{"id":14362,"date":"2015-01-13T09:07:39","date_gmt":"2015-01-13T14:07:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.planetjune.com\/blog\/?p=14362"},"modified":"2015-01-13T09:07:39","modified_gmt":"2015-01-13T14:07:39","slug":"zipped-cardigan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.planetjune.com\/blog\/zipped-cardigan\/","title":{"rendered":"zipped cardigan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have I told you about my knitting goal? I’m teaching myself to knit by making myself a dozen self-designed sweaters, and learning\u00a0new techniques with each one I make. I’m hoping that, by the end of this journey, I’ll be a real knitter and not have to survive on guesswork! (Here are links to #1<\/a>, #2<\/a> and #3<\/a>, if you’d like to see my progress.)<\/p>\n

This is sweater #4 and, as with all the others so far, it’s not perfect – there are things I’d change if I were designing it again – but it is<\/strong> perfectly wearable. I actually finished knitting it a few months ago, but didn’t have a chance to block it until Christmas.<\/p>\n

I’m not really sure if I should call this a cardigan or a jacket, but I’m wearing it as a cardigan. I wanted to try knitting a zip-up top, and I was inspired by the smooth sporty lines of a fleece top – I thought a knitted version would give a slightly less casual feel.<\/p>\n

\"sage
\n(My new camera can be remote-controlled by my phone – I took this photo by mistake while setting up the app, but it shows the fit of the cardigan nicely!)<\/em><\/p>\n

I worked turned hems to give a smooth look, and a big turned collar. The back and front have waist shaping\u00a0so, even though I couldn’t find a 2-way separating zip, it can fit over my hips at the bottom edge without stretching, but still has a fairly smooth fitted look at the waist. I knitted all the pieces bottom-up, with the body as a single piece to the underarms, and set-in sleeves.<\/p>\n

\"sage<\/p>\n

The turned collar has two purposes: it matches the hems\u00a0visually, and the built-in facing covers the zipper tape along both\u00a0collar edges, so it looks tidy whether you have the collar open or zipped right up. I knitted the collar after completing the rest of the cardigan, so I could make it exactly the right length to fold around the top of the zip, and it turned out pretty\u00a0well, I think.<\/p>\n

\"sage<\/p>\n

Zipped right up, the cardigan works like a cosy built-in scarf, with 2 layers of knitted fabric around my neck. I wouldn’t usually wear it zipped up like this, but I’m looking forward to taking advantage of the warmth on unexpectedly\u00a0windy days!<\/p>\n

\"sage<\/p>\n

The yarn colour is a bit unusual – which made buying a co-ordinating zip next-to impossible, although I like the muted purple I chose in the end – but the best part about this yarn was the price: I bought it from a\u00a0yarn factory outlet sale, and the entire sweater cost me the grand total of $5. It’s Bernat Satin yarn, so it’s very soft and snuggly, despite being acrylic.<\/p>\n

\"sage<\/p>\n

I’m calling this one a success! Lessons learnt:<\/p>\n