Knit Comfort Fade Cardigan by Andrea Mowry

 As mentioned in my previous post, a few weeks ago I decided to participate in the #comfortknitwithuskal and I cast on the following DK weight SWM yarns for my Comfort Fade Cardi:

Color A - HHF Phoenix

Color B - Kindred Red - celadon in cinders

Color C - Kindred Red - peach sky

Color D - Kindred Red - metropolis

Unfortunately, because of work and other commitments, I didn't have a chance to join in on any of the zoom calls related to this project.  Nor did I even have time to knit a gauge swatch, not that it matters because I felt so strongly about the yarn that I picked and how I wanted to fade it that I doubt a swatch could've changed my mind.  

                

I am a Syracuse Orange fan and after living in RVA for many years, also a UVA sympathizer.  Whether it's subliminal fan obsession or not, blue and orange have always been favorite colors and my favorite color combination.

 

So the colors in this cardi are a marriage of many of my favorite shades and tones.  They compliment my dark skin and hair.  For those who are unaware, most of this pattern is knit inside out.  I even knit the sleeves entirely WS out.

 

Based on my chest measurements, aka giant mom boobs, I knit the medium size of this pattern, the 4th largest size; I wanted a little more coverage than the smaller sizes offered by the pattern.  I used the needles called for in the pattern.  I forgot to use Jenny's super stretchy bind off on the ribbed hem but I used it throughout the rest of the cardi.

 

The only modification I made was on the sleeves.  I continued with color D until it measured 4" - until the 8th, final row (a total of 6 decreases).  Then I abruptly decreased on the next 3 consecutive rows to get down to the 42 stitches needed.  If I had actually knit the 13 decreases called for in the pattern, the sleeves would've been down to my knees!  They're already so long that the cuffs need to be rolled; which is fine because it's a pleasing contrast.

Knitting this cardigan marks another milestone in my development as a knitter.  Years ago, I had erroneously just assumed that knitting something like this would be far too tedious or complex and now that I've done it, I realize just how simple it is.  The lesson I've learned and continue to be remind of, is not to doubt myself, to trust in my ability to learn and continue to embrace new challenges.  Don't avoid projects, just do it!

I enjoyed knitting this cardigan so much that I already dove into my stash to select some yarn to knit another in cooler colors.