Vintage knits on the needles

I've been feeling good of late, and have got my mojo back for a lot of things, including blogging and knitting. I've got two lovely projects on the needles, as well as that navy cardigan, which I'm actually quite keen to begin work on again. But first, the most important thing I'll possibly ever knit: my friend Sarah's wedding cardigan. In the end Sarah plumped for the first pattern I showed her a picture of, part of an angora twin set from Stitchcraft August 1954. I took a pile of magazines and books when I went to see her, and it turns out the pattern has been reproduced in A Stitch In Time Volume 2, so if you like the look of it, it's an easy pattern to find.

The yarn I'm using is Lang Baby Alpaca. Angora yarn is pretty hard to find nowadays, a far cry from the 1950s when it was commonplace and firms like Patons and Baldwins had farms where their pampered bunnies were regularly brushed and trimmed. (Rabbits are not killed to produce angora, their long fur is clipped.) Although Rowan have brought out an angora-rich yarn, Angora Haze, this season they didn't have the colour I wanted, so I opted for an alpaca as it would be soft and luxurious and have an attractive fuzzy halo, although it won't be quite as fuzzy as angora.

I've also had fun messing around with another Fair Isle beret, knitted from my favourite pattern. Playing with the colours is fun. It'll be a while before it gets finished, though, as the cardigan is taking priority.