I purchased the yarn for this project at an Alice Starmore Workshop in Madison, WI. I started it in 1997. A few months after beginning, my Mom had a serious stroke, and was in the nursing home for 14 months before passing away. I was not able to concentrate much on this cardigan during that time. After grieving, I pulled it out and managed to finish it. I love the cardigan, and the construction was so logical - everything fit together perfectly. Every time I look at it I want to start another Fair Isle!

Found my original knitting journal notes, so I want to add them here, and keep everything together:

Oregon Cardigan

Pattern by Alice Starmore. Made a swatch cap using #0 Addi Turbo needles. Will try steaming the cap a bit to see if yarn carries flatten out. If not, then be careful when knitting the top of the leaves in the border section.

Made the swatch cap in October of 1994. Bought yarn for project at Alice Starmore workshop in Madison in September. Bought twice the amount the vest pattern called for, so that I would have extra in case I ran out of a color.

The gauge on the hat is 8 sts per inch.

Started the cardigan in July 1997, just after the Trempealeau County Fair. I decided it was time I started making one of these extravagant projects for me, rather than all the little odd and end things I seem to be knitting all the time. Decided to make a cardigan instead of the vest, because I will get more use out of it, and vests sometimes look funny on me. I bought enough yarn for it.

Am making the smaller size. Given my swatch, that should be big enough. I don’t like sweaters that are too big anymore, they tend to look sloppy and ill-fitting.

Put the knitting on hold for a while, as Mother had several strokes in late August and I am too upset to work on something so intense.

January-February 1998 - have picked up the cardigan again, and work on it while watching old movies on TV. It reminds me of an impressionist painting. Adding and blending all these little dots of color to make a beautiful picture. Have finished the body to the armholes.

Fall 1998 - time to turn to knitting again! I did manage to take this project to the nursing home one day and show mother how nice it looks. I have started the armhole steeks and the v-neck shaping, and it is starting to go a little faster because of the decreases.

January 1999 - Mother passed away at the end of December, and I knit and cry and knit and cry.

February 1999 - Time to cut the armhole steeks. Cutting the first one was no trouble, but I had to sit in the sunny window to see to pick up the sleeve stitches in such dark colors. I picked up a few more stitches than the pattern called for, but I will decrease them away in the next round.

March 1999 - The sleeve is progressing nicely, but I realize now that I have to cut the body open to try on the sweater and see if the length is correct. Good thing I did; I was at the point where I needed to add the border and the ribbing!

May 1999 - I realize that if I want to finish this sweater in time for the fair in July, I need to get moving. Cut open the other steek and started on the second sleeve. Knit out in the yard a few times, on nice days.

June 1999 - Had trouble picking up the ribbing for the neckband. Way too many stitches, and miscalculated three times for to decrease to get rid of them. Also, I realized that I would run out of Deep Aqua, and had to order more from Patternworks.

July 1999 - The knitting is finished, and now I just have to weave in all those ends on the sleeves, and trim and sew the steeks. What a job. Even though it looks like a sweater, it is mis-shapen and messy looking. And the neckband curls too much. Even though I decreased down to the number in the pattern, maybe I should’ve left a few more stitches and it would lay flatter.

One week before the fair - the ends are darned, the steeks are sewn and the sweater has had its first bath. As it dried, I used the steam iron to further block out the neck and button band. It seems to be working, and looks much better. I also used the iron to press the sleeves and body a bit. I didn’t mash them or steam the life out of them, but gave them a little bit of an edge, which gives a very professional look.

Buttons - what kind? I thought all along that you would have some buttons on hands that would go with this sweater, but the ones I was thinking of are too big. The pattern never specified a size. I guess it depends on the knitter. Finally found some in my stash that will work, even though they are not my ideal.

The sweater is finished! And it looks lovely. And everyone oohs and aahs over it. And it would’ve fit me when I started knitting it, but I have gained some weight in the past two years. I guess this sweater will be my incentive to get rid of it!

The sweater placed first and received an Award of Excellence at the 1999 Trempealeau County Fair.