An improvised open front summer cardigan

Last year I purchased some laceweight yarn from Artisanthropy online: Cascade Llama Lace in a pink shade, and Malabrigo Merino Lace in a two-tone blue/pink. My plan was to combine these to create a cardigan. 

I spent a while searching for a pattern,  but could not decide. Finally this past spring I decided to try an improvised pattern, featuring top-down construction,  a circular yoke,  and a 7-stitch steek.

I opted to use two strands of the Malabrigo yarn for the neck, cuffs and bottom bands, and held one strand each of Cascade and Malabrigo yarns for everything else. The body was kept simple - plain stockinette,  while the neck, cuffs and bottom bands featured a twisted rib. Once the steek was cut, I picked up my stitches, right side facing, purled back, then did a 3-stitch I-cord bind off. I also went with 3/4 length sleeves since it was to be a warmer weather cardigan. 

The result was a pleasant surprise! It was a relatively quick project, even if I postponed finishing the front edges far too long. 

I kept good notes so I expect I'll try something like this again. I love lightweight cardigans and have a huge stash of laceweight yarns. The next one may be a stash buster project!