OhSewCrafty Blog

• Pattern by Ruth Garcia-Alcantud
• Yarn: Valley Yarns Charlemont, 1296 yds
• Size/Needles/Gauge: 34″, 5.5 spi on US 5’s
• Time to knit: 5 weeks in October, November 2011

I’m not sure what possessed me to cast on for another sock yarn hoodie so soon after knitting Laika, but Chambourcin was chosen for the SKC 2011Q4 KAL.  That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

The pattern is fairly simple, with the waist shaping accomplished by changing needle size.  I used size 3,4,and 5 needles for this project.  It’s important to keep track of where you are so the lace pattern matches up on the various pieces.  This is easy enough, just count the heart motifs and make notes.  The sweater is knit in pieces, which is my preference anyway (stability, fit, portability, etc).  I did make a few mods.  First I shortened the body length, just slightly, to avoid “big butt length”.  Unfortunately, the front ended up a bit short because I couldn’t figure out a way to fit in short row shaping neatly.  Then I lengthened the sleeves because I have long arms.  I actually reworked the sleeves completely, starting with the 34″ size sleeve and making increases to a 11.8″ width (my upper arms are 12″).  I resloped the sleeve cap so my decreases would fit within the alloted row count.   Detailed instructions can be found in my Ravelry entry for this project.  The hood construction is smart and a bit different, but it turned out entirely too large for me, and looks quite strange when worn, without some rearranging.  If I had it to over again, I’d take about 4-6″ off the length.  Yarn requirements aren’t overly generous for this pattern; I used slightly more than the amount listed.

Valley Yarn Charlemont is a merino/nylon/silk blend.  The four ply yarn is soft, with wonderful sheen from the silk.  The color is spectacular, a saturated red-purple.  It’s quite nice to knit, as the yarn slips easily through your fingers.  My issue was the yarn had a tendency to tangle on itself, weirdly enough, since it isn’t sticky in any manner, but a few times I actually had to cut it since it was so badly knotted.  I had some issues winding it from the skein(s), so maybe that accounts for it.  I’m pleased with the finished fabric, but I can’t say Charlemont is one of my favorites of the Valley Yarn line.  Overall, it seemed pretty similar to Knitpicks Gloss, which I used for Laika, and I prefer Gloss since it lacks any synthetic content and is actually more cost effective.  (Edit: Gloss is no longer the bargain it used to be after Knitpicks’ rather drastic price increase on the Gloss line in early January.  I hope that Webs expands Charlemont’s color selection.)

My favorite aspects of this project are the sleek fit, sumptous color, and flattering split neck.  I’m happy to have another sock yarn sweater in my wardrobe, as I find the weight to be quite practical.