Amiga Knit Cardigan

I knit this Amiga Cardigan using worsted weight yarn. Amiga is a free pattern from Knitty.com.

I used I Love This Yarn, an acrylic variegated yarn from Hobby Lobby. I used 3 skeins to make this cardigan with my added changes. 

Whenever I look at knit patterns on Ravelry, I like to look at the projects that people have already made to get an idea of how the pattern looks worn on real people, how it hangs, what yarns were used, what variations people made, the colors of yarn used, etc. When I was looking at Amiga, I saw someone had used the Feather & Fan stitch around the bottom, which I really liked, so I saved the photo of it on my computer for future reference. I also noticed a lot of people chose to use stitches that wouldn't curl the way stockinette stitch curls if you don't add a stabilizing stitch before knitting the Stockinette stitch. Some opted to knit ribbing, seed stitch or garter stitch for the front band and bottom and around the bottom of the sleeves so those places wouldn't curl after knitting and blocking. If you look at the pattern photos, you will see all those places curl up on the cardigan, thereby making the length of the body and sleeves appear much shorter due to the curling. I also knit mine a bit longer as well.

It turned out looking nice, but much heavier looking than the original pattern. The acrylic yarn is quite soft and comfy feeling and I love the colors.

I like the Feather & Fan stitch I knit on the lower edge; it adds a nice touch. 

I added glittery buttons (from Hobby Lobby too) and I made 5 buttonholes/buttons, instead of just 2. The buttonholes came out a bit too large to hold the buttons in place, so I had to take a few stitches with thread to make the holes smaller later.

I am glad I added the extra buttons. I wore this out walking one cold morning before I fixed the larger buttonholes, and the buttons were coming undone and I could feel the cardigan slipping off my shoulders. You really need buttons or a shawl pin to keep this closed so it won't slide off.

I love 3/4 length sleeves. These are a bit wider sleeves that I would have preferred, but the length is nice.

Closeup of the Feather & Fan stitches.

Knitting garments for myself is such a crap shoot! Since I cannot try the garment on before knitting, I have to imagine how the style and fit will look on me. Most of the time I knit an entire sweater and try it on before I block it and if it looks or feels awful, I rip it all out!😜 All that work and yarn expense and time and I don't even like most things I make that need to fit me. I usually knit for 3-4 hours  each evening while watching TV and for months too. This is why I mostly prefer knitting scarves, shawls, hats and socks. While the hats and socks do need to fit, they usually do and it's not as bad to rip out as a sweater is if I don't like it!

When I find a great pattern that is easy to make and looks good, I like to knit more than one because I know it will work out in the end. I am knitting something right now that I have made before, but using up miscellaneous balls of yarn as I didn't have enough of one yarn and I want to use up my odd balls of yarn. So it has a variegated scrappy look to it which I like too. Will share once it's done.

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