It’s LIVE! The Olympia Cardigan along with the entire Deep Winter collection from Hudson+West Co. has launched. I am so thrilled to be part of this extraordinary collection of cabled and textured knitwear from my favorite yarn company. Wait ’til you see them all! Newsletter subscribers and social media followers will be taking 30% off the price of this pattern through Friday, February 4. Coupon code is HWOlympia in my Ravelry shop.
Everyone who’s worn Olympia by Cheryl Toy hasn’t wanted to take it off. Covered in modern, twisting cables featuring a grand double-breasted shawl collar this cardigan is love at first sight and wear. Constructed in pieces from the bottom up, the cables flow seamlessly from the 2×2 ribbing and the lush collar is picked up horizontally and worked back and forth after seaming. Find the perfect buttons for this handsome cardigan and guard your sweater bin or else it’s sure to be “borrowed” regularly.
Inspiration
Inspired by the magnificent Pacific Coast Ranges, the Olympia Cardigan is thickly etched in cables evoking the rugged terrain and rocky texture of these majestic mountains. For greater warmth and a retro, ski-lodge vibe, I added a deeply ribbed fold-over shawl collar with an integrated I-cord edge and broad double-breasted bands. The effect is a little bit “mountain man” and a little bit “retro chic”.
Construction
I’d originally designed Olympia to be seamlessly worked from the top down. Due to the weight, Meghan at Hudson+West suggested working the cardigan in pieces. It was the best advice ever! With seamed construction, I was able to control the depth of the armhole and the diameter of the sleeve with much greater accuracy. Working in smaller pieces meant I didn’t have a huge wooly sweater in my lap the whole time and made the piece much easier to block. The seams add structure and provide a great opportunity to study seaming and finishing techniques.
Once the seams are set, it’s time to work the grand ribbed collar and bands. These are worked from stitches picked up at the front and neck edges, then shaped using short rows. I experimented with a number of short row techniques before settling on the slip and turn method. This is a really simple, no-fuss way to work short rows. The collar is finished using a narrow I-cord bind off. Really, Olympia was a joy to knit! I’d definitely do it again, maybe in Barn Red or Midnight Blue next time 😉
Yarn
Shall we talk about this delicious yarn? Forge by Hudson+West Co. is by far my favorite worsted weight yarn on the market today. It is somehow simultaneously toothy and soft. And Forge provides that amazing definition that keeps cables clear and shown at their twisty best. Plus, the color range is extraordinary in its muted but unapologetic natural hues. I contantly at least one Hudson+West project on my needles!
There’s lots of winter knitting still to come! It’s a great time to dive into a scrumptious project with a dreamy yarn. The hardest part is choosing a color!
