Well, my first sweater of 2018 is finished and I loooooooove it. I want to wear it all the time because the colors make me so happy and it’s so soft and cozy. But of course because I went so bold on the color palette I feel like I shouldn’t wear it EVERY day but whatever, I do what I want. Let’s talk about my Comfort Fade Cardigan.
I knew when I originally decided I wanted to make this cardigan that it was going to be colorful. I initially thought it would be a mix of the bright pink, orange and coral but when I put those colors together in the light they didn’t flow the way I wanted. I’ve seen a lot of muted and soft pastel fades or neutral fades but I wanted this baby to be me. So I went for all the color. And to my surprise I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on this one in person. Folks seem to like all the color. Starting at my shoulder and going down, the color order is:
- Madelinetosh Tosh DK in Torchere. You may remember this color from my Colorblocked Boyfriend Cardigan a while back. This is such a gorgeous color with lots of flecks of red, pink and orange. It’s a favorite of mine.
- Hedgehog Fibres Merino DK in Pucker. This is like punch you in the face orange with bits of pink running through it. It as an impulse purchase at Fibre Space one day and I’m glad I picked it up.
- Miss Babs Yowza in Perfectly Wreckless. This might be my new favorite Babs colorway. It’s so good. Also I just love the gigantic skeins of Yowza – fewer ends to weave in!
- And a surprise ending with Miss Babs Yowza in Ghoulish. You might remember this color from my Mom’s Christmas sweater!
I didn’t realize when I saw this pattern originally and really not until I started to cast on that this was done in reverse stockinette stitch (essential wearing it on the purl side). But the color fade looks better on the reverse! So it made sense. It’s super stripey on the inside and the purl side kind of helps to blend the colors better. I added in new colors on knit rows and not on purl rows just because I liked how the blending worked but you could do it on the purl side too.
I also knit the sleeves inside out so that I wouldn’t have to do all that purling. It was so weird to think of the knit side as the wrong side but eventually I got the hang of it.
But really what I love the most about this is the opportunity to melt all that color together. I mean look at this sleeve and cuff. It’s gorgeous! It’s so vibrant and bright and it just makes me happy. I also decided to go with the longer sleeve (not my normal) to up the coziness factor. The shawl collar is gloriously huge and I really like how she played with short row shaping in each color to help with the blending. I add a Jul Design leather closure to the front so that I can pull it closed if I want to instead of adding buttons/buttonholes.
My only regret, I need pockets. I’m actually thinking about picking up stitches and then using my leftover yarn to fade a pocket to match the body and just sew it on. With something this big and cozy you just need good pockets to give it that finishing touch. Right?
So is anyone else going to make themselves a Comfort Fade Cardigan? What color palette would you choose?
Yards of Happiness 
Oh my goodness I love your color fade cardi! It is so beautiful and so you. I would love to do a fade cardi in moody blues and purples, with some bright greens and peach to add some sizzle. I definitely tend towards the blue end of the spectrum in my color choices, especially for larger garments. I also love the colorway tourchere and I was so sad when it was discontinued. I discovered my love for it late in its release and didn’t get my hands on much before they quit making it. I did get some of into my find your fade shawl though. Your cardigan is so inspiring, I absolutely love it. Ps is that fingering weight yarn? I have such a huge stash of that weight that I could probably knit several cardis and still have some left over.
But couldn’t you double up your fingering weight to get gauge? You might want to try!
That’s a great idea, and might allow for some other creative fading. Thank you for the inspiration, again!
I just read your notes that the yarns are dk weight. Sorry for asking a question you already answered.
Fabulous cardigan! The colors are gorgeous! Yes, add pockets. You’ll love wearing the sweater even more:)
Yeah I think pockets are kind of necessary. I want to put my hands somewhere.
Your color choices inspire me! I’m working on the Free Your Fade right now and it’s my first time using speckle yarn. I’m loving it! There’s something meditative in how the colors unfold. The middle color is a yellowish brownish pinkish that I never would have picked myself and can’t wsit to see how it unfolds! Add a patch pocket to your Cardigan for sure…you are right the sweater needs it #teampockets
Yeah pockets feel like they’re needed.
Your cardy looks great! I definitely want to knit one of these, and I’ve already started collecting yarns. It’s going to be an aqua fade with purple and I’m hoping to get some hits of pink and bright green. I don’t have all of the yarns yet. I also didn’t realize that it was reverse stockinette! I think you should add pockets as well, it looks super cozy.
This is a great project for some of those special skeins you’ve been holding on to for sure!
Absolutely GOOOORRRRR-GEEOOOUUUUSSS!!!!
Thank you ☺️
Your Comfort Fade turned out amazing! I love your colours, I think this might be one of my favourites of all the ones I’ve see knit. Plus yours looks well finished as well! I’ve notices the Shawl collar on some hangs a little limp, but yours looks nice and crisp!
The shawl collar is really big so it can get a little unruly. I ended mine just a little shorter.
Totally awesome FO, girlfriend! You have the touch when it comes to color.
Thank you!
Such lovely, happy colours and you look fabulous wearing it. The addition of pockets is a great idea 😃
It’s just a matter of actually adding them! Once it’s done I hate messing with it but I want pockets!
It looks so great! I don’t understand why winter clothes are always dark colours. It’s the time we need colour the most!
My thoughts exactly!
I love your fade!! So great. I love the “punch you in the face” colors and want to knit more of them, too. I just finished this sweater too, using purple-to-gray. Here’s the rav page: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/mereditht/comfort-fade-cardi I’m a slow knitter, but I actually finished this in the same season I started it, I think because I enjoyed watching the colors fade so much. Usually I finish big cozy sweaters in July. 🙂
Your Fade is great too!!
Wonderful colors! Can I ask if you feel this cardigan tends to slip off the shoulders as you wear it during the day? I have heard that’s a problem.
I think the collar can be a bit heavy which might be what does that but it’s not horrible.
Holy cats, I love this! Those colors are perfectly you. I find your color confidence inspiring.
I’ve got this cardi in my queue, but I’m thinking of going with Madelintosh DK Twist in Saffron, Hearth, Asphalt, and Onyx. I don’t have quite enough asphalt in my stash, though. I’m still figuring out my options there.
Hahahahaha your holy cats has me laughing. I find that color makes me smile. The brighter and bolder it is the happier I am ☺️
Well, I have not felt a desire to knit a Comfort Fade until seeing yours. When I saw it on Instagram I didn’t even realize it was a Comfort Fade. Most that I have seen have been quiet colors that blend easier. But I love the statement of these colors of yours. It makes me see the pattern in anew light. I’d like one in a Southwest color palette, one that had no intention of actually fading into each other. Beautiful job!
Well first thank you! But yeah most I saw were soft and pastel and that’s not really me. So I just went bold and bright. I could totally see a gorgeous southwest palette too.
OMG!!! This is so beautiful 😍😍 I would love wear this sweater, it’s so colorful❤💙💚💛💜💖💕😍😍😍
You’re too sweet.
Thanks for the link to Jul buttons!! I have been designing various convertible garments in my head, but hadn’t settled on optional fasteners — Jul is perfect. Plus, I love the colors of your sweater