Playful Stripes Cardigan

As you can tell, this weekend was a weekend for finishing things. Next up is the Playful Stripes Cardigan.

This was another baby garment I knit up as a sample for Alana of Never Not Knitting. As always, her patterns are very straightforward and easy to follow (and also very beautiful to look at).  The body of the sweater is done in one piece, from the bottom up. The sleeves are worked flat then knit onto the body of the sweater. I love knitting garments that don't require a lot of assembly. Genius! 

There are several finishing techniques used in this pattern that most beginners probably haven't used. The sleeves are seamed up using mattress stitch and the armholes are grafted using Kitchner stitch. This was my first time using mattress stitch on any knitted piece and while I had to do the first sleeve twice ("why don't these blasted stitches match up?"), I am thoroughly pleased with the end result! I had heard a lot of people complain about this finishing technique and I really cant understand why. It really isn't difficult once you figure it out (use markers and line up those stitches people!). Also, I steam blocked the sleeves first so the edges would lay flat as I seamed. And look how nicely it all lined up:

My favorite part of this garment just may be the picot edging and stripes. I really love the color combination Alana chose for this piece. Also, I think that the buttons I chose do a good job of reflecting the colors of the garment. For this baby sweater I used five 5/8", square, abalone shell buttons. They seem to be pretty yet playful. 

The beauty of this cardigan is in its simplicity. It's the garter stripes and the sweet picot edging that make it such a special piece.

Pattern: Playful Stripes Cardigan by Alana Dakos

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, 2 skeins of main color and just smidges of the rest

Size: 6 months

Needles: #3 and #4

Began: August 13

Completed: August 22

Ravelry Link