Trying out a new yarn for a New Year

Filanda Caldolino (also sold as Adriafil Woli) is one of our new Autumn yarns.  it is a wool/linen mix in lovely subtle tweedy shades.  I decided that over Christmas I would knit a fairly simple garment to show it off.  I chose colour 10, Jeans, which is a grey blue, intending to make a longish cardi with saddle shoulders and a bit of rib detail.  I took the pattern home only to find that the tension given for the pattern is actually chunky, not worsted/aran so it was back to the drawing board to find an alternative.  I've had a skirt pattern waiting in the wings for a while which would work really well or an aran version of the Funky Grandpa cardigan which I made a few years ago and love the shape of .... decisions, decisions.
While trying to decide on the garment to make I spent some time making tension squares.  Out of character, I know, but tedious as knitting tension squares can be, they do save a lot of time later, as my results show!
Aran yarn is generally knitted on 5mm needles but as my tension is often loose I tried 4.5mm first which gave me 22 stitches x 24 rows which is fine on rows but way out on stitches.  I then jumped to 6mm needles which gave 16 stitches x 20 rows which is way out for rows but closer for stitches.  Belatedly I tried 5mm needles and got 18 stitches x 24 rows which is perfect aran tension. 
With tension sorted out, I needed to make my mind up about the garment. 


Decision made!  Criss Cross by Isabell Kraemer (picture is from Ravelry). 

This cardigan is knitted from the top down with no seams.  The yarn suits it really well as it is slightly tweedy so gives a bit more interest to the finished garment.   I've now knitted down almost as far as the bottom of the armholes and am really pleased with it.  It gives a fairly firm fabric but is soft enough to drape.  I don't know how linen bears up to washing and wearing but the wool content means that the cardigan should keep its shape.





I'll post pictures of the finished garment later but in the meantime the pictures below are of the yarn and the cast on and neck.

​Filanda Caldolino (Adriafil Woli)

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