Projects
Bolin Cardigan on the Rocks
Dear Ann,
My love affair with Norah Gaughan’s Bolin Cardigan continues to burn hot. Making this sweater has been such a boost to my mood the past few weeks.
The bands are the best part! I know I said the best part was the sleeves, but that was before I got to the bands. A continuous strip of k1p1 ribbing, it’s easy to do (and easy to do right), looks like a million dollars, and at the end you have just two ends to weave in. I feel like Norah made it her business to make the Bolin Cardigan as fun and fuss-free for the knitter as possible, and I love that for us.
That little ziggy channel between the band and the sweater body is formed by attaching the band as you knit it, joining it to a stitch on the front edge of the body with a knit-2-together through the back loop. You get a little zing of satisfaction each time you do it.
It looks just as tidy, secure, and intentional on the WS. This detail makes me feel so proud to be a knitter—you can’t buy this level of artisanship in any store.
As soon as I got the ends woven in, I ran to the park, in the gloaming, and put Bolin on a rock. As you do.
And because everybody wants to see a cardigan on a person, here’s a pre-blocking shot that looks like it was taken by a drone but really is just the .5 setting on my phone camera.
Apologies for the resting mom face, but there were a lot of dogs off leash in the middle of the day, and I can’t be having that.
Bolin is drying now, and she’s grown a little in all dimensions from her soak in the Soak, but she’s too damp to model yet.
Next stop: Rhinebeck, New York. Finishing a Rhinebeck sweater a full week in advance is deeply unsettling, like turning in a term paper early (a thing I have never done).
Love,
Kay
You look fabulous in your Bolin Kay. Thanks for modeling the cardigan. I wasn’t sure about the drop shoulders but seeing this on you has moved this into the next knit category.
Beautiful sweater! And I had a run in with off leash dogs in our local park a few days ago and have had resting mom face ever since. They came running at me and my dog … thankfully he isn’t the nervous type but he got really excited and nearly knocked me over. PEOPLE. saying your dog is friendly doesn’t help if the other person’s dog isn’t, or if it is fearful, or just rambunctious and being walked by an older person. LEASH THE DOG IN THE PARK. It is the law where I live.
There, rant over, that felt good and now I need to go knit!
Ver ver nice!! And that’s just the thing with special million mile buttons!
Like it. Is it short by choice and did you adjust sleeves diameter. I have small arms and don’t want extra sweater weight there. Thanks. . Jill
No modifications except to make the sleeves the length I wanted as described in my previous post.
You look fabulous! Your sweater is gorgeous!
It’s a great color on you! Do you have a favorite 2×2 rib cast off for the bottom of your sweaters?
It’s knit from the bottom up! The sleeves are bound off with an invisible ribbed bindoff, it’s a sewn bindoff.
Brava! It just needs some cider donut accessories.
That is BEAUTIFUL! You have entirely sold me on this sweater…I will confess to a wider sleeve aversion. I think of my work life and the fact that I don’t have a dishwasher and those sleeves will not stay up while standing over a sink of dishes. But they’re SO VERY PRETTY. The cable…the other gorgeous details of this sweater. Ah! It really looks like a wonderful project!! Congrats on finishing your paper, er, sweater early!! I’m not attending Rhinebeck but am trying to finish my first non-Rhinebeck Rhinebeck sweater….I have a sleeve and a half to go but they’re 3/4 sleeves, so maybe I have one full sleeve left? Knitting is GRAND! xo
Fab buttons!
Wonderful, brava! Thanks for all the specifics, what a great design.
You look absolutely gorgeous! Nice wool, great pattern (of course – it’s a Norah Gaughan). Fantastic
Wow—yours looks great. It makes me think I should rip out my button band and try again.
Have you blocked it yet? I’d try that before a do-over!
Gorgeous! And it looks great on you.
Love your sweater and hope to see it in Rhinebeck!
Lovely
Love that button band technique! This may be my first cardigan:).
Love it! And the buttonband detail – how did I miss that browsing the Field Guide? I may have to do this sweater, but sadly I won’t be wearing it an Rhinebeck since I won’t be there this year. Enjoy!
Mary Lou! How could you do us like this! We’ll miss you.
Wow Kay — what a great sweater on you. I like the way you did the sleeves. Color is A+! Have a great time @ the festival.
I really appreciate seeing Jane in the detail provided by the close ups. When ordering yarn online we so very, very rarely see the lovely variance and texture that gives a yarn it’s beauty. And those are beautiful buttons. Hope you love wearing Bolin.
Everything in this post I get it! It has started the day off right – with a smile!
I’m thinking of doing this without the buttons. But I do love yours.
Looking at pictures for the first time, I thought it was a no-buttons cardigan. Just two little buttons at the bottom. I dithered a few seconds about whether I really wanted buttons, then went ahead and made the holes.
I give your term paper an A+ with bonus points for turning it in early!
Finally, the buttons have their moment!
Beautiful sweater!
Beautiful job! This sweater looks so great on you. Love the label and buttons.
Your Bolin is so beautiful! Fabulous color!
The sweater looks great! I’m impressed that you already had buttons for it – you might have ended up careening all over New York looking some that were just right!
Damn! And those buttons are fine, too.
Oooooh, the texture in the close ups! Y’all have a habit of diverting my attention from the dozen or so projects either currently OTN or that need starting (Christmas stocking for a grandchild who just turned TWO, Yep, and now a sibling arrives any day now). I know you’re quite proud of that.
I think those of us who don’t attend Rhinebeck (I’m on the other coast) ought to make ourselves Rhinebeck sweaters some day. Year. Decade. And post photos of us all notatRhinebeck.
Not at Rhinebeck is definitely a thing! It’s so close and easily accessible from NYC that I go every year regardless, like a little homing pigeon or something. All fiber festivals are a good thing, the more local the better. I’m missing the Brooklyn one on Saturday because it coincides with Yom Kippur this year.
Let’s also get those labels, sew them on anything and add them to that photo. I don’t go go to Rhinebeck so need those labels for sure. Too funny.
I totally get everything in this post also! Especially the “little zing of satisfaction” and the can’t be having the off-leash dogs in the park. You look so great in this. Maybe I’ll make a Rhinebeck sweater although I’ve never been. Love the “This Is…” tag.
A thing of beauty and sure to be a joy forever!
Thanks for sharing all about it.
Beautiful!! Fabulous!! The wide sleeves were putting me off but I think I have changed my mind about making this sweater! The button band and the cable are calling me!!
Thank you for the pictures!!
Fabulous! The proportions are very reminiscent of a haori, comfortable yet so elegant.
Love it all! Especially the .5 selfie. And buttons. And label. But especially the sweater!
I love the simplicity coupled with (new to me) techniques that fine tune this lovely sweater. For sure this will be the best Rhinebeck ever! Wish I could be there.
That’s so exciting to finish early! It’s beautiful! Good job!
I love it! Now I want to knit one too!
Congrats on turning in your term paper early!! You must feel quite chuffed.