A Tale of Two Cardigans

This is a tale that actually starts eight years ago when Gill and I visited a knitwear exhibition and saw this "Gina" Jacket by Marion Foale.

Having decided it was something I really had to have, Gill sourced a suitable pattern that was similar enough to the original that I could adapt it, and I invested in some rather luxurious wool yarn. Several months later, despite doing tension squares and pattern swatches I had knitted an over sized sack. It lay neglected for a long time until four years later I decided the yarn really was too good to waste and so it was unravelled and washed and I started to knit this cardigan instead. I finished the back and realised that once again it was knitting up far too big.

Fast forward another two years and it was unravelled again, I went down two needle sizes and started all over again but I've struggled with motivation. I picked it up between other projects doing a little bit here and a little bit there until a couple of months ago I decided I really must finish it and so here it is, having only taken four years, in it's final incarnation!(I'm trying very hard to look like the model in the photo!)

In truth it could still do with being a size smaller, especially on the arms, but I'm definitely not starting again. And I like it enough enough that I wore it out for a special birthday treat last week when Gill took me to The Orchard in Granchester for afternoon tea. Did you ever see such a huge plateful of food! It was delicious but we both had to take doggy bags home... not that the dog got anything I brought back! Especially after photo bombing me!

It was lovely to see Gill and catch up as I don't see nearly enough of her since she moved to Norfolk. Afterwards we had a wander around the parish church and the churchyard in Granchester. Gill has written all about it here.

I think Gill was hoping we might bump into James Norton but it must have been his day off!

And as afternoon tea at The Orchard is something I have never done before I've added it to my sixty by sixty list. An awful lot of things on my sixty by sixty seem to involve cake!