OhSewCrafty Blog

• Pattern: by Carol Sunday for Twist Collective Winter 2009
• Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca in lichen (50 wool/50 alpaca), 1150 yds
• Needles/Size/Gauge: 5.25 spi on US 6, 36″ size at smaller gauge
• Time to knit: 2.5 weeks in Feb/March 2010

 So, this was my Ravelympics project.  Better late than never, eh?   Honestly I finished this just a few days after the Olympics ended but it took a while to seam, etc. because I felt a bit defeated by the project and set it aside.  It was certainly within the realm of possibility to finish this before the deadline, but it didn’t happen because I didn’t want to dedicate that much time to only knitting.  The lace pattern on this was complicated enough to demand most of my attention.  It turns out that most of my knitting happens as background activity to other things, like reading, socializing, surfing the internet, and watching tv.

 The pattern is fine, my only problem was misintrepeting the part where it directs you to knit the first several rows of each piece in garter around the lace motif.  The issue was the pattern never says anything about garter and I thought the directions to “K” were merely to work in reverse stockinette as otherwise directed.  Anyway, the bottom hem was rolling terribly, so I did reverse single crochet all around and blocked it flat.  Other mods: skipped the crochet buttonbands and buttoncovers, as I couldn’t be bothered.  Instead I mattress stitched up the center front and sewed on the buttons; I’d never wear this open anyway.  The cast on base of the collar, which stretches around one’s shoulders, would benefit from a stretchy cast on and I probably should have used something besides long tail.  After wearing this a few times, I got frutrated with the collar’s tendency to flip up so I sewed it down to the body at 6 points.  The first time, I lined up the layers when the garment was lying flat and that didn’t work, as when worn, the sweater stretches around my shoulders and the collar rides up a bit.  The second time, I used straight pins to position the layers while wearing the sweater.  Ms. Sunday’s method for short rows is ingenious and I’ll likely use it again.

 I really liked the yarn, Ultra Alpaca, and I’d definitely use it again.  The “mix” color is heathered with a wonderful depth.  I wanted a subtle color for this ultra feminine design and this greyish green fits the bill.  The yarn felt quite soft in the skein, but after finishing, the garment had a slight itch factor presumably due to guard hairs. Every time I wore the sweater I found myself plucking out those guard hairs and it’s no longer itchy at all.  The yarn has three plies with a light round twist.  I can’t imagine knitting this on an 8, as the ballband suggests 7s or 8s. The suggested gauge is 20 st/4″ and I got 21 st on US 6’s; I prefer the fabric at this gauge.  I knit the 36″ size at this gauge to get a sweater with minimal positive ease (about 1/2 inch).

 The sweater is warm and has a pretty vintage vibe.  I’m sure that I’ll wear it plenty next fall and winter. Though I didn’t make the Ravelympics deadline, I’ll count it a success since I learned something about myself and my knitting style.