The “Enchanted Forest” Cardigan
Most of us have heard the music, experienced the play in some form or other, now have access to the long awaited film adaptations; others have even read the original novel, by Gregory McGuire, the original source material (… it’s too late for me).
And after the first photos of “the sex cardigan” dropped, the internet was properly set ablaze!
Context:
Late last year one of my friends, Natalie, reached out to see if I could make this cardigan. Not a one-to-one replica of the actual piece from the movie, this pattern was designed by an incredibly talented artist and creator, CocoBree.
Once she released the pattern on her public shop, I bought a copy and got started!
The Pattern & Human error:
Now, I’m not gonna lie: I actually struggled through some of the written instructions. I don’t know if it’s because I was still mentally wiped out at the end of last year, or I was just reading it the wrong way- what ever it was, though, for some reason the math wasn’t math-ing for me.
I was so relieved when CocoBree released the YouTube tutorial!
After I gave it once over, with the pattern in hand, everything clicked and we were back in business.
Now, I also need to admit that there were a couple of stitches in the pattern I wasn’t familiar with. It’s not unusual for some patterns to accidentally miss smaller steps like this; non-artists don’t always realize it takes a long time to design and draft a pattern, and sometimes steps you practiced a dozen times don’t make the final edit because it feels so second nature.
I’ve seen it crop up on more patterns than I can count, ever since I started learning crochet, and the solution is actually simpler now than it was when I learned by booklet:
I Googled the crochet stitches I didn’t know.
(never underestimate the power of research)
A Practice run with “Bella Donna”
After I familiarized myself with the pattern, I decided to actually give myself a “practice run” with my best-gal, Bella Donna.
I actually bought her some years ago to help me practice my garment construction. I reasoned it would be less time consuming and more cost-effective to practice my sewing technique if the clothes I was making were miniature (but still proportional to a human body).
For this project the same principle still applied, only in crochet instead.
And I’m so glad I did, too. It really gave me a chance to understand the parts I felt iffy about, and helped me better gauge just how much I would need for the full cardigan.
The Material Goose-chase:
So, the material round-up was a little tricky with this one.
My friend opted to use cotton and cotton-blend yarns instead, due to having a wool allergy (and let’s face it, how many of us are just sick of wearing micro-plastics all of the time!)
Well, there’s a couple of challenges that come with using cotton over wool:
the weight was completely different than what was listed in the pattern- meaning the stitch count would inevitably change.
Cotton, while light and airy (making it perfect for spring and summer clothes), has a propensity to stretch slightly over time.
last and not least - it’s surprisingly difficult to find heathered-gray cotton!
To say that searching for this very specific color scheme - gray heather - felt like a wild goose-chase, almost feels like and understatement at this point!
I searched high and low online, and all around town to see if anything came pre-made. Well, it wasn’t - so I realized I would have to make my own.
To do that, all I had to do was take 3 shades of gray cotton and twist them together as I crocheted; it visually blends the colors together, creating this heather effect, while also compensating for the lighter weight of the yarn and adding more density. So two birds, one stone - yay!
Finding the base color of the three was surprisingly simple - I got it from Hobbii (I know, I know!). Receiving it though, that was was another story…!
Not only was it behind schedule when it finally landed here in the States, somehow it ended passing through the Ohio distribution center (where we usually receive international mail), and going all the way to Indianapolis… only to cycle through Indianapolis, back to Ohio, and then finally hit Frankfort before coming to my hometown…
Ya’ll- sometimes I just don’t know!
The other two rolls of cotton I managed to find at a local yarn shop called ReBelle. They really saved my bacon on this one! The colors they had in stock were perfect, and they had just enough for me to finish the whole cardigan - and make adjustments later!
I cleaned them out of their entire, and still have no regrets.
I will definitely be back soon for my next crocheted masterpiece!
Final Adjustments:
Once the cardigan was finished it was ready to send off to my friend. It arrived smoothly and on time… and was just a smidge too short…
Damn it.
But, fortunately, it was nothing that couldn’t be fixed, especially since I since I had the extra yarn just in case.
What you need to know about crocheted pieces like this is that sizing can be a bit tricky, especially if you’re taking measurements across state-lines. Non-crocheters may get confused on which measurements to take, simply because they’re not used to measuring for their clothes. Though personally, I think my stitch count ended up off somewhere along the way - I got too cocky and didn’t make a gauge-swatch before I started…
Curse my crafter’s hubris!
Either way, this is why I like to budget for extra yarn on these special orders: it’s better to have it and not need, than to need but not have it.
Once we got our new measurements squared away, I was able to make those adjustments to the sleeves and hem, and sent the cardigan back to her forever home.
Final Thoughts:
This project pretty much had it all for a professional crocheter.
There were ups, there were downs; there were twists and turns a long the way; scheduling conflicts abounded and deadlines were shifted. It all came down to the wire (because it always comes down to the wire!), and there were hiccups even at the finish line - but ultimately, this was such a great cardigan to make!
It really got me back into the swing of things, and helped me remember why I wanted to incorporate this art into my business in the first place.
It feels good being able to give someone something so special; something they can’t just go out and buy at any department store. It feels just as good to be able to say you made something so beautiful, and have the skill to make adjustments whenever you need them.
This was such a fun and rewarding experience, and it’s left me so excited for more in the future.
Thank you again to CocoBree for creating such a beautiful project (Seriously, check her out online - she is super talented!)
And thanks a billion, Natalie, for really re-sparking my crochet-spirit. Love ya, girl! <3