Knits in Action
Tuesday, 5. June 2007
Pattern: Thermal, Sz 34”
Materials: Henry’s Attic Kona Superwash Fingering Yarn (8 oz), Sz 1 for body and body ribbing, Sz 0 for sleeves and sleeve ribbing, Rit Dye Royal Blue and BlackNotes: This has been such a long knit that I don’t even know if I can recall any details. I started swatching for this project using the recommended needle sizes, but decided that the resulting fabric was too loosey-goosey for my liking. Using Sz 1’s, I managed to obtain row gauge and decided that I’ll just knit the 34” size to result in a tighter-fitting sweater. From the original pattern, it appeared that the sleeves were loose. What I wanted was a three-quarter length sweater that is fitted all over, so I decided to use Sz 0’s. In the end, it worked out marvelously and I have a new favorite sweater…. But not without some drama.
Enter drama….
I panicked and thought that I would run out of yarn.Initially, I envisioned this to be a cream-colored sweater. I posted on KnittersReview to see if anyone had yarn to spare, and a kind knitter sent me 3 oz extra out of the kindness of her heart (Knitters are just cool like that). It was a different shade. I bought an extra skein of yarn, only to find that it is a smidge darker too. What I had was a sweater that had two shades of cream in it.So I dyed it. Charcoal Grey. And you know what? I love it.
P.S. Yes, I know. I am still missing two buttons. But who cares? I wore it to work today.
And look at the stain on my Denise needles! 
But the results are worth it. I just have to remind myself not to wear any white shirts underneath. Or maybe wash it with vinegar next time.. Chinese New Year is around the corner, and even though my family is split over 3 countries, sometimes it’s nice to conjur a little bit of celebration. I’m glad I found this yarn in red, because 
Pattern: Forecast
One additional change was the sleeves. In the original pattern, the bobble/cable feature extended to almost wrist length. Aside from the fact that I was a bit tired of knitting bobbles, I didn’t want my lower arms to look, um, so billowy. I decided to stop the bobbles at elbow length, and knit the rest to my wrist with Sz 7 needles. I made the sleeves 20″ long, which is still a bit short in reality, but knowing that I would dunk the sweater in water during blocking assured me that the arms would grow in length – and I was right. It came out to 23″ – perfect for me. Oh and the yarn, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I expected it to be a bit rough, it being tweed and all, but on the contrary, it’s springy, not itchy and shows the pattern quite well. 
