Saffron (Sans Pill Bugs)

Well, Saffron is finally finished up and I decided to forego all embroidery. I tried the pattern-suggested bullion stitch flowers and there was pretty much consensus that they were...well...pretty ugly. Based on some suggestions, I gave tiny lazy daisies a go and decided that they didn't work either. In the end, the sweater is quite busy enough without further embellishment I think and I'm happy with it as is - plus there was a LOT less finishing involved minus the flowers...



Speaking of finishing, I generally cringe when I have to pick up stitches for a neck or button band and then end up with a couple "do-overs" but I've finally smartened up and this time I actually measured the button and neckbands marking with contrasting thread every 2 inches - divide the number of stitches you need to pick up by the number of inches you've got and you know exactly how many stitches should be picked up between each little red thread to avoid sagging or stretching of the band. I'm not sure why I try to wing these things - it really was much less painful to do the planning ahead of time (as I'm sure most of you are already aware).



Project Specs
Pattern: Saffron by Kim Hargreaves from Rowan Mag#25
Yarn: Rowan 4ply cotton in color 'Olive'
Needles: The recommended 2.25mm and 3mm
Comments: I really like the finished cardi and I think I will get a lot of wear out of it year-round over t-shirts and tanks. I added 4cm to the length and could have added even a bit more - this is a very short cardi if you follow the pattern specs. All in all I'm very happy with how this project turned out. There is only one nagging detail about this cardi that is frustrating me and that is the cast on edge - despite being steamed into submission about 5 times now, I see it once again rolled up as I was dashing back and forth from camera timer to model mark. It'll pay for that later...