Pattern Description from A Fine Fleece: “Rhinebeck is home to the New York Sheep and Wool Festival and is considered by many to be hand-spinning Mecca. I felt it was a fitting theme for the sweater knitted with my very first handspun yarn. As a new spinner, the yarn I made gradually became less chunky and more consistent. To blend all these skeins together, I alternated between thinner and thicker skeins throughout the garment to make a more homogeneous fabric. I was very surprised at the wonderful result. I also wanted to be sure that the cardigan would clearly represent the wonderful contrasts of rustic handspun natural wool, a very old gansey stitch pattern, and a modern but timeless sweater design. This very simply and easy-to-knit cardigan fills that bill perfectly. The fiery red model, worked in Cascade 220 has a more modern feel. Because I also wanted to turn tradition on its end as another way to explore contrasts, I chose to place the knit and purl stitch pattern on the lower portion of the sweater as opposed to the yoke area that is more in keeping with the fishing gansey tradition. The use of knit and purl stitches is a great example of knitting contrast. Knits and purls are integral to all knitting and are, in themselves, exact opposites of each other. This cardigan could be unisex, but to me it is the quintessential ladies’ sweater that goes with anything and goes anywhere - especially to a sheep and wool festival of to the city for a day of shopping.”

Skill Level: Intermediate Beginner

Finished Measurements:

• Chest 39 (43, 46, 51)“ (99 109, 117, 129.5cm)
• Length 22 (23.5, 25, 26)“ (56 59.5, 63.5, 66cm)

Yarn:

• #4 medium
• 1400 (1600, 1700, 1900) yds (1280 1463, 1555, 1738m) worsted weight
• 7 (8, 8, 9) skeins Cascade 220 Wool, 3.5 oz (100g) skeins, each approximately 220 yds (201m), 100% Peruvian Highland wool, 2427 Red

Needles & Notions:

• US size 7 (4.5mm) circular needles, 29” (75cm) and 16-24” (40-60cm) long, or size needed to obtain gauge.
• One set US size 7 (4.5mm) double-pointed needles, or size needed to obtain gauge
• Stitch holders
• Stitch markers
• Tapestry needle
• 5 buttons, 0.75” (2cm) in diameter

Note: The cardigan is worked in one piece, back and forth in rows, from the lower edge to the armhole. Back and Fronts are then worked separately and shoulders are joined with a three-needle bind-off. Sleeves are picked up around the armhole edge and worked downward in rounds to the cuffs.