My Perfect Cardigan

Why is it perfect? Top-Down for custom fitting, bracelet length sleeves, just enough ribbing. Double button bands with nice pert ribbed edges. Fused Glass millefiori buttons by Vivero Glass.
This project is all about purl stitches, this cardigan is all about what you wear under it.

My main inspiration was necessity. I wanted something close fitting-really, a little bit shrunken. I wanted it to be a little English school girly, but not fetishy so. I needed it to be something I could throw on over puffy skirts or slightly costumey dresses, to lend an air of sanity and also to show that I have a body under all that fluff. It has interesting 45degree angles at the collar which make it stand up like it were starched or had toughened up like a hellish childhood sweater. This gives it all of that sentimental charm but no stiffness or scratchnyess at all.

Living up to it's 'perfect' title, I had two accidents finishing this cardigan. I had been adding colourwork with duplicate stitch. The back bands of cream stockinette were filled in with flowers from DMC's Point de Croix Nouveaux Dessins VIme Série but I changed my mind about them and cut them out. I snipped too far and lost a stitch in the very centre of the back.

Then the grey bled into the cream during blocking. I rescued it and stopped the bleeding before it reached the purl ridge of the button band so these shine out as white by comparison. I kind of like that though. It makes them seem "at attention" and I like things to be attentive.

The moral, I suppose is not to put heavy labels like 'perfect' on things as temperamental as cardigans.

Glass buttons by Vivero Glass, Merriment on Ravelry.

Purl bumps are the star of the show. Other inspiration follows at the bottom of the post.

Inspiration:
Petrova Hammond's "Lady"

Warm up Wear (Maria Kochetkova pictured)
Carrie's War (BBC 2004)

Grey Pearls

White Purl Bumps
Gothic Lolita Bible