Recycled Summer Cardi

The summer cardi is done. After it sat a few days in the bucket then I decided that I was NOT going to rip out the completed sleeve and just forged ahead.

I found a zipper from my stash (another thrifted thing) I'm pretty sure the zipper was another of the fabulous finds from the The Mouse. The Mouse sells zippers for five cents each. Every time I find a separating zip or a nifty colored one I grab it. At some point I'm going to have to make one of those bags made entirely out of zippers. Oh and I have the coolest zip that is 96 inches long I savaged from a vintage slip cover I can't wait until I finalize THAT design....but I digress.....So without further ado here is a pic of the sweater:




Info for inquiring minds:

Materials used: Recycled ramie from Thrift Store sweater (dark olive) used throughout entire sweater. Egyptian cotton (light sage) bought in UK for 50p (a little less than $1 at the time) used in bodice and one sleeve. One thrifted separating zip.

Construction: Bodice made with 2 strands of sage and 1 strand of olive. One sleeve made with 2 strands of olive and 1 strand sage, other sleeve made with 3 strands of olive. I had to make the bodice longer so the zip would fit so I added some length to sleeves in the olive as well. Neck and fronts are edged in olive also. I have approximately 15 yards of the olive, and absolutely no sage left. (last three stitches on the olive/olive/sage sleeve are olive/olive/olive.) Um, about that.....I'm calling it a diligent use of ones materials. :-)

I started out using a Drops Garnstudio pattern but it never really dictated much about this sweater other than gauge and bodice shaping (which is completely lost now that I added length to the bodice) The sleeves were from another DG pattern that never really followed that pattern as well. And the zipper? well that wasn't called for in either pattern! LOL

Love the sweater in all it's cottony goodness. No sunshine today, 60 degrees, and 12 mph wind....I've been wearing it all day.....ahhhhhh