The Details:
Pattern: Cassis by Thea Coleman
Needles: US7(4.5mm) 32" Knitpicks Harmony interchangables (and US8 for the cast-on only)
Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Oceanic Mix
Size: 36
Gauge: 5.5sts/inch (slightly off pattern)
Cast on: March 14, 2011
Bound off: April 23, 2011
Total # of stitches: 55,918 (give or take for adjustments to the sleeves and length)
After reaching my limit on fiddling with fit with all my sewing projects, I'm glad I picked a knit project that didn't ask a lot in that department. I chose the 36" size going by my high bust measurement, knowing that this sweater doesn't have to close. My gauge was slightly off at 5.5spi, but I figured that there was a fair amount of design ease and that the Ultra Apaca would be fairly forgiving. (Both were true!)
The only real modification I made was to the sleeves. I found them too wide, so I did the decreases on every 4th row instead of every 5th, and did a few extra decrease rows. (I don't have my notes with me, but this wasn't a very scientific process.) I suspect the shoulders are a little too roomy, and a bit long from shoulder to armpit, but it's a loose and comfy sweater and so it doesn't really matter one way or the other! I also added about eight rows to the length of the body.
After blocking, I noticed I made one tiny mistake. One purl stitch in a sea of stockinette. I know that nobody can see it, and so I'm trying to resist the crazy urge to unpick the bind-off and drop the stitch back about 100 rows to fix it. (It's near the lace panel on the centre front.) But honestly, I love the sweater enough to overlook the imperfection!
Special shout-out to my assistant, who managed to not eat this knit-in-progress despite my leaving it unattended on more than one occasion and blocking it in plain sight on the kitchen table. Well done, little friend. Well done.
OMG so gorgeous! And that's the colour of wool I bought to practice on! I'm so impressed.
ReplyDeleteA quilting mother of a friend says you HAVE to have a mistake in every quilt you make, so that you know it's uniquely yours. The same must be true of your one errant stitch. That is a gorgeous make. I do like Thea's patterns.
ReplyDeleteYou finished - congratulations! (Plus it looks fantastic on you too.)
ReplyDeleteGx
Thanks guys!
ReplyDelete@K.Line - great minds think alike!
@didyoumakethat - my Mom always used to tell me that story about Persian carpets - that every carpet is made with a deliberate flaw, because "only God is perfect." We're not a religious family but I think she just appreciated the sort of "we're only human" take on things :D
That is beautiful! The colour looks great on you. I want one!
ReplyDeleteKorena - you could make your own! It's a fun and easy pattern - would make a great first sweater (assuming you haven't made one before)!
ReplyDeleteI made that mistake in the ribbing of a pair of handwarmers done in fingering weight once, about three rows above the cast-on. I cut the purl stitch, unraveled the row until I had two decently sized ends to weave in, grafted it back together correctly with a bit of extra yarn, and sewed in all the ends. I involved a lot of ends, but I'm obnoxiously picky about mistakes, so it was worth it!
ReplyDeleteThe sweater looks so comfy, and is a great color. Plus the kitty coordinates marvelously.
Sometimes the only thing crazier than laboriously fixing a mistake is allowing yourself to be unsatisfied with a project you invested so much time in! :)
ReplyDelete(I've left the mistake and luckily this yarn is just fuzzy enough that you can't really see it. If it had turned out more obvious I most certainly would have fixed it!)
this is such a beautiful sweater - you must be so happy with it!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I am, I wear it all the time. So comfy!
ReplyDelete