Crafty: Paulie cardigan

So this post has been long overdue - I actually finished this in September... embarrassing! So this is the first "large" knitting project I have ever finished and I have to say I was surprised by how long it took me. When I started I was full of optimism and was thinking "I'll have this finished in a week no problem" and "It can't take that long" - but I was wrong. It took far longer than I thought, this was probably due to a mix of expectations not reaching reality and as this was the first thing bigger than a scarf I have knitted.

I found the pattern on Raverly (you can follow me here!). It's called the Paulie by Isabell Kraemer The pattern is available for free as a PDF download. The pattern was easy to follow and I think if this hadn't been my first "large" project it would have been pretty fast too. I did have a little bit of trouble fitting the shoulders and finishing off the collar but I feel that this may have been down to frustration of not having finished it yet!

I used an alpaca wool from Wool, Bath, which is a great shop. With floor to ceiling of every kind of wool and yarn you can think of, it's pretty easy to get inspired - not to mention dangerous to visit without a purpose. The alpaca is so soft and warm.

Overall this was definitely an enlightening project but has inspired me and given me to confidence to knit more - I'm thinking of a comfy colour block jumper as my next large project.

L xx