OhSewCrafty Blog

• Pattern: by Ysolda Teague, from “Little Red in the City”
• Yarn: Knitpicks Gloss (merino/silk), “dusk”, ~1490 yds
• Size/Needles/Gauge: 34″ (0 ease), 5 spi, 8 rpi in lace patt on US 3’s
• Time to knit: 3.5 weeks in August/September 2011

I’m not sure what possessed me to cast on this sweater, after failing to finish another fingering weight project this summer.  I guess it was the challenge to finish by the KAL deadline (which I did!), and the appeal of using some old, old yarn.

The pattern is well written, no errata.  The lace pattern is simple and easy.  Probably the biggest challenge is boredom… this involves a lot of knitting.  Thank goodness there is some shaping to break up the tedium.  And no, the shaping isn’t terribly challenging- Ysolda spells out exactly how to handle it and it’s a small (3 stitch) lace repeat anyway, which makes things easier.  I knit the sweater on a 24″ needle and then switched to a 40″ for the edging.  I managed, but knitting that edging (20 rounds of garter stitch)- all around the hem, up each side of the front and around the hood, was pretty miserable with the stitches packed so tightly on the needle.  If I were to do this again (yeah, right!), I’d use a longer needle or several circs to knit around as if on dpns.  I do like the aesthetic of the garter stitch trim.  Lace doesn’t need to be fussy, and this pattern is the perfect example of a simple, geometric lace pattern creating a streamlined, modern look.

The yarn, Knitpicks Gloss (70 merino/30 silk) was purchased in 2007, I believe, making it one of the oldest yarns in my stash.  I still have one skein left, but I’m greatly pleased to have used seven skeins.  I’ve used the DK weight gloss before, but this was my first experience with the fingering weight, and I really love it.  It’s soft with a subtle sheen, four plies with great firm twist, easy to knit by touch alone.  The color is great, a greyish blue, almost neutral.   This yarn was originally purchased for “Thermal”, but I never knit that pattern after reading many horror stories re: the fabric growing out of control after blocking/wear.  I imagine this is a function of the stitch pattern, because my sweater didn’t exactly grow during the blocking phase, but it easily stretched to size.  One small nitpick- it wouldn’t spit-splice.  I don’t really understand why, as the yarn is 70% wool and labeled “Hand wash” but perhaps the merino was superwash.   Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the yarn and I picked up another 4 skeins in “Bordeaux” for a cape project from “Vampire Knits”.  Gloss is my favorite yarn in the Knitpicks line and I love how it’s offered in various weights now.  Buttons are antiqued brass, from G Street.  The 4 stitch buttonholes came out a bit big for the buttons, so I might tighten up the edges with some thread.

This is my second project from “Little Red in the City”, and I must say, Ysolda really hit it out of the park with this book.  It’s chock full of excellent information re: techniques, yarn, and fitting, plus has some lovely, well written patterns.   As for Laika, I love my new hoodie for it’s simple style, dusky color, and cozy warmth perfect for autumn.