Pink Memories by Isabell Kraemer

Guys, I knitted myself a jersey. Who is this person?! I didn’t even know I had it in me.

Because I’m still a knitting noob, I needed some hand holding so enlisted the help of an experienced friend. Thanks Victoria! Couldn’t have done it without her.

Over coffee and a cinnamon scroll, we chose the Pink Memories pattern by Isabell Kraemer. It’s knit in the round from the top down so there are no seams to sew and had the boxy, slightly cropped shape I was after.

The yarn is Chickadee in Peacoat from Quince & Co and oh my. Just imagine your warmest merino fabric has a baby with the softest lambs wool you’ve ever touched and the baby is mostly made of air. I never knew knitted jerseys could feel this good!

When I pair it with a merino top underneath, I’m perfectly toasty on a cold day. There’s nothing like natural fibres, amiright?

While I don’t know what the wool blend is exactly, here is what Quincy & Co say about their Chickadee range:

Three-ply Chickadee is a well-rounded, bouncy, and elastic sport weight. Although smooth, tidy, and refined in the skein, it makes a fabric with even stitches, drape, softness, and a hint of halo to smooth things out. Use this yarn when you want etched textures, clean-cut cables, and crisp colorwork patterns. Try it in breezy cardigans when you want fluid drape or in cozy accessories that are comfortable next to your skin.

Cheap, acrylic wool has been ruined for me. Forever.

As for the knitting itself? I frogged that thing so many times that I lost count. I struggled with tension for the first 10 or so attempts and I made the completely wrong size at one point along with mysterious holes throughout. But even with those mistakes included (all due to inexperience), the entire make only took 3 months. I seriously thought it would take 3 years. In fact, the final attempt only took 1 month to come together. Not bad!

Pattern Changes

Pink Memories actually has a garter stitch front, but I switched that for a stockinette stitch all over. I omitted the pockets, added a split high-low hem and made the final length to preference. The hem was ribbed with a 2×1 stitch and the sleeves and neckline were a 1×1 rib with a 4.5mm needle. My tension is still relatively tight, so I used a 5mm needle everywhere else to keep the 20″ gauge.

These details are also over on my otherwise empty Ravelry page, but who knows … maybe it’ll slowly fill now that I’m finding my feet.

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