Saturday, August 24, 2013

My New Favorite Sweater

It wasn't a good hair day, but it was a clean hair day, which is kinda the same thing.  Are you ready for some bad photographs of a good sweater?


Pattern: Darling Emma (Ravelry Link)

Yarn:  100% cotton yarn recycled from this Thrift Store Haul

Needles:  Size 4 Addi Turbos, I think.  The pattern called for size 4 needles, so that is probably what I used.  And Size 2 dpns for the sleeve cuffs


Love those garter stitch cuffs.  Garter stitch is so under-rated.  I *puffy heart* garter stitch.

Modifications:  I made this sweater way shorter than it is supposed to be, and I think it is still a pretty long sweater.  I was aiming for a butt length sweater, but it grew with blocking, which is fine because I love the length.  It is still shorter than the pattern calls for.  I also did my center double decreases wrong.  The pattern says sk2p, which I deciphered as Slip 1, Knit 2 together, Pass Slipped Stitch Over.  That is wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.  On the very last page I found the instructions that said to slip 2 as if to knit, knit 1, pass slipped stitches over.  Oops.  By the time I discovered my error I was entirely to far into the sweater to bother frogging.  On the bright side, I like the way the lace turned out



so this is a mistake I feel I can live with.  I also left off the belt.  I plan to go back and add the belt when my body is more of a person shape with an actual waist.

Review:  I adore this sweater!  Using recycled cotton yarn means the yarn is already broken in like a pair of old blue jeans, so it is soft and snuggly.  I was a tad annoyed that no where in the pattern is there any indication that this sweater is supposed to be knee length.  There isn't a full length picture of the sweater to be found.  Only rav research revealed the true nature of this cardigan.  It was meant to be more of a coat.  And I was annoyed that there wasn't a more accessible explaination for the sk2p, but that is probably user error and shouldn't be mentioned at all, lest I look like I don't know what I'm doing (which is I don't most of the time, I only make a good show of pretending I know what I'm doing).  In reality either complaint is petty and unnecessary.  As a general rule I love Joji's patterns.  They always have an interesting construction that looks complicated



but is deceptively simple.  Just look how effortlessly the lace goes across the top of the sweater.  It looks amazing and complicated in person, but was so easy to knit.  Joji really is a genius.  I don't know what she'll design next, but I'll probably knit it.

Final Verdict:  I LOVE this sweater.

And because I have friends who are begging for this...


BABY!

And in related news



My orange sweater grows.  I am almost ready to split for the arm holes.  I know there is a fancy word for arm hole, but arm hole effectively describes what I'm doing, so I'm sticking with my non-fancy word.  Still waffling on the size.  I'll probably knit the entire body and then decide to frog.  Because I might be insane.  But that isn't news to anyone around here.

4 comments:

Gracey is not my name.... said...

Love the sweater!!!! And the baby bump..

Mrs. H said...

LOVE that sweater. Thanks so much for the baby bump picture. I was hoping you'd post one. I'm so happy for you. I almost wish it was me... but almost 50 and pregnant is NOT a plan. My 3 girls and a boy are STAYING 3 girls and a boy.

Alejandra Alejandro said...

I love that stitch!!!! Fantastic sweater, congrats for the baby. Very soon we'll see a lot of baby chlothing here. hehe

katiemetzroth said...

You frog more easily than just about anyone I know...I aspire to be more like you. (It takes me about a year to frog something.)

You and the sweater look great. I like the length as is.