberdashery departments in their department stores. They sell everything else - why not fabric, thread, yarn and more?

Anyways, I came across a lovely dark teal wool yarn in one of the department stores and decided to go home and crochet a hat for this winter.

Well... I had several other projects I needed to get out of the way first so this took the back burner.

I did end up starting the hat, but I misjudged the yarn thickness and needle size compared to the pattern, so it is currently sitting in my nightstand as a UFO.

But, for this past Christmas, my mother-in-law bought me the most beautiful and softest dark teal (see a theme?) cashmere stockinette yarn. I had to find something to make right away!

Christmas haul with yarn at right

She sweetly provided me with a knitting pattern. But since knitting is not my thing, I needed to find a crochet pattern to consume all four skeins that she bought me.

Through Google, I rediscovered the blog onedogwoof. The blogger creates beautiful yet simple (though not always easy) patterns for all types of things. One day I will try to make one of her amigurumi patterns.

For this project, I settled on her Summer Diamonds Kimono Cardigan pattern.

Using my yarn, which is thinner than the yarn suggested, I got started with a hook I already owned.

I did have to adapt the sizing, and did so as directed in the instructions. But this was simple. I just stitched double foundation stitches until it matched the length of a cardigan I own and like, counted the stitches (using makeshift stitch markers aka paper clips), and then calculated the needed number of stitches just slightly higher than the number I already had. I ended up with 127 stitches.

I am now several rows into the pattern. It is moving SO much faster.

Progress... I'm further along now.

Things are getting exciting!