Fresh off the needles: Poison Ivy Sweater

Finally! I have a finished object to share. I’ve said it before, but, man, does my knitting mojo go away in the summer time. I’ve actually had this done for at least a month but wasn’t about to risk a heat stroke to take a few pictures to share with you guys. I finally got a decent day to take some pictures over the weekend and can finally share.

The Pattern

The pattern I used Columbia Minerva 747 from the Festival of Sweaters booklet. It was first published in the late 1960s. Which is my favorite fashion era, in case you were wondering. I wish I could share it, but since it’s still under copyright, I can’t. But you can buy it off Etsy here.

Sometimes, vintage patterns can be a bit hairy to work with, but this one was very straightforward and easy to follow. I didn’t even make too many revisions to it. I did end up casting on fewer stitches so that I wouldn’t end up with as much positive ease as the pattern called for. But that wasn’t too big of a thing. I also knit it all as one piece instead of in pieces like the pattern called for. Also, no big deal.

What I’ve learned

Button placement is important! I didn’t have a ton of problems with the spacing of the buttons. I found a great site that helped me figure out how to space them. So, I’m happy with that. But I didn’t even consider how far into the button band I should actually sew on my buttons. As a result, the cardigan kind of pulls apart when fully buttoned up. I’ll probably take them off and fix it. But it’s something I now know I have to think about beforehand to save myself a headache. I also chose buttons that are a little bit too small for the button hole I made. So, I might end up with a whole new button choice as well.

All that reverse stockinette? Did you really purl every row?

Yes! I’m aware that I could have turned the sleeves inside out then knit every row. But I’m a firm believer that you shouldn’t shy away from the purl stitch. I did for too long, so it takes me twice as long to finish a purl row than it does a knit row. So, I convinced myself that I had to purl every round of my sleeves. By the end of the second sleeve, my purling speed had improved greatly. I don’t dread the purl row anymore. This was probably the single greatest thing I’ve done for my knitting.

Why call it Poison Ivy?

Since I knit the bulk of this cardigan about a year ago, when I was watching Batman v Superman on repeat, I knew I wanted to give it a comic book inspired name. My first thought was the Kryptonite Sweater, but then when I realized that the stitch pattern had sort of an ivy feel to it, I named it after one of Batman’s villains, Poison Ivy.

I'm actually already planning to knit this sweater again but in a golden color. If you don't want to miss in progress shots, and more fun stuff, make sure to follow me on Instagram and Pinterest.