Modern Garden Cardigan

February 2011

I think I must have bought this yarn shortly after it first came out. Sirdar yarns are so reasonably priced that when you spot something you like the look of, it's hard to resist (next on my wishlist to try out is Eco Wool dk).

The difficulty is - in my opinion at least - that Sirdar's pattern support tends to be rather less fashion led than the likes of Rowan and Berroco and is certainly less comprehensive. It's no coincidence that the other project I have completed using this yarn wasn't designed specifically for it either.

So having got your three bags full home and safely stashed it's not always immediately obvious what to do next. But then I spotted a version of this cardigan on ravelry, and right away realised the wait had been worthwhile.

My gauge was way off with this project even with the yarn held double. To compensate I made a size medium whereas I would usually have opted for a small, and added a bit of length to make up for my row-gauge by using a larger chart than the pattern had intended.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with it, fit-wise and very impressed by the design. It only took about a week (despite a slight misunderstanding on my part regarding the yoke decreases), and you can't beat a bit of instant gratification!

Pattern: Modern Garden Cardigan by Veera Välimäki

Yarn: Sirdar Tweedie Chunky

Amount: 10 skeins

Colourway: 284 Roasted Berry

Needles: 8.00mm

Size: Medium

On ravelry: here