it’s done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i have already documented this sweater fairly extensively, so if you feel like reading the whole history: swatching & casting on, getting part way through the body only to tear back to the yoke, finishing the body and finalizing color choices, steeking, grafting on the button band & finding the right buttons.
FO: stash busting fair isle extravaganza
pattern: classic raglan pullover by barbara walker
needles: size 8 (5.0mm)
yarn: patons north america wool worsted in oatmeal (natural mix is technically what it’s called. it looks oatmeal to me)
cascade ecological wool in a medium grey (leftover from these slippers)
brown sheep lambs pride worsted in tahiti teal (leftover from this hat)
berroco ultra alpaca fine in turquoise mix, held double (leftover from this sweater)
some random navy worsted wool
and a little bit of lion brand wool-ease in apple green
i cast on for this in january, using the standard pattern for knitting a raglan from the top down, from barbara walker’s book knitting from the top, though it was obviously heavily modified. that is the joy of a pattern like this, though! it’s quite easy to apply any modification you can imagine. i knit it as a deep v-neck pullover first, and then steeked it into a cardigan. i knit the button band separately and grafted it on, placed the buttons and then made afterthought buttonholes. there’s a column of 2 purls running down the inside of each sleeve and the sides of the torso to mimic seams (which i stole from julie’s red sweater) and to give it the tiniest bit more shape and structure.
you can see the steeked edge and the purl column in this picture!
there was a lot of ‘winging it’ involved in knitting this. i didn’t have the strictest plans for my colorwork patterning, or color sequencing, but i went in expecting i was going to have to tweak it and pull back and replace things in post with a tapestry needle (basically duplicate stitching while pulling out the original color. a little on the time consuming side, but somehow more acceptable to my brain than pulling back and re-knitting). and i did all of those things. i pulled out knitting, replaced about four different parts, re-calculated the entire sweater, you name it, i probably did it.
i started this sweater in the hopes of using up some of my stash, namely the oatmeal base, and a lot of most-of-the-skein leftovers from other projects. slightly on the annoying side, i didn’t actually finish ANY of these skeins. i still have most of an oatmeal skein leftover (which i may still use up, see below), and a not teensy amount of most of these skeins. ah, well. at least i have a beautiful sweater to show for my efforts!
so, while i am definitely calling this done, and wearing it around and such, there are a few small things that i may change in the future. i have not quite mastered how to make button bands that i approve of in cardigans. they are already warping slightly, and this makes the sweater look quite ‘handmade’, but not in a way that i like. so i’ve bought some ribbon to back the bands, give them more structure. is there any other method you guys suggest?
i also had a deeper shawl collar in mind for this sweater, so i might knit some extra depth for the top portion of it and graft it on later… thus hopefully using up the leftover yarn.
this cardigan turned out so well, i’m incredibly pleased! it’s thick and squishy, it could practically be a coat in spring and fall, and another super cozy layer in winter.
see those misty looking lumps of land out on the horizon? those are the aran islands. we didn’t get there this trip as we had time for one excursion from galway and we chose the cliffs of moher, which i don’t regret in the least. but i’m definitely hoping to make it to the aran islands one day! and i couldn’t resist getting FO pictures of my sweater with such a icon of knitting history in the background!
on a side note, i found out on this trip that the history of the aran sweater is a created history, like the scottish tartans. i’m of two minds about this, where the accuracy loving historian part of me is frustrated by this ‘created culture’ and the ‘don’t let the facts stand in the way of a good story’ part of me thinks it’s actually quite interesting. what are your thoughts on created culturalisms?
ifandany 
knittedblissjc
The sweater is stunning!! I love all the details,it looks gorgeous and comfy and so easy to wear. Way to go! I hope the ribbon backing helps the button bands, I find that knititng the button bands at a much tighter gauge can help with this, but who really wants to rip out a button band at this stage. As for the leftover, maybe a stranded cowl inspired by the design of the sweater? I find created culturalisms very interesting, because it really illustrates how much we crave rich and storied histories about where we come from, and about traditions in general. the fact that some of them are made up to serve various purposes doesn’t dilute their effect for me, because whatever the reasons for emerging, they now exist. Not that I think we should disregard the origins of certain traditional cultural practices, but perhaps we need those in order to feel a sense of identification (or exoticism, as the case may be).
Joanne
BRAVO….stunning…wear this proudly!
kessanlin
Hooray! This is such a stunning cardi. You must be so proud of it! I agree with Julie up there about button bands… Typically, button bands are more sturdy when knitted with needles 1 (or more) sizes smaller than the usual size.
Max
How about this for next time – knit a vertical rib k1,p1 button band to sew it slightly stretched on the sweater. Use thinner needles and sew it on every few rows as you knit so you know where to stop.
I kind of knew about Aran knitting being non traditional. Scotland has more knitting history, but it is all rather interesting too. You know, like something being not actuate, but still canonical.
Ness
It’s done and it’s beautiful!!!!!! I love it! I think a larger shawl collar will be so cozy.
I work in a field where the line between created culture and facts is often very blurry, so I tend to decide for myself (rather conservatively) what is fact and what is fiction for research purposes, but it’s the fictions or perceived fictions (stuff that seems too juicy to be true) that I find myself dreaming about or sharing. It’s human nature to romanticize and dramatize, so naturally those stories are the ones that stick with us.
Rebecca Lately
It is so gorgeous! I am jealous of your color work skills. My color work always looks lumpy. I am not good at keeping the tension even when I switch colors.