I knit this cute little cardigan for my niece as a quick project after completing my Briochevron Blanket. I wish I had planned it out a little better, but I’m still happy with how it turned out. Check out my knitting experience:
I first saw this Magnolia Little cardigan by Camilla Vad on instagram and was drawn to the leaf-like pattern on the bottom. I thought it had a really sweet look and seemed like a just enough of a challenge to keep it interesting.
YARN
I had some left over yarn from my Tundra Jumper I wanted to use. It’s the exact yarn called for in the pattern, Camilla Vad Lambswool 9/3, and I held it together with my Isager Strik Alpaca 1 (also left over from my Tundra Jumper. I thought it would be perfect because we’d have matching sweaters (my Tundra and her Magnolia), but I didn’t even bother to make sure I had enough yarn. I had 450m (1.5 skeins) of the Lambswool 9/3 so I thought, surely, that’s enough to make a cardigan for a 2yr old. Poor planning. I ended up having to make some modifications so I didn’t run out of yarn.
MAGNOLIA LITTLE
Neck + Yoke
Casting on and working the ribbing was pretty fun for me because this is the first time I’ve knit twisted rib. It gives a really cool, almost brioche-like, look to it. Although, I’m not a fan of ptbl; it’s just so awkward to get really used to.
I liked using German short rows to shape the neck too. I’ve done short rows before, but I really enjoy knitting them. This cardigan is knit flat which seems better than having to steek (I’m not really sure since I’ve never done it, but it seems intimidating). I’m normally not a fan of purling, but it didn’t feel so tedious with this cardigan.
Body
I knit until just before the lace pattern, and inserted a life line. I’d never knit lace before so I didn’t want to have to rip back my whole sweater if I made a mistake.
Starting the pattern was confusing for me. Like I mentioned, I’d never done lace work before and usually holes in my knitting mean I messed up. The pattern felt like it was jumping around with text explanations, exceptions, directions, and a chart. I didn’t like the back and forth referencing at first, but I got used to it.
The pattern directions and chart themselves are very easy to follow. I chose to follow the written directions on RS rows rather than using the chart. I prefer to read the directions, but I did get some practice with chart reading on my WS row.
I did a few rows of lace before I saw that it was not giving me the right pattern. I was doing my YOs wrong, so I ripped back to row 3 on my lace chart. Luckily, I never needed to use my life line, but I’m glad it was there.
After I got the hang of the pattern and started doing my YOs correctly, everything was smooth and fun. I really enjoyed this pattern and seeing the detail form in my knitting.
I had never knit (or even heard of) nupps before. I watched this video to understand the directions better. I don’t think I did them how the pattern wanted, but I think I got the same effect.
I also liked how the lace pattern has twisted rib built in, so that when you start the hem ribbing, it just flows perfectly.
Sleeves
I had held my sleeve stitches on my 8″ needle cables, and was pleasantly surprised when I was able to just swap out my needles and knit in the round. I thought I might have needed to use DPNs instead. I have been loving my interchangeable needle set and definitely recommend the investment.
It was while I was knitting my first sleeve that I realized I was in trouble with my yarn quantity. I decided to drop the Alpaca so I could at least have enough to work the second sleeve to the same point and make them look symmetrical. While I was knitting the rest of my sleeve with just Lambswool 9/3, I realized I probably wouldn’t have enough for both sleeves and the button bands. Poor planning. So I did a few rows of knitting and the bind off, making it a ~3/4 sleeve length. I had just enough to knit the second sleeve to the same point.
Button Bands
I had a tiny bit of the Peach Lambwool 9/3 left over, and was able to make my button bands. I think the peach matched the Alpaca so it is an overall cohesive look. I had a bunch of embroidery thread from testing out my bracelet patterns, and I think I got a pretty good match to the button bands. But with the darker peach, my pink buttons didn’t turn out how I’d envisioned.
PATTERN
This pattern was slightly confusing to me at first. It does specifically say to read it through entirely before starting, which I already do, but I still was uncertain on some parts going in.
I love the explanation of how to do certain stitches, and how to treat the increases/decreases. Those are good overall “tips” to know about the different techniques before starting the pattern.
What I didn’t care for (but eventually got used to) was how the pattern writes out directions, but then also refers you to a chart. I had to keep flipping back and forth for the RS directions, and then to the chart for the WS pattern. I wish it was all on the same page. I also didn’t like how there were little exceptions to be aware of on different rows that were just written out separately from the pattern.
Other than that, I thought the pattern was very detailed. I noticed one small typo about needle size, but everything else was good.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I really love this little cardigan and how cute it turned out. I will definitely knit this again for my niece, but I’ll make sure I have enough yarn next time! I’m looking to get this yarn in Meander Heather. I think this would be a great pattern to introduce yourself to lace and chart reading. The pattern sizing goes from 6 months old to 10 years, so I feel like you could get a lot of use out of it as the child grows.
