You Must Have been a beautiful cable…

Ha!  And you all thought I wasn’t getting any knitting done just because I wasn’t blogging!  Oh, ye of little faith!  We had plenty of car time with Jeremy here so I was able to finish the Must Have before we went down to the Alps so I could get some cool pics.  Don’t mind the ‘do.  Just look at the sweater and mountains.  My hairdresser is moving (story of my life) and you have no idea what it’s like to find a good hairdresser in Germany that speaks English well enough that you feel totally safe with your hair in their hands.  But I digress…

Wanna see something funny?  Just “met” another Army-wife-knit-blogger here in Germany today and she went down to the Edelwiess a few weeks ago. 

It really is a small world.  Now I gotta find out where she found that Phildar store!! C’mon, Allena, fess up!!

The color in the picture of the front is accurate.  The one of the back is all washed out but it’s a good close-up.

So, my first real cable sweater is finished and it didn’t take me two years to do.  I’ve done simple cables before but nothing like this.  Well… I did the Cables 101 Vest a few years back, but that was easy compared to the Must Have.  Dan’s been asking for a cabled sweater for years and now I have no excuse.  Dangnargit.  Just shot myself in the foot. 

Haven’t really decided on the next project yet.  I think I’ve become a one project girl.  I seem to get more done that way.  I need to do a few baby gifts and the next adult sweater is Dan’s.  I think it’s going to be this one.  It’s Sirdar 8313 that I picked up at John Lewis in Glasgow.  God, I loved going through all those pattern books.  I love Sirdar and Patons patterns and they were in abundance there.  Very manly man sweater.  Actually…. now that I look at it, lol, it kind of reminds me of an Army uniform sweater.  LOL.  Greeeaaat. 

It calls for DK and I’m using Elann Highland Wool (of course) in about the same color, so I’ll have to do some tweaking.  No biggie.  Weird pattern though.  It starts out with about 50 more stitches that you reduce at the end of the 3×3 ribbing.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before so I’m a little nervous.  Sound weird to anyone else? 

27 thoughts on “You Must Have been a beautiful cable…

  1. Eva Shiu says:

    Your cable cardigan is very beautiful and in gorgerous colour. Good work ! I am planning to knit something similar (patter from the RYC Classic book). I wish I could make one by end if this summer.

  2. sandy says:

    Jean, that sweater is gorgeous! If you can do the must have as your first cable sweater, you can do ANYTHING!
    The Alps are breathtaking! I will have to show Bethany this picture after. She only saw a haze of far off mountains from hmmmmm….would it have been Munich? Ansbaugh? I can’t remember now. Blasted memory!

  3. Kim says:

    Nice job on your sweater……lovely color. The mountain spanse there is so pretty! We still have lots of snow up here on our mountains too!
    I like the sweater you are going to make for Dan. I have been searching for a simple sweater pattern that Ken would like and I think that one might be simple enough for him. He doesn’t like anything too fussy.:-))

  4. lisa says:

    wow. I love everything about that sweater. The colour is fantastic. What a great background you choose to show off your sweater.
    I love that man’s sweater. I’ve been wanting to make something for my guy, but haven’t found anything I like until now. I’ll have to try and locate that pattern here in Canada.

  5. Lauren says:

    Oh I didn’t doubt you were knitting. And you of course have a perfectly fitting, gorgeous sweater to show for it. The ribbing decreases sound crazy, unless there’s a really dramatic needle size switch.

  6. Cate says:

    Beautiful sweater, beautiful scenery, beautiful you. So happy you and your family had a great time with Jeremy.

  7. Anmiryam says:

    Jean it’s beautiful and so perfect in the setting. I’m stumped by the decreasing on the next sweater, would love to hear how that one works out!

  8. Chris says:

    It looks lovely and you look lovely in it.
    Decrease sts at the end of rib, sounds backwards to me. Any errata for the pattern?

  9. Rossana says:

    Congrats on your cable cardigan! Such a pretty color and the backdrop in the photo is AMAZING! A couple of years ago, BF and I stayed overnight at a friend’s home in Niederendorf (sp?), Austria. When we awoke the next morning and stepped out onto the balcony we saw just such a breathtaking view of the snow-capped mountains surrounding the little valley we were in. How refreshing! Anyway, your cardigan is truly pretty and your ‘do is just fine! =)

  10. Nilda says:

    Must have. How well-named. With a must have view to boot. Gohjus. Hey I’ve got 2 Phildar stores by me…just come visit this summer….

  11. Kathleen in Germany says:

    BREATHLESS! Mountains and sweater 🙂
    You really did a great job!! It’s such a super reward for a tedious amount of wrangled stitches and cables. And the colour looks warm and fuzzy while still making the cables pop.
    p.s. I finally found a great hairdresser in Fuerth, but she doesn’t even speak German, let alone English – just Spanish. I say “bob classico” and she does whatever she wants; results are great, though.

  12. Daniel and Maricela says:

    Hello! Glad you had a great time with your boys. What a beautiful sweater! I wish it was cold enough in Arizona to need one! Take care!

  13. Judy H. says:

    Your Must Have is lovely!
    I think I know what’s up with the decreases. A 3×3 rib is going to pull in like crazy (a 1×1 rib pulls in a bit, a 2×2 even more, and so on), but if you look at the picture, it doesn’t pull in at all. A bunch of extra stitches decreased after the ribbing would make a narrow rib wider, but still have the look of a 3×3 rib.

  14. janet says:

    Welcome back! Your 2 weeks with Jeremy sounded great. And what a beautiful cable knit cardigan. Well done!

  15. Nannette says:

    I’m a little late in posting, but just read your comment about your baby coming home. Mine came home on Sunday, and on Monday morning I snuck into his room to watch him sleep! He’s a 21 year old Marine, but he’ll always be my baby. I’m keeping Jeremy in my prayers.

  16. Allena says:

    love the cable! i haven’t tried one yet….much less made a sweater….I’ll have to go and do that sometime.
    that’s sooo funny about that pix it’s a great view!
    the whole time we were in garmisch i was looking for a LYS never found one though… the one near me is in amberg. really easy to find! just down the main ped zone across from the bus and train station…on the left side a block or so from the whorle store…..not that i spelled ANY of that right!
    good luck with that sweater! LOL
    happy knitting

  17. Tori says:

    Wow! The Must Have turned out Great! Wow you did an awesome job especially for one of the first cable projects you’ve done. The Cables 101 vest looks great too. Glad your back but also sorry your break and visit with your son are over. Take care, Tori

  18. Nathania says:

    Beautiful Must Have, Jean! I love the color. And I can’t believe you’re Jeremy’s mother. You’re way to young to have such a handsome grown-up son!

  19. Wendi says:

    I love the sweater! I used to not like cardigans, but I’ve seen so many beautiful handknit ones on blogs lately, I think I’m reformed! I want one just like it! And I have to agree that you don’t look your age.
    Nice, nice work!

  20. Michaela McIntosh says:

    Jean! Your sweater is scrumptious. AB SO LUTELY BEEEUtiful. I am totally inspired. Michaela

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