I mean, there are worse things in the world? I could be knitting all black sweaters or no sweaters at all. It's hard enough to get excited about sweater knitting when you live in California, but with the threat of Illinois on the horizon (I leave on Sunday/I'm already bored), I've decided I need to up my sweater game a bit.
I struggle withe gauge a lot when I'm knitting sweaters. I'm a ~*bad*~ knitter and don't really swatch for things like shawls and hats. I've knit enough to be able to look at a pattern gauge vs. which yarn I'm using and know if I need to drop it down a needle or two. And, most of the time, it ends up working out for me. Sweaters are a different story. I've become SO good about swatching and swatching again when I'm about to start a sweater. I even swatch in the round when I'm going to knit a (rare) pullover). Even so, it's been awhile since I knit a well-fitting sweater for myself, which is part of the reason I've knit 3ish sweaters for Matt this year.
Yarn: Patons Classic Merino Worsted
Needles: Hiya Hiya Sharps, size 7
I know, another Jared Flood pattern. Timberline is the first gray sweater in my lineup. I started it awhile back because I was SO stressed out about the prospect of finishing it by December 14th (our anniversary), but it's actually coming together quite quickly. I really LOVE knitting this sweater. Cables are my favorite thing to knit, despite the added time and yarn that go into a cabled item, and I really can't wait to see it all finished up. I love seeing my lovey swaddled in woolen gifts that I made for him.
I showed Matt Brooklyn Tweed Men when it came out a few months ago and he really liked Timberline. I joked that this sweater would be the endgame for him, and he would probably never get it because it was SO involved. I bought the yarn three days later and only work on it when he's not home. This one will be (hopefully) a true surprise for our 7 year anniversary, the wool year. But every year is the wool year for me :) I told him I wanted a sheep as an anniversary present and he rolled his eyes accordingly.
Yarn: Ella Rae Classic Worsted
Needles: Hiya Hiya Sharps, size 8
The second sweater is one for me. I started it a few days ago and powered through 11 inches of body on my first day. It's a basic top down raglan pullover (who am I?) and I'm knitting it at a very loose gauge. I'm loving the way the fabric feels, despite my usual desire for a tight knit sweater. I started this with a goal of finishing the body by the time I leave on Sunday because ZOMG packing panic has officially set in and a sweater is much easier to pack than 5 balls of yarn. Sigh.
The pattern is a basic raglan pattern by Jane Richmond and man oh man am I glad it's a top down pattern. As a curvy lady with an hourglass figure, a lot of sweaters require some modifications to be more flattering. My gauge is slightly off (about 8.5 stitches over 2 inches instead of 9), so I cast on for a sweater two sizes too small in the bust to accommodate some negative ease as well. I'm at the point where I should be decreasing for the waist, so I figured I would try it on for kicks. Yep! Way too big in the waist. If I throw in an extra decrease things should go great :) Almost done with my second ball of yarn. I opted for the colorblock top because I was worried about not having enough yarn (it's leftover from Matt's Brownstone pullover), but it looks like I should be ok.
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