saddle shoulder aran cardi

here is my finished saddle shoulder aran that has been in the making for 3 months. i do believe i have made all the mistakes possible and ripped and ripped. but i couldn't agree with ripping when i realised i hadn't mirrored the sheepfold.
and now it looks maybe a little bit short but from my knowledge of handknits the will grow a little with time. and maybe too small is better than too big in the long run.

i made it out of 7 skeins of beaverslide worsted in the lovely and unphotographable colour lichen. i love the yarn and it is said to be very warm in the winter. i used needles 3½ and 4½ mm and decreased 10 percent up the buttonbands and on the lower band. the neck came out the size of an elephant neck so i decreased about 25 percent round the neck which turned out to work very well. i was guided in steeking by eunny jang but i think it is better to use a yarn that is a bit thinner for crocheting the steek as mine ended up looking a bit ruffled. it doesn't show but it is something to keep in mind as it cannot really be fixed once you have made the cut.

i knit this through times of crises (very appropriate for a schoolhouse press design) and even with confidence. and it was like a catharsis to get it off the needles after two months. it symbolizes difficulty. i hope it will not affect the owner's fondness as the crisis is long gone as far as i am concerned.

and now that i have done this with all the mistakes and confusion i have started another for me, me, me. i haven't knitted a sweater for me in the last twenty years but this one i really want to have.

knit on with confidence and hope through all buttonbands.