Hi and welcome to my first knitting pattern review and my first ever knitted cardigan! I am happy to share my knitting experience with you, hoping that it will help you along your own journey. After getting my dopamine fix from successfully finishing a few rather straightforward basic knitting patterns (Nellie Top by SpektakelStrik, the Vienna Scarf by PetiteKnit), I was ready for a more daring pattern: my first cardigan!

For the longest while, I've seen the beautiful Solene Cardigan, a design by MorecaKnit, decorating my feed almost daily. It looks soft, cozy yet elegant with cute i-cord straps to close the cardigan in the front.

The knitting progress

As you can see in the little sample card, I knitted the test swatch back in October 2024 but ended up finishing the full cardigan only in early February this year. I blame the delay on the 12 December Bows from PetiteKnit that I gift-knitted for family & friends, which basically took me the entire December to knit. But that's a story for a different time. Allow me to take you along this journey first.

After reading the pattern 5 times (and one more for good luck), I finally started to get it. As in, I could visualize myself knitting this garment. I tried to find reviews of other knitters in the community who had knitted the cardigan already. However, it seems to be a rather new project, so I didn't have much luck finding full tutorials or reviews. However, I did find the knit-along video by the popular Kutovakika super useful, as it provided me with a lot of clarity on the workflow and different elements. The video is for a different pattern, but it helped me greatly in understanding the construction of the garment.

The pattern is marked as intermediate, but for me, it definitely felt advanced. Pretty soon after casting on your stitches, you need to start working German short rows. I had never done that before and, frankly, didn't even know what this technique is or what its purpose is. So I encountered the first challenge early on. I didn't give up, which was an achievement in itself. So there I went, nose deep into the abyss of online tutorials, attempting to decipher the mystery that is German short rows. After countless videos, I gave it a first try by adopting a cautious approach, testing the shoulder instructions with German short rows on larger needles and bulky yarn before diving into the real project. I settled for 8 mm needles and chunky yarn, which boosted my confidence before starting the actual project. After a few rows, this new technique quickly became less "advanced." This boost gave me enough confidence to tackle the rest of the pattern with more trust. This little trial trick is definitely something I will apply to other patterns in this category too. It is just a safety measure to prevent annoyance with "the real thing."

What I love about the pattern:

• It is divided into very clear sections, and you can really tell that slowly but surely you are knitting a cardigan. It is also less "boring" than more monotonous patterns I have knitted so far. It might not be as relaxing because it does require you to focus. However, this allows me to detach and decompress after a busy workday immediately.

• While knitting, I could imagine myself wearing the cardigan closer to the festive season (haha, I wrote this note in November, and looking back, I can safely say "well, that ship sailed!").

• The i-cord straps in the front are such a cute detail, it definitely makes it one of the most likeable patterns I have seen lately.

Here's what I think could be better:

After purchasing the pattern (PDF) from the MorecaKnits website, I directly started to read through it and was very relieved to see that there were videos linked to each section. However, I have to say I found the videos confusing, and they didn't really help me much. The pace was simply way too high for me to keep up. Instead, I went on to look for tutorials on YouTube myself and ended up combining videos. I used the videos from MorecaKnits as a validation to see if I got it right, but for me, the original videos were too quick. It's no criticism; it's just a word of caution or something to be aware of when you are a starting knitter like me.

Will I knit this pattern again?

Yes, absolutely! I think I added an extra layer of complexity to this project with my yarn choice. I chose to knit with the Sandnes Garn's chunky ballerina mohair and although the color is lovely and it's turning into a soft cardigan, it definitely makes it much more difficult to count stitches, rows and what not. The gauge and tension were not the issue, rather the "hairiness" of the yarn type is what made it difficult to distinct stitches, count rows, and so on.

To sum up

This is what I found useful, perhaps it will help you too:

A while ago, I ran into the most useful app that allows you to break up your knitting project into more digestible pieces. It allows you to take notes, count stitches, rows, etc. Also, there's a nice feature for your inventory of stash yarn and needles. Here's the app I use: https://www.knitapp.io/. I honestly wouldn't start any project anymore without using this app. This is not an ad, this is my genuine opinion.

Here are some of the YouTube videos that really helped me master the different techniques:

And well, I guess that brings us to the end of this first review! I hope you will find it helpful in your own knitting journey and gives you that last bit of confidence you need to cast on this beautiful project. Happy knitting!