Wonder Cardigan

Oh the cocoon cardigan.  It's been around for a while in the fiber community.  And I've finally fallen into its trap.  But, in my defense, it's so effortless.  It's almost a classic at this point.  Who wouldn't want to be draped in a beautiful blanket of comfort that still looks stylish?  Forget the shlanket shawls for a moment and just imagine something like a blanket, but with sleeves.  No, I'm not talking about the Snuggie.  By the way, are those things still around?   What I'm talking about here is the cocoon cardigan.  I've had several iterations of these garments saved on various platforms such as Pinterest and Ravelry for a while, but have never made one.  Partially because I was lazy, and partially because I was so excited to knit or crochet so many other things, that this fell on the back burner.  Enter the Wonder Cardigan!

Now before we go any further let me clarify that I did not make this particular garment. This was graciously crocheted by my mother for me. I did, however, dye the yarn that was used in this garment, therefore, I really wanted to share this project on the blog!

This particular example of a cocoon cardigan caught my eye when I was trying to find a new crochet project for my mother.  She was willing to crochet something for me, so I wanted to give her a challenge while also getting a fantastic garment out of it for me.  While I was searching Ravelry for a crochet garment this pattern popped up from Expression Fiber Arts.  It took 5 skeins of fingering weight yarn and looked straightforward and easy to wear.

Once I found the project I stash dove.  I've fallen in love with stash diving.  So much so, that my stash is finally dwindling to nothing!  

I had several loose skeins from my dying experimentations that needed a beautiful project to really show them off.  So I rounded up around 3 skeins of my China Pattern colorway on the deluxe sock base, and 1 skein each of an unnamed light turquoise and a pistachio green color, both in the same base as previously stated.  Then I handed the reigns over to my mother.

Can I just say that my mother is an insanely fast crocheter?  At least in comparison to me.  I take a lot longer to complete projects that I crochet and cannot form the stitches as fast as I can when I'm knitting.  While I thought this project might take her most of the month to complete, she managed to make this cardigan done in less than two weeks.  Like I said, she's fast.


Project Notes/Details:
Advanced Beginner/Intermediate Level

5 Skeins of Fingering Weight yarn (500grams - 2000m or 2,185 yards)

Hook Size: H or 5.00mm

Pay close attention to the pattern and the overall construction of the garment.  The pattern tells you where to put your hook to start some of your rows, whereas other rows leave out this information.  It is important that you already have a solid foundation of basic crochet techniques and know how to read crochet patterns before starting this project.  Or, if this is a first-time crochet project for you, have access to an instructor or friend who is willing to help you out when you encounter a new technique.  Also, be sure to check out Expression Fiber Arts video about this pattern.  You will find helpful information and a tutorial about the stitches used in this cardigan.