Pattern Scout
Alice Loves Roger
Last October, on a sunny Saturday in Rhinebeck, New York, Nell Ziroli and I left the book barn on the Dutchess County Fairgrounds. We walked past acres of parked cars, many with vanity plates saying things like “BAABAA,” “SHEEEP” and “K2TOG.” When we reached my car (with its sadly generic plates), I opened up the trunk and grabbed two of the precious skeins of Alice CVM Silk that we had received from Alice O’Reilly of Backyard Fiberworks the evening before.
Nell was going to knit me a Roger, a classic granddad cardigan that she designed last summer. From the moment I saw Roger, it struck me as The One. My one true granddad cardigan, and a perfect vehicle in which to take Alice CVM Silk out on a closed track and see what she could do. I don’t think I am the first yarn shop person to have had the bright idea of making a sample in my own size. Waste not, want not!
Three more skeins of the dark shade of Alice CVM Silk followed those first two by post. As Nell worked on Roger, she texted updates and queries.
How loose of a fit? (LOOSE. JACKETY.)
How about making the pockets in Liberty Tana Lawn fabric? (YES PLEASE.)
What kind of buttons? (SHELL. AS CLOSE TO DIRT COLORED AS POSSIBLE.)
On Monday, a cardboard box arrived on my doorstep.
Roger!
nell knit roger straight from the pattern, in the 4th size (large), and required 5 skeins (1500 yards) of alice cvm silk.
I spent a happy half hour examining all of Roger’s nice details. I love the overall broken rib, with barely visible pocket openings, the raglan shaping, and the stand-up collar with little notches at the center neck. I’m glad I got extra ease, so that it fits like a jacket, with plenty of room for sweater-under-sweater possibilities.
On Tuesday, with temperatures in the 50s, I wore Roger to run all my errands. Roger is toasty warm.
Roger is going to be running a lot of errands. I am not letting Roger go. Roger is perfect for all the Iconic Looks that I adore.
My Nonno Playing Bocce look:
(Photo: Ephemeral New York.)
My Let’s Pretend I’m a Madewell Model look:
And my Just Regular Me on a Regular Day Taking Selfies look:
Those Pockets, Though
What is it about pockets? They are so appealing. Such a deluxe feature.
I love sliding my phone into one of Roger’s fabric pockets. I love putting my hand in, or my keys, and not worrying about poking through a knitted fabric. I also like knowing that if I wear out the pockets (as I have done with more than one long-loved jacket), they are easy to replace with a fat quarter of fabric and a tiny bit of sewing.
Nell gives a tutorial on how to construct fabric pockets on her blog. To experienced sewers, it will be perfectly straightforward. To me, it is a magic trick: the pocket lines itself. But I can see that it’s easy once you know how. I am sitting on a big stash of off-cuts of Liberty Tana Lawn, so my Roger need never fear that its pockets will be faux. (Note: the Roger pattern also gives instructions for knitted pockets.)
Excuse me now, I have errands to run.
OMG the Roger is in your size! It is absolutely beautiful and of course I am jealous.
Expect to see it a lot in the neighborhood (by which I mean Knitty City).
I like Look #3 best. Beautiful sweater on a lovely lady..
Thank you, Robin!
My nonno preferred to stand by and watch the bocce with a cigarette in his bocchino, directing the others in play. (He used a cigarette holder, he said, because his doctor told him to stay “far” from smoking.) Roger looks great on you!
It’s perfect, and perfect on you!! I love the pockets.
Kay and Roger, absolutely gorgeous!
Kay, you look wonderful in your new cardigan! Alice is just lovely to work with, yet the thought of Roger in Donegal Tweed has my mind whirling quite a bit…
I kind of want to knit one. If a person can have a two car garage, I can have a two car(digan) closet, no?
I love that sweater! It’s just perfect!
Perfect sweater for you.
I love granddad sweaters–I have an authentic collection from my own grandpa, Dad, and father-in-law (I “borrow” with acquisitional intent).
I’ve never knit one for myself, but I must, must, MUST have a Roger!
Years ago I knit my own Portly Dad a cardigan with this rib stitch pattern and raglan sleeves, from a vintage pattern booklet passed on to me by a Rowanette (Yvonne Davies), in a Rowan yarn that I can’t remember the name of, but I can remember that the color was a charcoal called “Shark.” I hope my mom didn’t donate it to the Goodwill! It would be far too large for me (I had to improvise gussets, a feat of which I was very proud at the time), but I have a 19 year old boy who is not getting any smaller and perhaps one day would like a vintage granddad cardi from his own granddad.
Here’s a “vintage” post about the Portly Dad cardi and its gussets. The yarn was Rowanspun Aran. https://www.moderndailyknitting.com/the-perfect-dadknit/
Roger is perfect. I love him.
Nonno playing bocce look! This is a brilliant coinage.
There is so much to love here: Nell, your pattern is adorable and timeless and makes the most of a gorgeous stitch pattern. (A sequence! Wait–EVERYthing’s a sequence, or maybe I’m just getting blurry eyed.) The Alice yarn is deployed to excellent effect here. I am sad only that it’s going to be gone before I can get my grubby mitts on it. And Kay, you’re wearing it like a professional. So cozy, such a forever thing. Love it!
I adore a granddad cardigan. I made my favorite one four years ago and wear it more than anything else. I’m loving this Roger; I’m thinking I need one too. And it looks perfect on you.
Wow! I’m in love with Roger.
Only one thing more lovely than Roger, Liberty fabrics ❤️❤️❤️❤️!!!!!
Oh, Roger that! Love, love, love this. Beautiful yarn, sheep! Beautiful knitting, Nell! Beautiful styling, Kay! What pockets!
Yummy! And oh those pockets!
Aaack, what a fab cardi! Looks great on you, too. Love those pockets….a must try.
I so LOVE granddad cardigans that when I decided to make my first sweater this year, it was the first thing I wanted to do. I used the Harebell pattern by Amy Christoffers. I picked a dark grey wool Berroco yarn, and it was wonderful and easy to make. As I got about 2/3 down the body, I realized I needed to add some stripes, so put some wide light grey stripes on lower body section, then thinner light grey and mustard stripes on the sleeves. It came out just a bit wonky, which I know blocking will fix – but as soon as it was off the needles I just needed to wear it immediately. I have been wearing 3-4 times a week all winter, the plackets are curling as I never blocked (maybe in the spring I’ll get to that) – it turned into a retro varsity-sweater-looking granddad cardigan. I love it so much, my second sweater was a granddad cardigan for my friend’s newborn (Baby Sophisticate pattern) – I cant get enough granddad cardigans on/off my needles! The Roger is absolutely perfect – I hope you’ll be playing bocce in it soon.
I had to go look up Harebell.
What a long, lean, lovely cardi! A perfect canvas for some stripes.
The pockets! While reading, I was shouting (in my head), “show me the pockets!!!” And, bam, there it was.
It is Perfection. (And, oh man. Those pockets.) (I think I’m drooling.)
Fabulous!
I love Nell’s “Hand Knit by” labels! Where could I order some?
When I commented on them, Nell said she’s had these labels for 30 years. Surely she exaggerates? I think if you google custom clothing labels you should find similar ones pretty easily. They are evergreen!
Beautiful sweater. And I love Nell’s labels – I have a lifetime supply of the same model.
It was so fun to find the label inside the pocket!
I took a sweater class last year with Nell at New River Fiber when she was living in VA. I made her Roger sweater using a worsted weight yarn (I have to look for the label). I never finished it b/c I was searching for just the right buttons. I just pulled it out the other day as I was cleaning my craft closet. It is a beautiful sweater, probably the best fit I have ever knitted. I have found good buttons and will post a photo when I have finished adding the buttons and pockets and buried the yarn ends
. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SWEATER PATTERN! It was a fun quick knit.
I love this cardi, and love this post, especially the link to the Portly Dad post of old. What did you ever decide about the gussets for his sweater? Is there a picture of him in it?
I’m still wearing my Grandmom sweater, that I insisted on having when she was gone. My mom
(the knitter of said cardi) put some elbow patches on it and gave it to me. Sweaters hold the love really well!
Hi Carol! Thank you so much for asking about the Portly Dad cardi, as it sent me hunting in the archives, where I came up with this post explaining how I made the gussets and showing Dad doing a fit modeling session. I’m pretty sure I have a picture of him wearing it when it was finished but haven’t found that one yet. Here’s the article about the gussets: https://www.moderndailyknitting.com/quality-time/
Hooray for the archives! your gussets are amazing (although I must admit that I was hoping that you had settled, after all, for a chain mail gusset, in keeping with your Dad’s Viking roots). I too have Viking blood, since both parents hailed from Nebraska. This whole series of posts is such a sweet tribute to your dad.
I’m all inspired now; I’m off to pick out yarn for a baby granddad for the youngest in the family. I’m leaning toward an Elwood.
Love your Roger! BUT, what lovely thing is it sitting on in the top picture??? Love the colors and the perfect mitered corners.
A giant mitered blanket that I never quite finished!