As the new year begins, I want to take some time to highlight some of my favourite creations from 2021 that haven’t yet been featured on the blog.
Starting off strong with the Comfort Fade Cardi by Andrea Mowry, this open-front cardigan is one of my best works yet. I get loads of compliments on it, and my family often forgets that it’s handmade.
The Comfort Fade Cardi gets its name from the fade technique it uses, where you switch from one colour of yarn to the next in a sort of gradient. I’m used to seeing fades with one or two dominant hues as a through-line — such as Andrea Mowry’s sample of the pattern, which used turquoise and grey in tonal (solid colours), speckled, and variegated combinations that melted together.
I, however, was drawn to colours that were not quite as seamlessly combined. After visiting Willow n Wool in Airdrie and raiding her sale bin, I landed on a palette of blues, greens, and neutrals like cream, white and beige to comprise my cardigan, and my yarn selections were all hand-dyed Canadian labels — Allison Barnes Yarn, Ancient Arts Yarn, Ginger Snap, and Mineville Wool Project.
This was also my first project with DK weight yarn. DK (“Double Knit”) is considered a 3 on the 7-point yarn weight scale, which makes it a great option for garments where you want a little thickness and warmth without being overly bulky.
Andrea Mowry, also known as Drea Renee Knits, is an extremely popular designer in the knitting community. You don’t have to scroll far on sites like Ravelry to find her patterns featured, and the Comfort Fade Cardi in particular is one of her bestsellers. It’s easy to see why, I enjoyed how straightforward the instructions were to follow and how the resulting garment has become a staple of my wardrobe.
My one modification was the addition of thumb holes in the cuffs, and I love them. The cuffs were already set to extend over the wearer’s hands, so I felt like thumb holes would suit nicely. I marked out where my thumb would be, and essentially used a sort of buttonhole technique — double yarn over, centre double decrease, to make the thumb hole.
The Comfort Fade Cardi is one I love to show off, and I feel like it’s a testament to my growth as a knitter.
Absolutely love that sweater! You are right, it does not look handmade at all! Very professional
And… you continue to amaze my darling granddaughter. My mother would have so enjoyed your talents and I’m guessing, my sister, Audrey, would as well. If Covid ever loosens it’s grip maybe you can talk knitting with Audrey.
Love you.