Five Easy Pieces Cardigan crochet pattern from Crochet Geometry

Inside The Design: Five Easy Pieces Cardi

3/10/2017

Inside The Design: Five Easy Pieces Cardi from Crochet Geometry

Welcome to our special feature, for National Crochet Month 2017, we're calling Inside the Design. In this series, we will be focusing on one of our crochet designs and giving you some of the insider information and behind the scenes looks at the process of bringing it from concept to published design.

This week, we're focusing on the 5 Easy Pieces Cardigan from our latest book, Crochet Geometry. You're going to get a different perspective on this design from the point of view of the photographer… Jason!

The Five Easy Pieces Cardigan was one of our favorite pieces to shoot for Crochet Geometry. Not only was it a FAB design, full of lace and graphic cables, but we photographed it at one of our favorite locations: the home of the model we shot wearing it!

Leslie has been a friend of ours for years now. In fact she is the breeder who is responsible for the Shibakidz. Not only is she a a great lady but she also lives on a beautiful property with a magnicifient koi pond and flower garden... perfect location for a photo shoot don't you think? We knew we had to shoot there...

So we bribed Leslie with an offer of a great dinner cooked by Jason and a bottle of wine. Before the evening was done not only did we have a location for the shoot but also got her to agree to model for us. Sneaky Shibaguyz!

On the day of the shoot we arrived at the property and got started. Never having modeled before we took a little time to get Leslie used to being in front of the camera. Turned out she was a natural! Shannon worked with her a bit on the poses he needed to show the details of the cardi. She caught on quickly.

While the two of them worked, Jason took test shots of the area getting his camera calibrated. The photo at the right is Shannon telling us where he wanted the garment and model… you'll see the final shot at the end of this post.

While we were setting up the key shots, Leslie looked out at the waterfall and the koi in the pond and spied something she'd not noticed until that morning. The koi had babies… lots of them! Luckily Jason happened to be shooting her when she saw them the first time. The first photo below is the one in the book, the next is when she saw her new baby koi!

There were a few dozen of the little koi; each only a couple of inches long and brightly colored like their parents. They stayed hidden under a cluster of lily pads, but Jason managed to grab a few shots of them as we continued getting photos of the cardi. And our model was in a great mood after seeing her new little ones.

It's hard to believe that after all that excitement we still were able to get the shots we needed. But we did.

Here is the one of the final photos that made it into the book. We loved the way the light played off the cables and how the lacy front panels looked soft and drapey. This is the shot Shannon was setting up in the photo at the beginning of this post. Shannon would like to point out that Leslie looks much better in this photo than he does in the one above.

Five Easy Pieces Cardigan
The name says it all! As with all of the designs in Crochet Geometry, this stunning cardi is made from geometric pieces with minimal shaping so we could focus on the stitch patterns to create lush crochet fabrics. In the case of this cardi, as the name states, it is made from five pieces: three rectangles and two trapezoids and the pattern is written for sizes Small through 5X.

As we said, the simplicity of the main pattern pieces allowed us to lavish all our attention on the crochet stitch patterns. The stunning cables on the center back panel will take your breath away, and the reversible lace pattern made with post stitches is light and airy on one side with dramatic lace ribbing on the other.

Made from any of the 10 FAB colors of Lion Brand's LB Collection Superwash Merino, this cardi is sure to be beautiful to look at and warm, soft, and super comfy to wear (like a cardi's supposed to be).

For more information about all the patterns in Crochet Geometry click on the button below.

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Copy of Shannon Mullett-Bowlsby's Crochet Geometry. Book signed by the author and photographer.

Crocheters in search of sophisticated designs will find what they’re looking for in this chic, contemporary collection. Fifteen patterns include sweaters, pullovers, boleros, and other stylish garments, all beginning with simple geometric shapes. A circle becomes a cardigan, four rectangles turn into a vest, and two triangles transform into a poncho. A superb basics section, with the clear, accessible details that have made Shannon Mullett-Bowlsby a renowned world-class teacher, will help even beginners master the skills needed to create these stunning items.