Dear New Cardigan

I love you. Let me count the ways.

Must Have Cardigan from Patons "Street Smart". 6 balls Valley yarns "Northhampton" in light grey. 4.5mm needle's. Size medium.

1. I love you for fitting me exactly right. I thought maybe you were going to be too small but I'll be darned if you didn't wash up exactly the size the swatch (Ok. The sleeve.) promised. I can't tell you what it means to me that we aren't beginning our relationship with a bunch of lies to overcome.

2. Your pattern was easy and near perfect. I did shorten your sleeves by two inches, but it can hardly be your fault that I am not very tall. I also mirrored the cables (your pattern had them all crossing the same way) because that sort of thing really matters to me.

I did notice last night when I test wore you, that because your back neck stitches aren't bound off and picked back up again for the neckband, it was starting to stretch out across there.

This morning I took 5 minutes and a crochet hook and put a chain of stitches across there to stabilise it.

It worked brilliantly, and doesn't show at all from the right side.

3. You took exactly 6 balls of Valley Yarns "Northampton". I thought you would take five so I called and got two more, but six was enough, and that makes you a $30 warm, cozy, soft, wool sweater. Since I am totally cheap, that thrills me.

4. I think you are going to match everything I own and be a fine upstanding sweater. Classic enough to be worn all the time, and neutral enough that you could be a little bit funky if I knew how to dress that way. I believe in you enough that I am thinking about knitting one of you for my sister, who is a little bit funky and does know how to dress that way. This must mean that you are a very adaptable sweater.

5. I think you are a little bit elegant, and considering that I am not, I sincerely appreciate the effort.

thanks,

Steph

PS. Don't take the fact that I'm about to start another sweater personally. It's not you. It's me.