WIP: Meridien

So I’m working on Meridien, a swing cardigan by Joji Locatelli. Here’s the designer photo:

 And here’s where I am so far:

I’m enjoying the pattern, which is knitted side-to-side. The construction is interesting, but I’ll write more on that as I get to it. For now, I’m just enjoying the different textures of the fabric.

Unfortunately, the piece needs to measure something like 44″ from the narrower stockinette side before I can do anything else, so I’m stuck in a 33-row repeat that is a bit tedious but is at least memorizable.

I have a small notebook I’m using to keep track of rows and repeats, which is imperative as I run a cable and increase short rows at the same time. It seems to be working out well, for the most part! I already have one repeat that messed up and doesn’t look like the rest, but I’m going to go ahead and leave it different. I’m a big fan of the Deliberate Mistake in projects.

You know what I’m talking about, right? The idea that leaving a mistake in your work somehow keeps you honest. Perhaps less prideful, perhaps less perfect. Crafters and artisans throughout history have made or kept intentional mistakes. I think having a mistake in my work makes me less stressed about fixing things, which makes a project more enjoyable and less like work. Although I’m more of a project knitter than a process knitter, and I sure as heck don’t need an INTENTIONAL mistake for all the ones I dump into my knitting. Heh.

Anyway, this cardigan is going to take awhile, so I may end up hopping onto another project for a few weeks to take a bit of a break…
– YX