Longfellow V2.0 – review

I’ve made Longfellow before and it was a huge hit. I think I can safely say that this is the most worn knit I’ve made for Dave. So much so that a second was requested, again in navy, everything the same as before except the length.

As you may recall, Longfellow is a classic v-necked mens cardigan knit in 4 ply yarn. Designed by Michelle Wang for Brooklyn Tweed, it has inset pockets and the proportions of it are perfect.

Although the model on the original pattern is a much slighter build than Dave, it’s such a classic look that it works on his rugby player shoulders too.

To ensure the fit was exactly as required, I measured the original cardigan, which is knitted in a different yarn, did a gauge swatch, and realised that I could knit to the pattern, just ensuring that I amended the finished length to fit.

Easy!

This yarn is a joy to knit. Purchased from Freehold Yarn Co. in Lancaster on our last jaunt to The Lakes, it’s the perfect shade of navy and wondrous to knit

The colourway is Derwentwater and is a saturated true blue. No hint of green in there, which is nice, but not what Dave wanted. This true navy is a great colour on him and goes with most of his formal and semi formal shirts.

The yarn has a beautifully lustrous finish. There’s the merest hint of halo, but just enough. Not so much as to make the completed garment look fluffy.

These pictures were taken straight from the office, and I know several people have complimented him on both this cardigan, and it’s previous incarnation. They’ve thought it was designer. I’m mildly smug!

I think it’s obvious that this cardigan is a definite win! Both from me, because I really enjoy knitting it, and from Dave who loves to wear it.

My knitterly friends always joke that they wouldn’t like to knit a 4ply anything for Dave’s shoulders, but I find this a really good movie night knit. It’s miles of soothing stockinette, with simple shaping and a wonderful result. What’s not to like?

I enjoyed this one more than the first because this yarn is much more luxurious and better behaved on the needles. It looks more luxe now it’s finished too. And it’s wearing well. Whilst this hasn’t had the wear that my Galaxie has had, the yarn is still pristine, and the whole garment still has that “fresh from the needles” look.

I suspect this won’t be the last time I knit this pattern. And at some point I’ll take the hem off the other one and shorten it. But in the meantime, I highly recommend this pattern and yarn combo as a perfect wardrobe staple for the man in your life.

I just hope the next incarnation of Longfellow on my needles isn’t a navy one!

A note on photos

I’m really sorry about the quality of photos on the last couple of posts. I’ve been using my camera phone for a while now to snap quick pics to enable me to get the posts up. But I think my camera is succumbing to my having dropped my phone one too many times! My industrial strength protective cover can only do so much.

I’ll dig the camera out for the next post! Hopefully things will look crisper then!