The Final Four

Now that I have dispossesed myself of seventeen sweaters, I took stock of what remained and was kind of surprised at what I kept.

First, they are all cardigans!

Who knew?

Here they are:

My absolute all-time favorite sweater is Breckon by Amy Christoffers.

This one has a bit of an interesting story.  My friend Lizzy of Vice Yarns was over having dinner with us one night, and she showed us a sweater a test knitter had made for her in her own yarn, Vice Carnal, which is luscious blend Merino/Cashmere/Silk.

I had not considered a fingering weight cardigan, but the instant I slipped it on, I was in LOVE!

The sweater was complete, but for buttons.  I am pleased to say, a dive into the Feisty button stash produced just the right ones, and they currently adorn Lizzy's beautiful sweater.

The yarn I used is Yarn Carnival High Wire 3-ply in Amaranthine.

The lovely pattern, the squishy yarn, the weight of the yarn, and the color completely sold me on this sweater. It is light and warm, but not too warm!

If you have not knit a sweater in fingering weight, I highly recommend it.

Speaking of Amy Christoffers, what are the odds two of my four favorite sweaters are designed by her?

Number 2 on the list is Maxfield Cardigan.  This one had been in my queue for a very long time.

This is a creative and wonderful design, that was a pleasure to knit. So much, so, I have knit three of them....one for me and one for each of my daughters.

This sweater holds the distinction of being the most comfortable to wear, as in how it sits and fits on the body; however, it is dk weight and a good bit warmer than the fingering weight.

The yarn I used was Valley Field Northfield (Merino/Alpaca/Silk) for the solid navy background and Koigu Kersti Merino Crepe for the multicolored stripes. 

The prize for the most worn sweater goes to the Everything Nice Hoodie by Tori Gurbisz. 

Truly, it makes its way onto my list as the third favorite sweater, because it is the one I reach for to walk the dogs, run to the market, and ward off the occasional chill while chilling on the coach.

Living up to its name, it has a hood, pockets, and extra long sleeves with thumb holes to keep the hands warm!

This one looks pretty doggone worn, too!

I used Noro Retro (sadly discontinued) for this one. Sure, it pills and looks rustic 99% of the time, but that is part of the appeal for me.  Because it looks worn, I am not afraid to wear it or get it dirty. I just wash it again and wear it some more.

The bonus is that I absolutely love these big plastic buttons!  In fact, I chose the buttons well before I chose the yarn.

The last of the favorites is actually the first sweater I ever knit for myself, some nine years ago.

It is B-Side Cardigan by Laura Chau.  Her recommended yarn was Malabrigo Silky dk; however, I wanted something jacket-like to pull on over jeans. Thus, I selected the Malabrigo Merino, which is an Aran weight. In order to get gauge, I actually had to move down to a size US 4 needle!

It took took FOREVER, as in three whole months, to knit this; however, I am still delighted with this sweater.

Like the Noro Retro, the Malabrigo Merino pills like crazy; however, it is so tightly knit, I can use a sweater shaver and it looks like new all over again.

This one fits well and comfy with lots of extra room and plenty of warmth.

As each of these was folded and tucked in a drawer until five minutes before these photos were taken, they are a bit creased and tired looking, but I still think they are beautiful.

Now that I have shared them, I have an itch to cast on a new sweater, probably a cardigan (HA!), and possibly in a fingering weight...