I've always been a big fan of Stefanie Japel's designs so when I picked up my copy of Fitted Knits, I knew I wanted to make something out of it right away. I picked out the Cozy V-neck Pullover because although when I started it, it was very close to summer, I wasn't quite done knitting wool.
I had picked up some Classic Elite Beatrice (Hedgerow - 2372) in the 50% off rack at Lori's in Alpine a few months ago. Despite being a fundamentally busy yarn, I liked the nice combination of warms and cools. It is 100% merino, so it is super soft and I thought it would make a nice sweater for the office. Then when I started flipping though Fitting Knits, I felt that this yarn would make a nice Cozy V-neck.
All in all, the sweater gobbled all 12 balls of yarn in my stash as well as half of one to grow on. I knit the stockinette portion of the sweater on size 10 needles and the ribbing on size 9s. My swatch had told me that my gauge was off by enough that I could knit the next size up from my normal size to get something that would fit. Unfortunately, my swatch was a nasty little lier. This led for a rather interesting turn of events when it came to finishing.
However, I will start with the modifications that I intended. First up, the V. I really wanted a deeper V, not because I found issue with the original, but rather, I just really needed to scratch that particular itch. I deepened the V by knitting my neck increases every other right-side row and reducing the width of the neck band to one inch.
Unfortunately, what this did, was actually put the end of my V right at my bust line. It looks fine. But, I think the sweater would be much more attractive on me if it was a little higher up. As it stands, the V interferes with my own bust line and minimizes the difference between my waist and my bust...something I shouldn't be doing considering I'm only about 4" inches different between those measurements as it stands.
Knitting this sweater was also a learning experience for me. This was my second top-down sweater, the first being Green Gable that met with a very nasty fate last year. So, I hadn't yet figured out that I am someone who benefits from some shoulder shaping to add a bit of room for my swimmer's shoulders (not BIG, but square). While this isn't a problem big enough to make this sweater unwearable, it is a point well noted for my next top-down project.
The other lessen I learned was how to compensate for my own errors. Now, I could kick myself for not taking pictures of the problem before I fixed it (like a good blogger should). But I was so anxious to see IF I could fix the problem, that once I did, I sure as heck wasn't going to pull it out again to document what I did. Basically, by the time I realized that my gauge was off, I had already knit ALL of the increases and had taken the arms off the needles. I thought that if I could add some subtle decreases along the sides, I could take out the stitches that were turning what was supposed to be close to a 36 inch sweater into close to a 40 inch sweater on a 34 inch bust. It seemed to have worked as I tried on the sweater as I went, so I kept going. But not until I finished the knitting and seamed up the sleeves did the gigantic bulge I had created fully reveal itself. So the fix? I simply seamed up the increases I made. There was enough room in the underarm, that I was able to hide the difference there. And honestly? Not only can you not see what I did (there is a little pocket of extra fabric inside under my underarm), I'm not even aware of it when I have the sweater on!
Now, like most problems in knitting, I had to put this one down for awhile while I got the strength to do what I needed to do to make this a wearable sweater. However, what this also meant was that I kinda forgot which needles I had been using for the ribbing. This bring me to another 'design modification' that I made. Now, I could pretend that the fun bell sleeves were fully intentional and planned, but then that would make me as much of a lier as my swatch. I knew I wanted to lengthen the sleeves before I was finished, but by knitting the last 2 inches of each sleeve with the larger needles, I unintentionally created the bell shape at the cuff - a very fortunate mistake I think.
Overall, I am very happy with how the sweater turned out. It feels really great when I wear it and although it isn't perfect, I feel like it will get a lot of use come next fall.
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10 comments:
I think your finished product is lovely on you! It sounds like this sweater gave you a real workout...
I'd give my right boob to have only a 4" difference between waist and bust (the enhancements caused by breastfeeding are starting to get a little old).
That sweater looks great on you. Be proud of yourself that you were able to face it again, even knowing all the fixes in store for you. I actually did that last night, and I'm feeling pretty good about myself.
It came out fantastic! I really love the verigated yarn for that sweater too.
And I love your creative fixes. I'm the same way, I would rather find a creative fix than rip a whole lot of work! It really looks great!
Such a totally fab sweater! I love all the improvements you added. It really looks awesome on you! :)
looks so cozy! you did a great job and you should be proud of your new sweater. Lovely fabric you got too, can't wait to see what you create with it!
The sweater looks great -- very flattering and fitted. I may have to add that one to my to-knit list. The bell sleeves are a good look. Way to make the best of a struggle! Enjoy your upcoming vacation!
This is the sweater I totally had my eye on from fitted knits...Yours is so great. An amazing fit!
I think the experience is as great as the sweater!
Regardless of the roller coaster sweater ride, it turned out fantastic!
I spent the evening ordering yarn online, some of it to make this very sweater from Fitted Knits. I decided to order the exact yarn used in the book, something that I rarely do. Then I noticed that in the book, the gauge is 3.5 st/inch, and on the website [yarn.com] it said the gauge is 4 st/inch on the same size needles. I've read on various sites on the web that there are a lot of errors in this book and now I'm concerned about making this sweater at all.
The discrepancy in gauge seems like a serious problem. I also read that people had trouble getting gauge for this project. I don't wonder why.
You did an amazing job, especially considering what you were up against.
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