Couronne Cardigan

This little lot of yarn arrived in my Christmas stocking from Santa. I cast on my knitting project in the closing hours of 2013. So technically I have kept my New Year's resolution not to start any new projects in 2014 before finishing those already started in 2013. So far, so good. 

I saw the pattern for 'Couronne' by Helen Rush in autumn last year while searching for, 'top down' 'fair isle' 'cardigan' patterns on Ravelry. 

Credit - Twist Collective, Helene Rush,  photographer Jane Heller - image used with permission.

The pattern was first published in Twist Collective Fall 2013. The yarn is by Knit One Crochet Too based in the USA.  I couldn't find a supplier in the UK and did think about finding a substitute yarn. I really liked the yarn in the design photographs and thought that Santa could bring the yarn in my Christmas stocking.

Yarn

Knit One Crochet Too Brae Tweed - Lichen 810

Inspired by classic Donegal tweeds. It is soft-spun, single ply blend of high grade merino wool, luxurious baby llama, and bamboo for a nice sheen, with a hint of tweedy colours.

Fibre Content: 60% merino wool/20% baby llama/10% bamboo/10% donegal
50-gr hank
Yardage: 109 yards
Texture: smooth single ply
Sts per 4": 18 sts
Needles: US size 8 (5mm)
Care: Handwash/dry flat

TY-DY Wool - Chilli Mocha 3814 

100-gr/218-yds. ball
Suggested Gauge: 5 sts per inch on US size 7 (4.5mm) needles
Care: Machine wash in cold water and delicate cycle, and dry flat

I bought this skein winder off ebay for the yarn skeins for our spun sheep fleeces. It's a bit temperamental if the tension isn't quite right but otherwise it's a great toy for the job. It makes lovely centre pull cylinders of yarn that are easy to use and stack.

I'm at the start of the neck of the cardigan. It's knit back and forth in knit and purl - not joined and knit in the round as with traditional fair isle. The dyed yarn is changing colour through the knitting pattern so it looks like a more complicated 'fair isle' piece.

 

I'm enjoying knitting this project but it's not something I can easily sit and watch TV with or listen to the radio. The main colour has very little twist to it, a bit like thin roving and can fluff up easily. I already had to pull back one row and the fibre was not happy. So I'm aiming not to make any errors! In contrast the coloured yarn has plenty of twist and is very easy to use.

Here's an alternative colourway, thank you, Joyce (knittingRx on Ravelry) for letting me share your finished Couronne project.

knittingRx on Ravelry

Enjoy!