Exactly what I hoped for

I found lovely little rose shaped buttons:

So this means I’ve finished my cardigan and I am absolutely thrilled. It’s just what I wanted. The color is both striking yet versatile, and the fit is cozy but elegant.

And it fits like I hoped it would. I am happy with it buttoned and unbuttoned as illustrated above. It’s short enough to wear with my shorter A-line and straight skirts and elegant enough to work well in a business environment, which is just what I needed. I love cardigans (and shawls) for the layering the provide and the ability to button up to different degrees depending on additional warmth needed.

But I find store bought ones hard to fit. I have a pale green one I love – but it looks sloppy buttoned up because it gaps in the front.

Which leads to the last thing I want to share: the results of all those shaping tweaks I wrote about as I knit this.

On the left you can see where I added darts above and below the bust, and how this provides a straight closure down the front. The yellow oval shows the gap I would have had without these darts

On the right is the effects of the short rows I did in the front. I’ve outlined the wedge they created in purple and how the bottom seam is level. Again, the yellow is where things would have landed without them – at a perfectly unsightly point that would make it look like the cardigan was too tight to cover my belly (instead of too short to cover my bust).

All those little calculations and alterations are 110% worth it to me to have a garment I’ll love wearing instead of one I’m always just a touch unhappy with. Now I just have to see how well the yarn wears.