I Finished My First Wearable!

A few weeks ago, I was getting ready to send off a care package to my Sister-in-Law. She is extremely pregnant, so I wanted to be sure that I included something fun for her and not just cute stuff for her babies. So I texted her and she jokingly asked how long it would take for me to make a cardigan. I, of course being the crazy person I am, thought now would be the time to dive into a massive project. I mean, why not? She wants one and I love her because she is my sister. Plus she is pregnant and pregnant girl gets what she wants.

So I spent a few hours scrolling through Pinterest trying to find the perfect, yet simple looking, cardigan. I came across The Granite Cape by AllAboutAmi and fell in love. This led me to her blog where I found The Granite Cardigan, which has long sleeves, a must have for this gift.

You can find the free pattern for this cardigan here.

Now that I had picked a pattern, it was time to begin.

Getting Started

Because I was trying to finish this pattern as quickly as possible, I grabbed my husband and jumped in the car to make a trip to Michael’s. I already owned the correct hook size and pins, I just needed yarn and blocking boards.

Then came the disappointment. Michael’s did not sell the color listed in the pattern. The time crunch forced me to be flexible, so I made sure to only peruse yarn of the same brand, size, and texture. The color I ended up selecting was Lion Brand’s Grand Canyon. It was another neutral tone, just a bit darker than the original intended color. I think it will still easily match any outfit, but especially fall and winter (which are my favorite anyway). Hopefully my sis-in-law will love it too, because there is no going back now!

8 balls of yarn and 6 blocking squares later I was ready to start. My husband was going away for the weekend so I knew I was going to have plenty of time to work. And silly me figured it was going to be an intense weekend project. Surprise, I was super wrong. It was an intense TWO weekend and all five days in between project. Lucky for me, there was still a little time before my new nephew came into the world, so the care package will arrive right on time.

My First Major Fail

With any project, there will be a point when the yarn gets thrown across the room and all hope seems lost. Fortunately, this event happened on the first panel, a mere 50 rows in. I was feeling good, I was in a groove, when suddenly I hold the panel up and notice it is slowly decreasing in size. I count the stitches of the row I am on and sure enough, I am short.

It was great that I got my big mess up out of the way early on, especially since this pattern repeats frequently. Once I was able to get that first panel done, it was smooth sailing. I still had small hiccups, but I never again had to undo an entire section and start over. I probably should have redone the wip stitch on the sleeve, but imperfections give it character.

The Miracle of Blocking

This pattern called for blocking, and being an amigurumi girl by trade, I had no idea what this was. After a few Pinterest tutorials and Youtube videos I figured out that blocking is simply a technique using water to tell a garment how to behave itself. Using foam board and pins, you stretch the panels (before assembly) to the desired height and width and then steam the crap out of them. Steaming the yarn relaxes it and causes it to keep the desired shape. The heat in the steam “kills” the acrylic in the yarn by melting the plastic fibers. This process makes the assembly easier and the helps the final garment hang nicely.

Oddly enough, my favorite part of this whole process was blocking. I loved watching the yarn relax into place when I was steaming it. It almost looked like an optical illusion as the yarn shifted behind the wall of steam. The yarn reminded me of all those “oddly satisfying” videos that used to be so popular on Instagram. If I make squares just to block them does that make me a crazy crochet lady?

I named this section “The Miracle of Blocking”, though, because of the ease of the assembly. One of the most irritating things I have encountered while crocheting is when I finish a blanket, a washcloth, or even my hexagons for my side project blanket (see Using Crochet to Manage Stress), is that the edges curl! Or even worse, it looks crooked. After blocking the pieces, I lined them up with ease and stitched them perfectly. Everything was the right size, so everything fit together. I will be blocking my hexagons to satisfy my OCD as soon as possible, and make assembly of that blanket less of a headache.

Review of “The Granite Cardigan”

First of all, I highly recommend just biting the bullet and buying the kit for this pattern from Lion Brand. This way you ensure getting the intended color. If you are in a time crunch like I was, or if you want to use a different color, the pattern does specify what kind of yarn she used so your measurements will line up and the sizing will be correct. No one is paying me to say this, I just think the kit is a great idea. Plus it benefits a fellow maker!

AllAboutAmi lists this pattern as a level 3 Intermediate, and I agree. Even though this was my first wearable, this is not my first rodeo as far as reading a lengthy pattern or adapting to more difficult stitches. Stephanie (the designer) did an amazing job of explaining all the pattern entailed as well as navigating potential struggle points. However, this does not take away from the fact that this is not a pattern for beginners.

That being said, the blog AllAboutAmi is insanely popular, has a great social media presence and is sponsored (#goals!!), and it is all totally deserved. I splurged and spent the $3 to get the ad free pattern so I could print it off and lay it out in front of me, and it was worth it. This pattern is easy to follow, has clear visuals, and is well organized. Just make sure your printer has full ink or your pictures will all turn yellow!

My only complaint (because nothing is perfect) was I struggled to find the dimensions for the blocking of the sleeve. And I only noticed because every other component’s sizing was so clearly laid out. I figured it out though and made it work, and it turned out great. If  you are going to be making a sweater or scarf or hat anytime soon, I highly recommend her patterns. I will definitely be using her again.

Now I Want One!

Since I made this first sweater for my sis-in-law, I want to make another one for myself. I found some amazing Bernat yarn that is blush pink and velvety, and I am excited to see how it turns out! It is going to be crazy big and chunky and that is exactly how I like my sweaters.

There were also parts of the pattern I am looking forward to trying again. I want to improve my “picking up stitches” as well as just the general edges of the panels. This pattern also calls for a felting needle for the way she joins the ends of her yarn. My local Michael’s only had expensive ones in stock, and since I was already spending quite a bit I decided to skip out on this tool. If I would have been aware of how long it was going to take me, I probably would have just ordered the one she recommends in the pattern. The past is the past though and we must move forward. I look forward to getting this tool in the future and using her technique of felting ends together on a future project.

Overall this cardigan was a great learning opportunity for me! The daunting task of a cardigan no longer scares me, and I am even excited to get started on my next one!

What was your first wearable project? Comment a picture so I can see your success!