My First Sweater
Somehow in the middle of all of the comprehensive exam stress, I managed to also finish my first sweater. I think I might feel about this sweater the way that my sister-in-law says she feels about a lot of shoes. She's tall and wears a size 11 shoe. She says that a lot of shoes look really cute in the size 5 or 6 that they display at the shoe store, but very few of them are still cute in a size 11. I fell in love with this sweater when I saw the picture of the x-small model wearing the x-small sweater on the pattern. I'm not sure I think it's as cute in the size *mumble, mumble* that fits me. This is the Rusted Root from Zephyr Style. I used 4 skeins of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in the CW-775 or "Deep Maroon" colorway. This sweater is knit all in one peice from the top down all on size 6 circular needles except for the ribbing. I think the pattern called for the ribbing to be done on size 4 needles, but I did it on 5's because I have size 5 doublepoints, but I don't have size 4 doublepoints.
A lot of people that I have seen knit this rave about the puffed sleeve, but honestly I could do without the puffed sleeve, even when they do turn out right. Mine unfortunately turned out just looking too big, rather than puffy. I think the real star of the sweater is the lace panel.
I made a couple of modifications to the pattern. First the pattern called for waist decreases, but then didn't have any hip increases. I hate when a shirt fits everywhere except around the waistband, so I added an equivalent number of hip increases as there were waist decreases in the pattern. Secondly the pattern had you starting with the stockinette stitch and lace pattern and then going back to pick up stitches and adding the neck ribbing later. I didn't want to mess with that, so I knit the ribbing first and then started the pattern. The only I mistake that I made with that is that I forgot to start on the size 5 needles for the ribbing. I'm not sure if that's what caused it, but the neck tends to curl a little bit.
I'm not sure that it's all that flattering and it's a little heavier weight than the summer sweaters I normally wear, but it was my first sweater and it fits, so I'm pretty pleased with it. And I got it done in time to be able to wear it for summer teaching.
Comments
But I think you're right about the puffy sleeves--unless you are pretty scrawny, these tend to come off much more like just baggy. Otherwise, though, it looks as though you got the fit spot-on.
I'm curious---how do you feel about the durability of that neckline with the lace running right up to that edging? That seems a little delicate to me, but it could be simply the way it photographs.
I didn't have any concerns about the durability of the neckline. I think it's the way it photographs. The ribbing tends to curl over worse at the top of the lace panel than it does anywhere else along the neckline.