PhD Sweaters

I’m halfway through my second year of the PhD program, and I can finally show you photos of my finished Rivel cardigan, also known as my 1st year PhD cardi because it was knit during my first year in the program.
This cardigan is exactly the kind of garment I want in my wardrobe right now. It fits me well, has 3/4 sleeves (which make more sense because I always push mine up), has a cozy shawl collar, and has some nice details without screaming I made this! I’m happy to be focusing on sweaters knit out of yarns that are finer than worsted because I’m so much more likely to wear the finished, less bulky sweater.
One of those nice details is this great cable going up both fronts and the center back. Cabling added a little interest while knitting this project but didn’t make it so complex that I couldn’t work on it while sitting in workshops and presentations, which is a plus with my knitting these days.
Apologies for the weird angle on these photos. I wanted to take them on campus, and it was super cold and windy because we’re on a bluff. I didn’t get a chance to look at them after Sweetie took them–we just snapped them and ran back to the warmth of the car!

Pattern: Rivel Cardigan by Miriam L. Felton
Yarn: 6 skeins Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport in #137 Cobalt Blue
Needles: US 4 & 5 bamboo circulars
Made for: Me
Timeline: 20 October 2012 – 16 October 2013
Modifications: none that I recall
Worst Part: having way more yarn than necessary. I have no idea what I’ll do with all these leftovers.
Best Part: the close fit of the finished sweater.

Now that I’ve finally shared this project, I can also unveil my 2nd year cardigan, which I was originally thinking about in October.
I decided on an Emelie cardigan out of some scrumptious Madelinetosh Sock. This will be my first Madelinetosh sweater, and it’s about time! I can always identify projects knit out of these yarns on ravelry because they practically glow!

I cast on for the mid-length version of this cardigan during a meeting yesterday, and I’m already well into the bottom ribbing. I don’t want my handpainted yarn to pool in any undesirable ways, and the skeins are visibly different, so I’m alternating them to get everything to blend. I’ll also likely do 3/4 sleeves on this one, too, but we’ll see how I’m feeling when I get to that part of the project.

This is the perfect time to work on this sweater. We’re hiring two new faculty members this semester, which means lots of candidates coming in and giving presentations. It’s a great chance to hear some cutting-edge research while getting in a little extra knitting time.