Colder weather has hit us here in the South quickly this year. Just when the back porch was seducing me to languorous hours there enjoying the cooler temps and fresher air that fall heralds in. From mid-seventies to 60's overnight. Now, after waiting all summer for a fall in which to enjoy my Peach Orchard Cardi-Wrap in it's sleeveless glory, there is no doubt that this had to be reconsidered right away. So, it was decision time. The plan is to simply lace the sleeves onto the body of the wrap. This would seem ideal, as the sleeve has YO's at the sleeve slots. If I had done the body with the same, they could be added and removed as the whim takes me. So, now , a quick whip stitch, and those homeless parts will finally be attached! You can make one of your own as I offer the pattern here: Peach Orchard Cardi Wrap
I love my cardi wrap. I got the idea after seeing a few others online, and wanted something similar, but different. Each knitted cardi I saw was either too blocky looking, too un-glamorous,too long, or too lacey. I wanted colorful, sort of substantial for warmth, sexy and fun. …And glitz. …At least a little. So, free range knitting it was, and irregular, sleek and body friendly, and beads that drip off the edges seductively. I made sleeves for it, but I liked the look without them, so much so, that I haven’t yet attached them. I will need to attach them in such away as to be able to detach, and re-attach, whenever the whim takes me. It hugs me without bulk, and the colors and yarns worked out so well. They reminded me of our South Carolina peach orchards, and thus it got a name: The Peach Orchard Cardi Wrap.
Writing up the pattern for the cardi wrap was a bear of a job. It took longer than it did to knit. Much longer! I am such a perfectionist that I wrote down everything I could think of to write, and the cardi wrap pattern is a full 13 pages long. The dressmaker came out, and I did illustrations for cutting strippons. Yes, that is a made up name. Jane Thornley dubbed my using fabric strips that on one occasion, and the name stuck. Strippons are thin strips of fabric that I like to tie together, creating little flags of fabric, into a long yarn. You can see them quite clearly in the photo to the right. Its the peachy part of the cardi wrap. I love texture! ...Love to see it and touch it. You will find the pattern here: Peach Orchard Cardi Wrap
I finished the wrap just in time to wear to my oldest son's wedding at the end of March, but even then the weather was a little too warm.
Now, it is way too warm to wear it, as our summers are long, hot, and humid. Come Fall though, it will be out in all its splendor, even though the peach trees will be bare.
For a lot of information on free range knitting, and some free patterns to explore using this style, visit my friend Jane's website. JaneThornley.com
