I found a lovely pattern on Etsy by Make And Do Crew, and decided I wanted to try making it for myself. It’s made by creating two hexagonal pieces and stitching them together in some manner, with extra length added to the sleeves, lower edge, and front sections. It seems like these patterns are quite popular, so I jumped on the cardigan bandwagon!

Unfortunately, the suggested yarn which is 100% acrylic, (Lion Brand Vanna’s Style) is now discontinued Instead, I used Willow Yarns Wheel in colorway “Pansy”, which is 70% acrylic and 30% wool. This was comparable in weight [3 – light/DK] and similar in yardage.

Now, I did follow the pattern as written, and worked out the gauge as suggested. The pattern suggests a J-6mm hook, but to fit the gauge, I had to use a G-4mm hook. I did the gauge perfectly, so I worked up and finished the main parts of the sweater and pinned them together. Oh, my word… it was HUGE!!! Keep in mind, I am a Plus Size person. I made the 3XL size of this sweater, because according to the pattern info, it was the closest to my own size. This was extremely disappointing, because I made sure I used smaller hook to achieve the correct gauge.

After a few minutes of frustration, I dried my eyes and put the darn thing away for a bit. Several days later, I picked it back up, examined it and the pattern, then proceeded to tear out (I think eight) rounds from each piece, as well as several rounds of the sleeve length. It was a lot… enough to reduce it by two sizes! Below are the images of the finished cardigan, two sizes smaller than it was supposed to be! I’ve worked a few of the patterns from Make And Do Crew, and it seems as though almost every pattern I’ve done, I need to use a smaller hook to achieve the gauge. I wonder if the pattern creator is working her stitches really tight. Or am I working mine too loose?

Currently, I’m working on a toddler-sized cardigan, similar to this one, also by the same pattern creator. And again, I had to use a smaller hook and make it one size smaller than I normally would. It is going to be a birthday gift for one of my granddaughters. I’ll share pictures sometime after I give it to her!