GIVEAWAY! + Knitting Review: “Whistler Cardigan” by We Are Knitters

Time for an exciting giveaway! I’ve teamed up with We Are Knitters for one lucky winner to get an $80 gift card to spend on any kit they want! Be sure to scroll to the bottom for details about how to enter 🙂

I decided to go for a cardigan (the Whistler Cardigan, specifically) this round because of my growing baby bump! I couldn’t resist getting this one from their new Les Girls collection. I think the entire collection is very “fall in the city”. If I wasn’t pregnant, I would definitely make this sweater, too.

THE YARN

The colors I used are Spotted Beige (main color), Wine (medium sized block), and Light Pink (smallest horizontal block). I have to say that, out of all the yarn colors I’ve ever worked with, Spotted Beige is my favorite! It doesn’t look it while it’s in the ball or while you’re working with it, but the subtle tonal changes are gorgeous and give a beautiful, seamless dimension to whatever you’re making.

I would say that one of the most challenging things about this cardigan was picking my color combo. I tend to stick to a neutral palette, but I wanted to explore the rich color options. Ultimately, my goal was to create a warm, “fall weather” color palette. I also thought the color combo I worked with would make a good transition for winter to spring when that time comes! Here are the other combos I was considering:

• Natural (main), Spotted Grey (medium block), Black (small horizontal block)
• Pearl Grey (main), Grey (medium block), Navy Blue (small horizontal block)
• Ivory (main), Taupe (medium block), Black (small horizontal block)

THE PATTERN

As mentioned, I made the Whistler Cardigan from We Are Knitters. To be honest, I was a little (read: super) nervous about intarsia, but I wanted to give it a go anyway. First of all, it did not go that well in the past (Exhibit A here). I even watched videos and everything when I was making that sweater. Secondly, intarsia is one of those knitting words that I think scares away most knitters because it sounds like it’s going to be big and difficult.

I have to say, though, with this cardigan, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to actually accomplish the intarsia. I watched this video to kick me off. From there, it’s a pretty simple color integration throughout the cardigan. You never work with more than 2 colors at a time, which simplifies things.

Because WAK tends to be great at simplifying the complicated, I felt confident in my decision to give intarsia another shot, and I have to say, I am so glad that I did give it another shot because now I feel like I can go into other color work projects and know what I’m doing 🙂 So, if color work makes you nervous, or you’ve never been that great at it, try this cardigan because it felt like a little like having training wheels!

Overall, I know I usually have a notes section as to where I screwed up and some pointers to help you not to make the same mistakes, but I don’t have to do that with this pattern. Everything is straight-forward and clear. The only tip I have is to be sure to follow the charts while doing intarsia.

FINAL NOTES

Are you satisfied with the outcome? Definitely! I’ve already mentioned to you all on Instagram that I would go back and make this cardigan in more colors (hence, the list above).

Would you recommend this pattern? Again, definitely. I think this cardigan is a great option for someone looking for a fast knit to wear this season. I knitted this guy up in a week. While I’m a fast knitter, that is certainly the fastest I’ve ever knit an entire garment. I also think it’s a great piece for anyone who wants to knit something, but also stay current and on trend with the latest fall fashion!

How long did this take you? As I mentioned above, one week. Ridiculously fast! The back panel took a day. Each side panel took half a day. I was able to do both sleeves in a couple hours. So, technically, a week when I took my time and had other work/projects to do. As I’ve said, a great option if you’re looking to knit something up fast!

What skill level is required? I think minimally intermediate. If you’re a beginner and you want to be brave, take a shot at intarsia, but go a bit slower. Other than the intarsia, everything is a straight shot. Only the sleeves have increases and they’re simple. I would say the other challenging piece you’ll run into is lining up the sleeves to the cardigan body when you’re in the sewing stage, so just be aware of that.

Any other notes? I think this is going to be one of my fall/winter staple pieces. It’s incredibly cozy and it’s a great way to add a little color! For those of you gearing up for the holiday season, making this for a friend would be a great gift since it’s so customizable!

*Thank you We Are Knitters for sending me this knit kit! All opinions are my own.

GET YOUR WHISTLER CARDIGAN HERE!

BUY WHISTLER CARDIGAN

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE!

I’m so excited to bring you all a fun giveaway! There are a lot of ways to enter and get extra points. Be sure to enter on my Instagram post here, too, for some bonus entries 🙂 One lucky winner will be picked at the end of the giveaway! The giveaway ends Saturday, October 21nd at midnight, so hurry!

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