OhSewCrafty Blog

This is a great pattern and I definitely enjoyed the process, but it was not a quick knit.  My row gauge was a bit too small, and then I added some length to all the pieces, so I was seriously concerned about running out of yarn.  Luckily I just squeaked by, using a bit more than pattern requirements.  My other mod included changing the hood, to improve the fit.  I will actually wear the hood, so it must be functional!  First I added two additional increase rows, deepening it to improve coverage of my head and stay up better.  After finishing the hood, I found it was too tall, it flopped around on my head loosely and looked uneven.  So I frogged the short rows, then frogged some more.  I began the short row shaping at 11.75″, vs. 12.75″, and did 7 short rows vs. 5, for a finished height at the front of the hood of 13.5″ vs. 14″.  Now it’s perfect.

I loved the yarn, and I am sure to use it again especially as a sub for Rowan Felted Tweed (which is my all time favorite yarn, but it’s too expensive to use every time I want a sport/dk tweed).  The Silky Wool is soft, yet fairly sturdy with a nice tweedy/heathery depth to the color.  The sweater languished in the finishing because of my difficulty finding buttons.  I wanted metal shank buttons with a “celtic” feel, but seeing as I needed 16 buttons, I didn’t want to spend more than $1.25 each.  G Street Fabrics to the rescue; I found 3/4″ antiqued bronze shank buttons with a cool tree motif.  

I am very happy with this sweater- it’s lightweight, yet warm, and fits easily under winter coats. I would have gotten photos sooner, but I’ve been sick with a wicked cold.  I should have another FO soon- Snow White is nearly done.