sweaters

It is 80 degrees. In Michigan, in Mid march. Last year on the first day of spring, we had a huge snowstorm that cancelled school and I took some beautiful snow pictures. Today, 3 days short of a year later, there are daffodils in full bloom.
And so why the weather report on a knitting blog? Well, maybe it just goes to the project I'm working on.

I wanted to make my daughters each a new cardigan. The last time I made them each a cardigan was in 2007. They still get worn but they don't really fit.





A few weeks ago--ok a month or two ago--my daughters were wearing their sweaters to school regularly because it would often get chilly and a cardigan was just the thing. So I thought, I'll make them new ones. A search of ravelry found exactly nothing like I wanted. This doesn't surprise me, because what I have tended to notice is that you can find a TON of baby sweaters and a TON of grownup sweaters, but try to find a non colorwork sweater for a kid who wears a 10-12 and you'll find lots of I made it up myself sweaters.

Of course the purple and grey sweaters above are both I made it up myself sweaters.

So I set out to "design" my own. I'm using quotes because I am terrible at design and pattern writing. That grey sweater up there, no notes, no idea what I did, figured out how to incorporate shaping into the pattern, no idea how. Then add to that that I sketch terrible, well what you have there is a recipe for one of a kindness. (I know not every designer sketches, my favorite project runway star Mondo does not sketch and I think he's a great designer.)
My sketch:


I decided to start with my purple loving daughter--in part because the purple sweater above is way too small for her. So we have some purple yarn (Brava from knitpicks)
Anyway, what I envision is a top down raglan style cardigan. I am trying to decide which type of increases I like best. I know it needs to have some sort of collar on it, but I have no idea what that should look like. I know it needs a button band or a zipper band. I know it needs some sort of ant-curl thing on the bottom--ribbing or a pattern of some sort. I know my gauge, in that I have a swatch that I like. (running an average of 4.25 stitches an inch).

But it is 80 degrees. And I don't feel like making sweaters at 80 degrees. But now I look at the long range forecast and it says Thursday's high is 70 and Friday's is 61. Sweater weather!