que sera in aqua

Things have been quiet here on the blog, but there's actually been quite a bit of activity at the kitchen table. I just finished a quilt commission that I'm going to wait to blog about until it's given as a gift for Christmas. I've also been invited to teach some textile classes at a local art studio -- more about that later too. Stay tuned!

But I did finish this lacy cardigan -- the Que Sera pattern in aqua bamboo blend. I found the pattern on Ravelry via Pinterest and the yarn is a Martha Stewart brand from Michaels -- 40% off my entire purchase, thank you very much. I kept this baby going for many months, picking it up whenever I happened to be sitting in front of the TV with the family. Let's just say that this sweater has seen a lot of Top Gear and What Not to Wear.

I like the lacy shells and the color. The pattern was pretty good, but I did have to do a lot of figuring out when it came to maintaining the pattern while shaping the tops of the pieces. (Know what I mean, knitters?) I chalk some of that up to the fact that this was an independent rather than a commercial pattern -- I often find that indy patterns aren't tested very well. But I'll climb down from my soapbox and say that I loved knitting both fronts and the back as one piece -- oh, how I hate sewing my pieces together -- and the sizing was right on. Though if I EVER knit this one again, I'll make it a little shorter. I must also sing the praises of the internet for the youtube videos that helped me improve my seams by a mile! They look SO much better than the way I used to do them.

It's probably been at least 10 years since I've knitted a sweater for myself, and I have to call this a success. Next up -- a lacy black cotton scarf to replace the scratchy wool blend one I made a couple of years ago. Stop by again soon!