Cabled Cardi

This post is long over due since I finished this sweater before I left for Arizona on January 20th.  I became obsessed with getting this sweater done so I had something to wear for the cool desert mornings.  Never mind that I started it just a week or so before I left.

After looking my my stash, I decided on some green “verde esperanza” merino.  It’s been in the stash for a while and it was high time that I experienced the loveliness that is Malabrigo.  I chose the #15 Cabled Cardigan by Heather Carlson from Vogue Knitting Winter 2006/2007.  The pattern calls for 4.75 spi on US 8 and with Malabrigo I was getting more like 3.75-4 on US 6 (yes, loose knitter here) which means the garment would be about 15 to 20% bigger than the original pattern (4/4.75=.84  3.75/4.75=.79).  Based on the math and the fact that I only had 7 skeins of the Malabrigo, I went with the XS since I would have chosen a medium if my gauge was right.  I definitely would have knit the small had I known then that I would have a skein left at the end.

I really like the sweater.  I particularly like the cables on the front edges.  I would love it if it were just a little bigger, but at least it’s still wearable.  I didn’t do any mods except to add an extra closure at the top.. since it is too small that area needed a little extra “help.”  The malabrigo was lovely to knit with but it really doesn’t wear that well.  After several wearings it is pilling like crazy despite a tight fabric.  I guess that is the price we have to pay for all that fabulous softness.

Absolutely no segue or relevance to this next bit…just something that amused me today.  There always seems to be something interesting in my back yard here since it backs up to a large wash.  Last week, it was javelinas. 

Looking through the back window today, I saw this, well furry something that was laying on the rock waterfall with its feet in the air. 

I thought, “Oh great!  A hawk or something dropped it’s dinner on our rock.  Won’t that be a nice job for Jim to take care of when he gets here?”  Hmmm, on the off chance it’s alive, I wonder what it is?  So as I unlocked the back door to get a clearer look, the squirrel perked up.  Hooray!  No dead squirrels on the rock feature.  I guess he just decided to sun his belly by the pool.  Maybe I’ll go follow suit.