FO: Nathalie

I bet you thought I'd forgotten about this one! After failing to finish it before the start of the Outfit Along I ended up putting it aside for the duration and only picked it up again a few days ago. In the past I've put projects aside only to go back to them and find that I have absolutely no idea where I've got to and what to do next but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I'd made it very clear where I'd got to on this one. I was knitting the sleeves two at a time and I'd got about half way so I didn't have much left to do at all.

After that there was just a bit of seaming to do. The main body is all knit in one piece but the sleeves are knit flat so they need to be seamed after they're set in. The shoulders also needed seaming as well as the centre of the collar before it is sewn down at the back of the neck. All in all, fairly painless although still a little more seaming than I like to do!

Once I'd finished and popped it on I wasn't entirely sure I liked it but the next morning I gave it a quick steam blocking and wore it to work. Every time I saw myself in the mirror I found I liked it a bit more and but lunchtime I'd pretty much decided that it was my favourite cardigan in the world. It's the perfect level of slouchy without constantly falling off because the arms fit nicely. The colour is pretty neutral but not boring, the cotton and linen mix gives the yarn a sheen which is almost silvery and really lovely. It also makes it a great summer cover up if you live in the land of unpredictable weather like me.

I've mentioned the pattern before, being a DROPS pattern it was basically a scary looking wall of text and it was well worth taking the time to write it out in a simpler format that I could follow. There was nothing difficult in the pattern but the format is difficult to work from so I would definitely recommend rewriting it in sections. I know some people avoid DROPS patterns because they're difficult but really they're just presented awkwardly and they have loads of patterns that I like the look of. Here is my DROPS bundle in my Ravelry faves if you're at all interested. Next up though is a completely DROPS free zone, a Driftwood sweater in Rowan Calmer.

Pattern: DROPS 146-1 "Nathalie"

Yarn: DROPS Bomull Lin - 53% cotton 47% linen in grey blue