Aftur

Aftur is complete and here she is!

This is what 7 balls of Crimson Lite Lopi gets you when you mix it with size 7 needles and less than a ball each of a few other colors (Bright Blue, Pumpkin, Leaf, Black Heather, and Goldenrod). For the colorwork, the most I used of any one color was the Black Heather, which was probably around half a ball. The others were varying degrees less with the least amount coming from the Bright Blue. I tried to make the best estimates on my Ravelry project page.

As a reminder, all of this yarn came from the Weekend Getaway Satchel kit, along with the addition of two more balls of Crimson to round out my yardage. So, given the length of time this yarn was in my UFO pile, (which means its free ;-), this sweater cost me about $8. Pretty sweet!

As mentioned here, B helped me input the colorwork chart into the computer using Illustrator. This let us try out different color combinations given what I had to work with from the bag kit. I am extremely happy with how these colors played out. I feel like it is a really nice balance of classic and funky. I especially like how the lime green (Leaf) and the bright blue worked out. This was definitely a collaborative effort and even B likes to talk about how its 'our' sweater. And its true!

The pattern is really straight forward and the only modifications I needed to make where to adjust for my monkey arms (added about 2 inches) and my long torso (maybe about an inch). But because I made the 36 inch size for my 34 inches, I didn't have to add as much length to the body as I normally would because there was already a bit more length to account for the larger size. I also changed the waist and wrist bands to a simple 2X2 rib and for the neck I skipped the full turned hem. Given that I live in So Cal, I figure I didn't need the extra layer around my neck for warmth or to bring the sweater up closer to my neck. In fact, I was really concerned about getting the Lopi too close to my neck because of the potential itch factor. I initially knit a full 2X2 ribbed collar with a regular bind off, which left me with a neck opening I couldn't even fit the crown of my head through! So, I ripped it out, ripped out a couple rows of the ribbing and bound off with a tubular bind off. The neck has more of a boat neck look now, but I like it and its seems fairly proportional with the colorwork section. A final modification was the addition of a couple short-rows to the back of my neck to raise it up a tad, which you might be able to see here:

That 'weather system' we were expecting didn't really pan out, but I did wear Aftur yesterday to try her out. Overall, I would say the fit is great. I tend it have an issue with my sweaters (pullovers and cardigans alike) riding back on my shoulders. I was concerned about this factor given that Lite Lopi isn't exactly next-to-skin soft. But, although I was aware of the wool on my neck, it never got to the point during the day that I had to scratch or even take it off because it was too irritating. However, I do think that this sweater would be perfect for over a turtleneck. Then it would be a truly effortless sweater to wear.