Projects
Behind the Scenes with the Bolin Cardigan
Dear Ann,
I had a great delayed summer vacation—two September weeks in Paris. In accordance with The Rules of Kay, I took along an ambitious knitting project, and bestowed every minute of holiday knitting time upon it exclusively.
The project in question: Bolin, one of Norah Gaughan’s three amazing cardigans for MDK Field Guide No. 28: Renewal. As mentioned previously, it’s my favorite.
The goal was to come home with a finished cardigan, or as near to it as I could possibly get. Here’s how it went:
Timeline/Scorecard
Upon arrival at my pals’ place after a 7-hour flight and a little bit of ground transportation on both ends:
The whole body!
Technical note: I did not hold the stitches for the first front or the back on stitch holders, I just let them hang out on my circular while I worked the other pieces. Sometimes I wonder: does anybody really put stitches on holders in this situation? Different strokes for different folks, of course, but I find it unnecessary and I also really do not enjoy getting stitches moved back onto the needles from a piece of spare yarn.
After two weeks of hanging out in the Paris region, seeing friends and sights and also watching a fair amount of Blue Bloods with my pal, who in her defense does not have a lot of English-language cop shows available to her:
The right sleeve! If you and I were characters in Blue Bloods, we would pause here for Meaningful Eye Contact. My eye contact would be saying, I’m Proud of Me. Your eye contact would be saying, You Did OK Kid. (They do a lot of eye acting in Blue Bloods. Also a lot of Pregnant Pausing.)
Technical note: To work the invisible ribbed bind off required for the cuff, I used this excellent video.
Additional technical note: The invisible ribbed bind off is a sewn bind off, worked with a tapestry needle. I could not face the fuzz-&-tangle of pulling a strand of Kidsilk Haze through 76 stitches, so I cut it and just used a single strand of Felted Tweed, which worked fine; the cuff edge is not noticeably missing anything. You can bet I am going to inspect the photography sample’s cuffs to see if our sample knitter did the same thing!
Confession: I do not have a great deal of affection for the invisible ribbed bind off. But it is just 15 minutes of mild fuss per cuff, and given how effortless—literally without effort—this pattern is otherwise, I’ll allow it. It’s a really nice finish, for sure.
Upon arrival at home after a slightly delayed 7-hour flight and a bit of ground transportation on both ends:
Second sleeve!
Confession: I knit like a banshee the whole way home.
Thoughts
Bolin is my first sweater project in months, and its easy-going construction made it a great welcome back to sweater land. This is a pattern that flows; it’s a sweet ride.
It’s so relaxing to knit the body all the way to the underarms without a bit of shaping, and then each of the three pieces separately—again without shaping. It’s only when you get to the shoulders that there are a few straightforward short rows that really do make a difference to the fit at the shoulders.
I had a great time with the sleeves. That lush, plush cable! But the genius thing about the sleeves is that the pattern makes it very easy to knit them exactly the same length. Each repeat of the cable chart is 20 rows, or 10 of those 4-stitch garter ridges that frame the cable.
The garter ridges work as a ruler to measure sleeve length, and as a GPS to know where you are in the cable chart. I marked the tenth garter ridge of each repeat, which made it easy as pie to place the cable twist correctly—between the 4th and 5th garter ridge of the next repeat.
One final tip that may be obvious, but in case it isn’t: Since the sleeves are picked up and knit down from the shoulders, it’s easy to make them the length you want. I knew that I wanted mine to end at the wristbone, so I tried the cardigan on when I thought I was getting in range. Knowing that the sweater will grow a bit with blocking, I ended the cable pattern about 4 inches from the wristbone, to leave me room for 2 inches of cuff and a bit of post-blocking growth.
So if you want to get a custom fit, ignore when the pattern says to knit until the sleeve is X inches long, and use your arm instead.
Another point that may be obvious: This is my Rhinebeck sweater.
Love,
Kay
Pattern: Bolin Cardigan by Norah Gaughan.
Yarns: Felted Tweed in Carbon; Kidsilk Haze in Hurricane. Color is most true-to-life in top photo.
This is gorgeous. How does it fell on your body?
Wondering if button/buttonholes would work.
The button bands are yet to come!
Wonderful work Kay … I bow to your ambitiousness and accomplishment! I have been in southern France for a month and did manage to finish a marlagram scarf started on the plane, and bind off an Andrea Mowry sweater and graft a cowl, both gifts for friends here who have now received and love them. All in avoidance of my ambitious project…. Six skeins of itu kino and my class notes from Cecilia’s color explosion scarf mdk extravaganza. I’ve been moving my little mini swatches around for 2 days and I’m ready to cast on… Thanks for the inspiration!
Oh and bought some cotton/linen at a mercerie that I stumbled onto in Carpentras to make another shakerag skirt. More avoidance behavior But finished one just before leaving the states and love it! Thanks Nell!
You are so welcome, Nancy!! If all goes as planned I will be in Paris, for the first time, next April.
Suggestions are appreciated.
I have many and happy to share as the time gets closer. Lucky you!
Nell, it’s been a really long time since I was in Paris (mille-neuf-cents-quatre-vingts-dix-sept haha) but I still remember – and recommend: ice cream at Berthillon on the Ile de la cite (green apple!), musee Rodin (beautiful gardens too!), musee d’Orsay, the Monet water lilies at L’Orangerie near the Tuileries, Sainte-Chapelle, a day trip to Chartres on the RER, the Louvre of course, and I stayed at the Hotel Relais-Bosquet in the 7th (I also stayed near St Sulpice but don’t remember the hotel & it wasn’t as nice). A great tip that saved me once: tuck/hide a US $20 somewhere on your person. Saved me once when I didn’t have quite enough francs at a restaurant (pre-euro days). Bonne chance on your trip!!
Wow, you demon knitter, you! Incroyable! Love the colour.
The sample knitter did use both yarns to bind off the cuffs. I agree that this was a most satisfying project. It’s in my queue to make again for myself as soon as I find the Hurricane KSH in my stash…
Paris?
You have pictures?
Would love a vicarious vacation.
Great sweater- Norah’s designs always delight.
Beautiful!!
Jotting “place the cable twist between the 4th and 5th garter ridge of the next repeat” in the margin of my FG. Thanks!
Nearing the completion of a Felix cardigan in Rowan felted tweed and kidsilk haze (Iolite/Dewberry), and yes I bound off the ribbed cuffs and bottom ribbing using tubular bindoff and both yarns. A little fussy but so beautiful! Same bindoff here except adding two setup rows for a little “bounce” on the edges… First project with Rowan felted tweed, first holding it with kidsilk haze. It’s such a luscious, soft and warm fabric! I’m happy to hear it will likely grow a bit in blocking – I’m hoping the finished sweater will have a bit more ease than it does now.
Can’t wait to see it on!
Beautiful pattern and the subtle colors of the Felted Tweed and Kidsilk Haze are so intriguing!
Kay, you are amazing. Did you go on one of those planes where you have a privacy pod (my term) to help you concentrate? There are always so many interruptions on a plane (just like a hospital) that I can never get much done. Nell, along with the above (KKTHLYN) if you are a medieval history buff don’t miss the Cluny museum. It has the Unicorn tapestries and lots of interesting artifacts. I still remember the 12th century leather sandals. Sweaty, yes, but so Old and still around! Also be sure to walk a Lot! So much to see. Have a wonderful time!
I have found that flight attendants don’t tell knitters to put away their project for take off and landing. Learning that added oodles of knitting time when I travel! Get settled, buckle in, and start knitting while everyone else is still boarding.
Haha, I make my own privacy pod by hooking up the headphones and just barreling ahead. I appreciate the interruptions for snacks/hydration and try to get up every hour or so to circulate the blood!
Hi Kay — absolutely gorgeous!! Looking forward to seeing the FO on you! Please bring it to Nash Fest so I can see it in person.
Can’t wait to see you model it!
“Barber” cords are now my favorite knitting notion! For those who haven’t caught on, they are hollow flexible tubes that you fit over the end of your needle. You then slide stitches onto the cord that you are not working on, such as sleeves. It’s an absolute breeze to slide them back onto a needle when ready to work them! The cord can be purchased wound on a spool. Total game changer from trying to work the stitches back onto needle from spare piece of yarn!
Just beautiful Kay, I love the colors in the close up pics. I also bind off “sans” mohair and/or suri, much easier and still looks great. Looking forward to seeing your Bolin on you.
Doesn’t your Paris friend have access to Brit Box or Acorn?! The British police shows are so superior to American ones, although I’ve always liked Blue Bloods: Tom Selleck, don’t you know!! Am very impressed by your progress on your sweater project; you are going to have a beloved cardie soon!
I can’t wait to cast on for this beautiful sweater !
I wish that you offered a kit in that beautiful blue color because I would purchase it in a heartbeat.
Two weeks in Paris also sounds like heaven and you are living a charmed life.
See you in June !
OMG!!!
I have been knitting almost 50 years and have NEVER been able to do Kitchener stitch satisfactorily. I just frogged my latest sweater when the collar finish called for this tubular bind-off and I could NOT make it work. (Truth to tell, the sweater had fought me every stitch of the way, and this was just the final straw.)
Anyway, THANK YOU for the link. It makes sense now, and I have a pair of toe-up socks nearly ready for their bind-off.
You’re never too old to learn a new-to-you knitting technique!
That is a beauty, Kay! Seven hours straight of knitting, though? My fingers and joint would complain mightily! Congrats on a job well done!
My beret is off to you.
I’m currently working on my Bere Sweater by Carol Feller and did the same thing with the stitches to be held for the back while working the front. I do this letting stitches hang out on the circular needle cable often. BTW – the sweater is very pretty. Can’t wait to see the picture of the finished sweater on you.
I love it! Can’t wait to see you wearing it at Rhinebeck! I plan to adjust sleeve length as well.
Gorgeous sweater and gorgeous yarn. Re: picking up stitches from scrap yarn, I have only just learned about the barber cord, a long, narrow, flexible tube that fits over the tip of a needle and allows the knitter to slide all the held stitches on and off easily. I’m eager to find some and try out what sounds like a great concept.
The Bolin is my favorite too!! I just received my copy of the Field Guide yesterday and I’m mentally going through my stash for the right yarn. I’ve been searching for the perfect cardigan for ages and I think this is the one. Yay!!
Blue Bloods? Oh my, yes!! Absolutely the best. Those Sunday dinners. The Tom Selleck sighs. All of it. On Wednesdays we have a Blue Bloods marathon here. It’s so easy to spend hours watching.
Thanks for sharing your cardigan. You’ve encouraged me to start making mine. It will be my first cardigan.
I, too, fell in love with the Bolin cardi as soon as I saw the field guide. But because i have a small stash of felted tweed, I picked out a ball and made the Austen mitts – I just love the way the cable twists around the thumb. Having some yarn left, I made a second pair replacing ribbing in contrasting colors for the wrist and the fingertips. Then, wanting to make cabled mitts to go with a friend’s Aran sweater, I used some Irish wool and a larger needle, omitted one stitch in the middle of each of the k/p sections, and made a third pair of the mitts which came out just right.
I love working with felted tweed and can just imagine how lush it must be with the kidsilk haze. Your blue sweater is the perfect color to go with everything – including my blue shakerag skirt. I foresee another yarn order in my future…