My first attempt at a top-down, sleeveless cardigan didn’t go as planned, so I ended up making another. I decided to use bulkier yarn for this one and tried to cast on enough stitches so that it would be wide enough to drape at the front like a proper cardigan. I figured the angel hair yarn was of the perfect amount for this, so after figuring out the sizing on a swatch, I set out with the hope of making a better cardi.
My first experience with this ultra soft and silky yarn was when I crocheted a poncho out of a white/grey mix. I thought knitting in this yarn would provide a different sensation, so I was excited about this project. I initially started out with my bamboo needles that provided the right gauge, but despite enjoying their nice grab of the yarn, the circulars soon became too short to support all the increases. I had to switch to my longest circulars, which were made of metal and made it extremely difficult to knit with this silky yarn. Everything just kept sliding, especially since I also knit more loosely to compensate for the smaller size of the needles compared to the bamboo ones. It hurt my hands and I couldn’t wait until I could bind off the sleeves.
Once I got past the sleeves and switched back to the bamboo circulars, I was back to enjoying the yarn again, especially in the smooth stockinette stitch. It worked down quickly, but when I was done, I had a similar draping problem to the first version. It wasn’t as bad, but I still couldn’t get away without joining the sides. I had some yarn left over from this since I didn’t have enough for a full row and had to backtrack a bit. I came up with the lacing idea on this one with the leftover yarn and crocheted the ends so that they would look better.
I ended up with two sleeveless cardigans, but I like them both. This one is more warm and cozy, while the other is lighter and prettier. I also reduced my yarn stash by quite a bit since this one was taking up quite a bit of space.
Here are links to this project on Ravelry and Pinterest.
