Summer Braids Finished... for now

I got buttons on my Summer Braids today, then decided to run it thru the washer and dryer (cold delicate cycle and low heat on the dryer). First... wow, does this yarn pill. Second... I'm not happy with my buttonbands at all.

As I've mentioned before, it's a pet peeve of mine. Wonky, "ruffled" button bands look amatuerish to me (and I'm shocked at how many professionally designed cardigans I've seen with ruffled buttonbands). Buttonbands should lay flat... there should not be puckering or gapping between buttons.


So I'm going to rip out the buttonbands and maybe the neckbands and redo them. However, it's wearable for now... so I'm going to do project stats (and I'll update this page when I have the buttonbands fixed).

Project Stats

Pattern: Summer Braids by Cabin Fever

Yarn: Tatamy Tweed DK by Kraemer Yarns (color is Teal)

Changes to the Pattern: I did the buttonbands and neckbands seperately, as I didn't want the neckband to be as wide as the buttonbands.

Problems with the pattern: Nothing really. Most of my issues with the pattern are more personal taste on how I like to do things.

Overall Impressions: "eh"... I'm not giving this a thumbs up or a thumbs down. The sweater looks frumpy on me. I'm thinking part of this is my dissatisfaction on the buttonbands. Or it could be the square neck. I will say I was shocked with how much the yarn pilled, which is a disappointment. So it's a nice light weight around the house sweater, but it's not going to go into the "best project ever" catagory.

I'll say this is the second time I've made this pattern. I made it ages ago and never loved it. When my MIL visited and borrowed it while she was here, I told her she could take it home with her (looked much nicer on her petite frame). So maybe this pattern just isn't suited for my figure.

I'll also say that nothing throws a monkey wrench into the "Finishing Vibe" than a mildly disappointing project (especially after the exteme satisfaction of Cassidy!). Gotta find my mojo again!