After a long stretch of unbearable busy-ness with grad school, I now find myself with too much time on my hands. Currently in the midst of a job search, but truth be told, I enjoy my newfound freedom!

With so much time at my disposal, I knit this seamless raglan cardigan with very affordable (and surprisingly delightful) Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool. For the basic raglan pattern, I used Knitty’s Shapely Boyfriend, but with garter stitch edges and a shawl collar (instead of 2×2 rib). I didn’t taper the sleeves, as I wanted them to look slightly flared, ’70s style. I also wanted it to hang open, so I didn’t add buttons. I figured if I wanted a closed cardi look, a belt would do the trick. Since I was looking for a project with a load of brainless knitting that I could do while watching TV, all of the (self-designed) colorwork was embroidered on (using duplicate stitch) afterward. I had such great results with duplicate stitch in the past that I’ve planned a load of projects using it instead of stranded colorwork. If you haven’t done it yourself, give it a try. However, because you’re doubling up on yarn at the location of your colorwork, be aware that the area you embroider will be a bit stiffer than the rest of the piece, as well as raised — sort of like one of those old school iron on patches. I, for one, don’t mind this. I love the resulting cardigan and have been wearing it to death, as L.A. recently went through a bit of a cold spell. The wool pills quite bit, but I expected as much. Good news, though, is that it’s gotten softer with wear. The perfect cozy cardigan to wrap around myself while sipping creamy Mexican hot chocolate on a chilly evening.