I finally finished my Miette Cardigan, which according to Ravely, I cast on on March 12th! I finished it a couple of weeks ago, but still, that’s basically 6 months! I actually knitted the vast majority of it in the first month or so, but somewhere I just got stuck, or bored, or something and stopped knitting it. I have a theory that it was the sleeves that did for me, because I knitted them with DPNs instead of a circular needle and it brought back painful memories of knitting socks...no more socks please! And apparently no more knitting in the round with DPNs. My next cardigan which I’ve already cast on has raglan sleeves which are seamed underneath, so I’ll see if I finish that one quicker!

But back to my Miette. I used Sirdar Supersoft Aran wool which is 100% acrylic, which was fine to knit with but it’s very hot! I’ve tried wearing it a couple of times this Summer, but I’ve spent the whole time taking it on and off. After my next knit, which is also acrylic, I think I’m going to invest in better yarn because what’s the point of spending all that time knitting something which is no better quality than some cheapo thing  I could buy in Primark? The yarn is red, but it looks really pink in the photos!

I’m wearing it with my first dress. I added 10 rows onto the length in the middle, where the pattern says to add rows if you want to. I felt like in the pattern photos it was just a bit too short for me, but actually it probably would have been fine at the original length and not too cropped, because I’m such a short-arse!

As you can see, I also made the sleeves longer. They’re 3/4 length in the pattern, but I have a cardi that has short sleeves and in the Autumn/Winter it just makes my wrists cold and since I live in Britain, it’s cold more than it’s hot! I added in 30 rows before the decrease rows. I think the sleeves are a bit wide for my ideal fit, but since it was my first try, I’m pretty pleased.

The thing I didn’t really twig with the pattern, was that having added rows to the length, I had to fiddle with the button bands to get them to be ribbed. I initially just knitted them as the pattern said and they looked like this:

This was another point where I stalled – I was just going to say f**k it, and leave them looking like this, but I just couldn’t do it so eventually frogged both button bands and worked out the rib rows with the extra 10 stitches added in (6 at the bottom and 4 at the top). I’m pretty pleased with how they turned out in the end:

(Excuse the weird, unflattering angle, this is the best shot to show the ribbing on the button bands)

The fit is quite loose across the back, which isn’t a surprise – as I’ve mentioned before I’m really narrow across the back. I don’t have the skill as a knitter to make fit adjustments to make it smaller across the back, so I’m just accepting it as it is!

I didn’t realise until looking at these pictures that the bottom doesn’t quite line up, what a shame! This photo also shows that it’s a bit big across the bust/ under my arms. I think this is because I have small boobs and Andi Satterlund who wrote the pattern, has a much more impressive rack! This was my first time actually blocking anything, so if anyone has any tips how I can use blocking to try to fix some of the fit issues, they would be gratefully received 🙂

I really like the lacy details on the pattern, and I would definitely recommend it as a first clothes-knitting project. I’m not the best knitter, but I managed it….even if it did take me bloody ages!