Dress + Cardigan: Installment 1

Mary and Ellen

Mary Rebecca is my lionhearted older sister, and she can do anything she puts her mind to.   I like that about her.  It seems perfect that my first sweater in my Dress + Cardigan project is named after her -- it helps me to create the right mindset for a large undertaking.

Ellen and Mary

Mary Rebecca is a versatile cardigan with wrist warmers to match;  slip them off for dirty work without fear of soaking or soiling the three-quarter length sleeves.

The sweater is worked from the bottom up on circular needles. The sleeves and body are joined on one long circular needle, and the round yoke conceals short rows to create subtle shaping.  There are no seams to sew.

Nash Island Light yarn is thick and lofty, making for a quick knit that is surprisingly lightweight.  The wool is strong and fluctuates ever-so-slightly in gorgeous color and thickness, creating rich character.

Sizes
30-32-34-36---38-40-42-44---46-48-50-52 inch bust circumference in finished sweater
Yarn
Starcroft Fiber Mill’s Nash Island Light (shown in Finch)
5-5-5-6---6-6-7-7---7-8-8-8 skeins
175 yds (160m) - 3½ oz. (100g)
Gauge
18 stitches and 25 rows = 4 inches
in stockinette stitch on larger needles
Materials
• Suggested Needles:  Sizes US 7 (4.5mm) and US 8 (5mm) 32“ (80cm) circulars (or longer, if available)
and one set each US 7 & 8 double pointed needles,
or size needed to obtain gauge
• Stitch Markers: 5, plus 2 of a different color or style to indicate decorative stitch boundaries
• Cable needle
• Stitch holders or waste yarn
• Tapestry needle
• 5 to 7 excellent buttons, and 5 to 7 small buttons for inside the button band (optional)
Skills Used
Cabling, short rows, knitting a small circumference in the round.

The pattern has some friendly tips and diagrams (for example, how to tell left from right in an ever turning project), and the decorative stitches are both charted and written.

Mary, Ellen & Angela

If you're interested, you can purchase my Mary Rebecca pattern by clicking the button on the right sidebar there. 

I wish I had a photo for you of the two of us on her Schwinn, she as the motor, me as the passenger in the baskets on the back; we covered many miles of road together.  Here's wishing you a lionhearted week.