Stranger Cardigan - Part 2

I actually finished this quite some time ago but work is crazy busy and we went to Mexico etc etc so this is the first time I've had a moment to take pictures of the final product! My goal was to finish this in 4 weeks but it took 7 weeks total, with a break to go to Mexico in there, so really 6 weeks. I'm okay with that! Once I was cruising on the cable panels it was smooth sailing from there.

The most annoying part of this project was the blocking. I don't have blocking mats or wires so that added an element of complexity. Plus I was so excited to wear it that I didn't want to soak it overnight like the patterns said to, so I only soaked it for a couple hours in the tub. Then the drying took like 18 hours. Seaming was fine, I got lots of practise on mattress stitch!

I really loved this pattern, and I would totally make it again. Since there is no shaping and a lot of stockinette stitch it's an easy pattern with a big payout on the pretty. Cables are just so damn pretty.

Pattern: Stranger Cardigan by Michiyo
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes 100% worsted weight wool in Bramble Heather (25073)
Needles: 5mm 32" circulars

I am happy with the yarn, especially for that price. There's nothing about the yarn that makes you melt or feel all warm and fuzzy inside like some yarns do, but its sturdy, fairly soft for 100% wool, the colour was saturated, nice twist and I really loved the colour. It's a greyish brown that can go with anything, which is great because I plan to (and have already!) wear this a lot. Since I've already worn this for a couple of weeks I have been paying attention to the pilling, and it is pilling in the usual spots, but I'm not sure if it is more or less pilling than any other kind of wool yarn. I'm looking forward to experimenting with other brands of wool to see how much they each pill. I need one of those buzzer de-pilling things. One downfall of the yarn is the low yardage. Yes, you can make a whole sweater or cardigan for around $30, but you're going to need 11 or more balls which means there are 22 tails to weave in. Brutal! To end on a positive note, I would definitely use this yarn again, its good value for low cost.

Now that I've made my first cardigan nothing is stopping me from making the 15 or so that I have saved to my Ravelry library muahahaha!