- Pattern by Kim Hargreaves, from “Misty”
- Yarn: Elann Coto-Merino (70/30 cotton/wool), 1540 yds
- Size, etc.: S (2″ pos.ease), 6.5 spi on US 3’s, 2’s for trim
- Time to knit: 11 weeks, among other projects
If I were a composer, this would be my magnum opus. Though I missed the deadline for inclusion in the SKC KAL, it was finished before Rhinebeck and I love it!
The pattern is fine. I fretted over size, as the schematic is sketchy and the S size looked huge before I started crossing the cables. Normally I don’t knit with 2″ of positive ease, but this is meant to be a swingy jacket. The pattern basically requires a lot of patience- there are a gazillion stitches and some fussy stitch patterns with a semi 1×1 rib, twisted stitches, lace, and cables. The second sleeve, especially, felt like a slog; I’m glad I mixed it up so I didn’t have to do both sleeves consecutively. Mod: short row shoulder shaping and shoulders joined with 3 needle bind off, also I shortened the sleeves by 2″, to accentuate the balloon shape, which I think is darling.
The yarn, Elann Coto-Merino, is really nice, completely soft with a dry, powdery sort of feel. It’s lightweight with fantastic yardage (163 yds/50g). The label is dk but I’d say it’s more of a sport/fingering. The original sweater called for 14 balls of the Rowan Milk Cotton dk (in the S size), and I got away with 10 balls of my yarn, so my garment weighs significantly less. Being mostly cotton, it doesn’t have much give and I found the knitting a bit uncomfortable with the huge cables near the bottom. The yarn was a limited edition and is not available anymore, which is unfortunate.
Knitting a big sweater on size 3 needles feels like a huge accomplishment and though it was a trial at times, I am happy with the finished project. My favorite details are the cables, swing shape, and balloon sleeves.
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