OhSewCrafty Blog

• Pattern: from Berroco #279, “Ultra Alpaca & Ultra Alpaca Light”
• Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca,~1340 yds, color #62170 “Cerulean mix”
• Needles/size gauge: 2nd size at 5.25 spi in stockinette on US 5’s, US 4’s for hems
• Time to knit: 3 weeks in January/February 2011

This pattern has been on my queue forever and I really love the FO; it’s soft and cozy with a cute swingy shape and the color is fab!

The pattern is fine, no errata.  Sizing presented a challenge- this is a voluminous style, but I wanted it to fit with zero ease at the bust, which I find tends to create a shape that is swingy but not tent-like.  So I did a little math and realized I could knit the second size (36″) at my gauge (5.25 stitches/inch) to get a 34″ bust.  Row gauge was also compressed (7 rows/inch vs 6.5 in the pattern) so I knit more rows…luckily the pattern directions are mostly in length, rather than row number, so it was easy enough to adjust.  I did about 1″ of short row bust shaping on each side of the front just before beginning the ribbed section.  One quibble: the buttonholes, formed with a single yarn over, did not turn out big enough to fit 1″ buttons.  My buttons are decorative, functional closure is with snaps.

The yarn, Ultra Alpaca, is one I’ve used before and like (obviously).  To sum it up, the good: softness, drape, color, warmth; the bad: guard hairs (which can be pulled out).  The weird: when I knit this yarn last year I used size 6 needles to get my preferred gauge, so I launched into Ursa with the same needles.  Well, I was halfway into the back piece when I realized I was knitting a tent.  Time to frog.  I suppose the lesson is always swatch…. even if it’s a yarn you’re familar with, your tension can change over time.

 Ursa is the latin word for “bear”.  Well, this sweater is so cozy and comfy, I feel it’s the equivalent of a teddy bear, plus I absolutely adore the color, which reminds me of mermaids.