Yes, I know this is the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Are you ready?
Are you sure?
Okay then:
Ta da! (not the world’s best picture, sorry. Canteen + phone = the best I could do!)
Yes, this is my Esmee cardigan, finished, blocked, worn and loved. It’s already proved incredibly useful and I’m chuffed to pieces with how it came out. Less chuffed with the pattern, as I’ve mentioned before, and my Ravelry project page has quite a few notes on what went wrong. I know the designer is working on a new version, so hopefully others won’t have the same struggle!
The button band is backed with a velvet ribbon, and I used 9 buttons to improve the fit. Well, what I actually did was count the stitches from the bottom of the ‘v’ to the hem, then work out how many buttons I thought would be sensible. Both ribbon and buttons came from Darn it and Stitch.
Some vital stats:
Pattern: Esmee cardigan from Inside Crochet
Yarn: Rowan Cashsoft 4ply. Pink. 7 balls
Hooks: 4.5 and 4mm
Time taken: hard to judge due to numerous periods of hibernation. If I’d crocheted solidly, probably 2-3 weeks.
Overall? I’m delighted with it. Not only is it warm and wearable, but I learned a HUGE amount about pattern design from it. The lace means it’s not too heavy, but the cashmere mix is cosy enough for an air-conditioned library as well. And despite the difficulties, this really is a beautiful stitch pattern, and I’m thinking of making myself a scarf with some left-over laceweight.
To see what everyone else finished this week, head over to Tami’s Amis
Made in Oxford 
Oh, that’s really pretty – definitely worth persevering with!
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Thank you! It was certainly hard work, but it’s so satisfying having made my first garment 😀
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The velvet under the buttons is a great touch! Looks great!!!
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It really stops the button band from stretching. I wear it done up most of the time, and it’s holding its shape so far.
Thanks 🙂
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It looks amazing! I wouldn’t have thought of lining the buttons, so thanks for that tip. I’ll have to queue this and wait for the new version to come out.
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Thank you! I picked up the tip from someone else, and it works really well for helping it keep its shape.
If you’re a confident crocheter, you can probably muddle through making up your own stitch counts. The principles of the pattern are sound, it’s just that the numbers don’t always add up!
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its gorgeous on you! never knew you could add a velvet band under the buttons.
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Thank you! One good thing about having to improvise the pattern was that I could make it exactly to my size 🙂
I was actually going to use grosgrain on the back, but when I saw the velvet ribbon, it just seemed like the right thing at the right time!
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It’s beautiful, Laura. Well worth the effort to get the pattern sorted out. And such a lovely cheerful colour!
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I adore the colour – it makes me smile every time I wear it 🙂
Thanks!
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Your sweater is stunning and looks fantastic on!
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Thank you 🙂 It was definitely worth the effort!
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That’s gorgeous! I love the velvet ribbon- it’s such a nice finishing touch.
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I was going to go with plain old grosgrain, but the velvet seems to suit the cardigan better 🙂
Thanks!
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So beautiful!
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Thank you 😀
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Wow, that turned out AMAZING!
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I’m pretty chuffed with it 🙂
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It’s stunning! Well done. It’s beautiful.
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Thank you! It was a lot of work but worth the effort 🙂
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That looks really good! Suits you and fits you really well.
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The fit was definitely one advantage of making it up as I went along! Thanks 🙂
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That looks a wonderful fit and colour! Glad you like it so much after all your hard work. Somehow crocheting clothing, even for my kids, just turns me off!
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I have to say that taking about a month off to just let it sit definitely helped. When I picked it up again, I REALLY wanted to get it done!
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It looks lovely on! Well done for sticking with it!
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Thanks 🙂 It turned into a bit of a labour of love in the end, but I think it was worth it.
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WOW. well done!!! i love the colour
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Thanks 🙂
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Stunning! Well done!
And did you say velvet? And cashmere? I’d never take it off!
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Thank you 🙂
I have worn it rather a lot, but since I also made it to fill a gap in my wardrobe, I guess that’s not a surprise!
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Gorgeous!! I love the colour (and it looks so good on you), I love the buttons (and it’s awesome that you added some to improve the fit, excellent idea), and I love that you made something you love while also learning a lot about pattern design, which is always the kind of creative experience I enjoy the most, myself. 🙂
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It was a huge learning curve and definitely worth it. Having to adapt the pattern meant that I felt free to say ‘does this work?’ and if it didn’t, I just changed it. I rarely use patterns ‘as is’ anyway, but this took it to new extremes!
Thank you 🙂
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