June Lady Sweater

Well, I’m a week late, but I am proud to announce that my February Lady Sweater is DONE. Finished. Finito.

This is an ex-WIP.

I finished it while on vacation in Stratford (Ontario, Canada, not UK) last week. In fact, it was exactly a week ago today that I bound off the last sleeve, wove in the ends, and promptly put the sweater on for the evening!

Happy Annie! Still giddy about my first adult sweater.

I had been looking forward to knitting in the air-conditioned hotel room, and that certainly did contribute to the final burst of knitting speed. (I finished the first sleeve, and picked up, started, and finished the second sleeve, between Sunday night and Tuesday night.) But the big surprise was that I actually got to wear the sweater, despite it being the end of June! We had quite a cool snap, so I was actually very happy to have a wool sweater with me.

I bought a pretty ceramic pin that I wear as a closure for the sweater. No buttons means I can wear it open, or close it where I like, depending on the shirt I'm wearing underneath.

The details:

• February Lady Sweater, by Pamela Wynne/Flint Knits, inspired by the February Baby Sweater by Elizabeth Zimmerman
• Ravelry links for the pattern and the project
• Size: M (fits a 41″ bust)
• Modifications: I made the pattern without buttons/buttonholes, so that I can use pins to close it, and vary the effect. Being a busty girl, I’m really picky about where closures fall, because I hate gaping with a passion. This looks cute closed at the neck, at the start of the lace (as shown above), or under the bust, depending on what’s underneath. Otherwise, I knit the pattern as written. The sleeves are 14 repeats of the 4-row Gull Lace pattern, and fall just below the elbows.
• Needles: 5.0 mm (Knitpicks Options interchangeable circs for the body and a 16″ Addi fixed circ for the sleeves)
• Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers in Garnet Heather (#9341), approx. 926 yards (4.2 skeins) — substantially less than the pattern called for, but then again, the pattern doesn’t specify sleeve length or body length…
• Time to knit: About 2.5 months all told, but less than 2 months of actual (and still sporadic) knitting

The verdict:

Love it, love it, love it! It’s lacy without being fragile; it’s worsted weight but not overly bulky to wear; I can dress it up with a crisp blouse for the office, or dress it down with a t-shirt. This is a delightfully easy knit — I love the fact that there are no seams, and that you can try it on as you go. (It’s worth knitting the body with a LONG circ, so you don’t have to take it off the needles to try on.)

I’d love to try this again with a sport- or fingering-weight yarn — I think it would be lovely in a lighter weight, and better suited to summer’s usual temperatures!

One last look...

A Sleeve! At Last!

Knitting progress is slow these days, despite the fact that Mr. Bee and I are taking a few days’ vacation. It’s been too hot to want to hold wool in my hands, let alone to want a project’s bulk sitting in my lap! However, between knit night at the (air conditioned) café, cooler evenings in the (air conditioned) bedroom, and stolen moments here and there, I have made at least a little progress!

A sleeve! A whole sleeve!

I finished the sleeve on my FLS last night. I decided to end it just below the elbow, the length of the sleeves on several of my favourite sweaters. To my pleasant surprise, when I took it off the needles, the sleeve is a bit flared at the cuff. It’s pretty on — I just haven’t managed to take a picture of my own arm quite yet. (I’m right-handed, it’s the right sleeve… You see the difficulty.)

The flare is a little exaggerated here...

I’m really enjoying the process of knitting this sweater (despite the heat). One of the most pleasant surprises is how well it drapes, despite the worsted-weight yarn (Cascade 220 Heathers). I’d been afraid that it would be too chunky to flatter, but I think it’s going to be good!

February (or June?) Lady Sweater

Small-circumference circs make a huge difference!

Here’s the February Lady Sweater I’m working on. It’s the first thing I’ve made for myself, aside from the odd scarf, in ages — and it’s the first adult-sized sweater I’ve ever made.

It’s working up nicely in Cascade 220 Heathers. I can never remember which shade this is — Garnet Heather, maybe? — but I think of it as being the colour of Ribena. I love that blackcurrant syrup, in still or sparkling water. The garter portion of the sweater is, to my mind, Ribena in still water; the lace is Ribena in sparkling water.

Arr, I be a one-armed carrrrdigan!

I have to decide how long to make the sleeves. I’m thinking of just below the elbow — incidentally, the same length as the cardigan I’m wearing as I type — but I might go a little longer and make it a bracelet-length sleeve. Part of this will depend on how far my yarn goes, but mostly I think I’ll just be trying it on as I go, and stopping when it seems right. (Ah, I love top-down construction!)