preciousowl: No Frills Knit Cardigan by PetiteKnit

I've accomplished many things in life, some notable, many NSFW and plenty, more than questionable. And now I can proudly add, not just knitting one but knitting 2 cardigans, to that steadily escalating pile of "shit I did during these fucked up times".

This is seriously the most ingeniously designed top down raglan cardigan pattern. It's designed by PetiteKnit in Denmark and is written in Danish and English. I downloaded it from Ravelry for about $6, a price I would more than gladly pay for any pattern designed and written this well.

It starts with a provisional cast on to create the neck band and then the yoke is worked back and forth creating the foundation of the cardigan with raglan increases.

I knit the extra small size of the pattern on size 6, 40" circulars. I used about 4, 100g hanks of The Fibre Co.'s Cumbria - unto the hills - brown masham wool, merino and mohair blend yarn in the Scafell Pike colorway. This is some of the nicest yarn ever to grace the tips of my needles. It's luxuriously soft against bare skin and its natural fibers are easy to admire.

I love how the pockets are built into the cardigan and put on hold while the body is finished. The sleeves have a clever inconspicuous decrease where you slip 1 st knit-wise, slip 1 st purl-wise and then insert the needle into both stitches and knit them tbl at the decrease round.

In preparation for the completion of this sweater and inevitable photo shoot, I could've gone on a diet or started exercising more than usual but instead I've been baking all of the breads and cookies and eating fried or baked carbs with every meal and instead of apologizing, I'm just going to love my body the way it is. I want to go even further and encourage everyone to stop feeling guilty or shameful and just love their bodies however they feel best suits them during lockdown. Whether it's doing cross-fit in their living room, backbends in their hallway, eating SPAM from the can or just nuking some totally expired frozen food, just do you!

And if you want to boost your vitamins D levels while simultaneously making a complete ass of yourself in front of your neighbors, grab a toddler and hire your IG hus or someone you love (who would rather being doing anything than taking photos of you) to take some outdoor photos!

This cardigan fits me perfectly. It's exactly what I wanted and I would happily wear it every day if it wasn't hotter than Hell right now.

Many people might find it frivolous and silly putting on make up (especially under a mask) or wearing heels while WFH but at the risk of sounding totally superficial, I have to admit that for as much as I love chilling in sweatpants with no bra and my unbrushed hair yanked up in a scrunchie for weeks and months on end, I love dressing up and feeling fly and fancy just as much!