Kamila Cardigan- The Stripey Version. A finished project (Designer Ling Ryan)

I have had a busy few months.

I've had my head down working like a crazy woman on project after project. I haven't really devoted much time to designing new patterns even though I often write ideas down in my pretty notebooks.

Let's just say I've been selfishly crocheting for the sake of crocheting without creating anything new.

This is totally fine and I've had a lot of fun doing it. I finished my Yarn Bombed Stag, the Bear Cubs Lean Mean Green Blanket, my Icicle Scarf, and now at last my Candy Striped Kamila Cardigan.

This is my 3rd attempt at crocheting a cardigan in the past 12 months.

The first was a Tunisian crochet cardigan I found in a magazine last winter. I restarted it so many times, found numerous errors in the pattern which resulted in a couple of emails to the magazine who then published errata that I gave up.

I then tried another pattern I found on Ravelry but was not happy with the way it was shaping up. No errors this time, I just realized it wasn't very flattering for me.

Then I found a new pattern published by a crochet designer called Ling Ryan called the Kamila Cardigan.

The pattern shows a lovely soft grey cotton piece. I decided to purchase the pattern and give it a go.

This pattern was really easy to follow as Ling includes lots of photos and extra 'explainy' bits.

I have always envied those bright stripey little girls cardigans and jumpers that you often see in the shops, and decided to try making mine like that.

As I also started it just before the beginning of Spring, I think the cardigans colour choices were a direct result of my environment....

I received these flowers from Bear one day....

I began crocheting in THIS place, under THAT blanket. Please ignore my manky couch with the extra dodgy padding under the seat cushion. I'm putting off getting new couches until Sonofagun No.2 has grown out of the phase where he smears all of the grossest things on my couch arms.

I was also wearing these socks.

And this was happening in my garden...

So as you can see, I was surrounded by bright, vivid Spring colours everywhere!

And so I began...

I used a selection of Patons 8 ply Cottons and some beautiful Cascade Ultra Pima Cottons which I purchased from the Little Woolie stall at the Australian Sheep & Yarn show.

And at last I finished!
What do you think?

The pattern calls for a row of buttons down the front, but I decided to use a hair pin to fasten the cardigan in the middle.

Although the bright Hair Pin (bought for me by The Blonde Bombshell in Hong Kong) is lovely, I am concerned it may stretch the fabric, so I am going to look out for the perfect button to put here instead.

I also decided to make my sleeves slightly bell shaped. Not because I think the pattern should do that but because I like bell sleeves.

I know stripes shouldn't be worn on anyone over a size 10 but haters gonna hate!

The big question is: Have I worn it in PUBLIC????

By Jingo I have!

This photo was taken the very second after I finished sewing the last threads in, before I gave it a light blocking.

I first wore it with jeans to Sonofagun No.2s school concert, and then yesterday it was a slightly chilly day so I wore it to work!

Yes. I wore a bright, candy- striped cotton crochet cardigan into corporate work land. Because that's how I roll people!

If you'd like to have a look at Lings pattern or even purchase it yourself to make one (perhaps in one colour or candy striped!) you can visit her Ravelry page here.

By the way this isn't a paid endorsement. I don't do those. I just really liked it and bought it and made it and am now sharing with you lovely people!

In other crochety news, my Best Bloggy Buddy in Jolly Ole England, Vicki from Off The Hook sent me a surprise package for my birthday last week. I don't know if it actually was for my birthday or out of the goodness of her heart because she has a wonderful habit of sending me random pressies.

So the package? 2 balls of Stylecraft 'Merry Go Round' acrylics, a crochet hook with a lovely polymer clay handle which she made herself, and a skein of delicious wool which she also hand dyed!

The hand dyed wool came with a challenge.

Vicki has a very very similar, almost identical skein as well. And she challenged both of us to each create something with our skeins.

1 week to make 1 thing with 1 skein.

1 week! Ye Goddess I panicked! And delved into the Pinterest, and wracked my brain and tried a few things and then after 3 or 4 days wrote to Vicki and said, "Can we pretty please maybe make it a month? Because I'm not so awesome I can pull a new thing outta my brain in a week!" And she agreed and said she also needed a month. Because we are good but we are not THAT good. I mean that would take super human powers of ignoring everything else in life for a whole week. Which as Mothers and Livers of Real Life and Workers in 'Real-Life non-Crochet Boring Jobs' is not humanly possible.