I should’ve finished this in February but life happened. The last week was a bit hectic. I feel like whenever my husband goes out of the country for work something always happens. This time it was an unexpected trip to the vet to adjust Cher’s meds and an unusually hectic work week. But I survived and he is back home from his travels and I got time to finish my Red Balloon Cardigan!
I’ve wanted a red cardigan for a while but, I have a short sleeve cardigan that I wear in the summer already but I wanted a fall/winter version. I felt like I needed to find the perfect red and then the perfect pattern. It started with the Miss Bab’s Yowza in Vlad’s red that called my name while I was in Fibre Space. There were just three lonely skeins sitting on a shelf and a gift card burning a hole in my pocket. It was the perfect storm. I picked them all up and immediately went home looking for the perfect pattern.
I decided to go with the Balloon Cardigan by Petite Knit. It’s knit in dk weight yarn with an easy top down construction. It does start off with the neckline done in a different way and then it reads like any other cardigan but with lots of raglan increases to make a full sleeve. It also knits the ribbed button band as you go along so there’s no picking up stitches and minimal finishing when you’re finished. I also loved using Miss Babs Yowza skeins because it’s almost 600 yards of yarn so even fewer ends to weave in when you’re finished. I really love the full sleeve. It’s dramatic but not too over the top. I also decided to go with rainbow buttons that I’ve used before on my striped cardigan I made years ago. I hadn’t seen these buttons in Joann’s in a while so I scooped up 4 thinking I’d use them for something else and they just worked better with this sweater.
I also really like the deep v-neck on this one too. But I think it took me so long to finish because I went with one solid color and I was knitting on size 6 needles so my brain got a little bored. I love switching up colors and I feel like I knit faster because I know I’m going to add another color or start colorwork. Now I could totally see this same cardigan made with a strand of mohair added to it to give it a really soft and cozy halo of fuzz to it. But this one definitely requires the yardage because of the full sleeve. Overall, I’m happy. I think this one is definitely a stunning piece to add to my wardrobe.
Yards of Happiness 
It’s gorgeous, glad to hear all worked out with Cher’s meds.
Love the bright colour and the look!
What a stunning sweater! It looks great on you!
What a lovely start to my day: your beautiful smile and the red sweater against the teal wall. Checks all my boxes! Thank you.
Your knitting is so beautiful and perfectly executed…maybe someday, I’ll get that good!!
SUCH a great color! I also like Miss Babs but didn’t know of this color before. 😘
Just lovely! You are so inspiring!
I’ve been waiting for the full reveal! So worth it to persevere with the single color when the results are this great.
Those buttons are soooooooo cool!!! Perfect match for a perfect sweater! 🙂
I have some Vanna’s Style acrylic yarn (#3 weight = 1700+ yards) in tomato red that would be perfect for a clone to your cardigan. If I may be so bold, can I ask what size you knit the cardigan?
HAHAHA it’s not bold, I share all those details in my Ravelry notes because that’s what I always want to know! I knit myself the large. I could’ve gone medium but I like the bit of ease that’s in it with the large. Medium might have been a bit of a close fit on the body and I didn’t want that.
Agreed! Very stunning! And the color is lovely and vibrant! The buttons were a good call!! And it looks faboo on 😉
It’s perfect, I love it! Red is my favourite colour but I seldom knit with it as I find most red yarn just… I don’t know, it’s hard to find a red yarn that I really like. This one is perfect and you look great in it!
You look fabulous!
Not only is the sweater stunning but even more so are you! Oh so relieved that dearest Cher is doing better. Yes, always when one is alone….but absolutely nothing you can not handle. This is sent with love from a grateful fan. Pip
I love this! The classic-with-a-twist shape combined with that perfect red…wonderful! I also want to thank you for inspiring me to finally knit another sweater. (My first one was 3 years ago.) I saw your 164 sweaters on the Mason-Dixon Knitting blog and loved all of them, but especially the one you call The Big Cozy, aka Joji Locatelli’s Superbulky Grandpa. I was so inspired that I bought the pattern and am now waiting for the yarn to arrive. The pattern has some bits that sound puzzling as I read through them, but I hope that they will make sense in the actual knitting!
I bet it’s the collar instructions, they were like nothing I had done before. Just take it line by line and you’ll get there. ☺️
Well now…that is beautiful!
Lovely, and you stuck with button #3 😉
I love the RED !!!
I love the big sleeves – I’m knitting large sleeves also just to mix things up ! ! !
I’m amazed at your mass of sweaters
Great sweater and lovely color! Beautiful!
I like the sweater on its own but absolutely love it on you. The color and shape are stunning and so flattering. I get bored easily so tend to avoid stockinette but Yowza (really all Miss Babs yarns) are such a delight to work with that maybe I could get a stockinette groove on working with it…
You look radiant in this yummy sweater!
Thank you 😊
Gorgeous knit – thanks for sharing it with us 🙂
That red is amazing on you! Or more likely, you are making that red look amazing. In any case, full win! I really love the silhouette, but I worry about dragging big sleeves through stuff, which has kept me from knitting anything but close fitting sleeves. Have you found that to be a problem at all? I love the look of it, it screams fun.
I love a dramatic and full sleeve. I wore this to work and didn’t have any problems.
That is a perfect sweater for you all around — color, fit, sleeves . . . ALL of it. Smashing!
That’s an amazing sweater and the red looks great on you!