Post-FO

I’ve been knitting sweaters left and right recently, as you all know. You get to see them while I’m knitting them, and then in a triumphant FO post, and then…nothing. So, inspired by a recent post at Eleven Stitches, I thought I’d share with y’all some updates on the various sweaters I’ve knit, and how they’ve fared in my wardrobe.

Let’s start with the ones I wear all the time. If you follow my 365 Project over on Flickr, you’ve seen these pop up time and time again.

First up, Rogue:

I wear Rogue a lot, especially when it gets cold and wet, because I love having the basically waterproof hood to pull over my head in such weather. I adore the sweater; it was my first “real” sweater, and the yarn (Bartlett Yarn, in “Lovat”) is amazing, both in color and feel. The sweater is not without problems, though…I knit it before I had a good sense of how much longer than “normal” my arms were, and as such, the sleeves are at least an inch too short. I’d add a little bit of length in the body (maybe an extra cable repeat), too, if I were to knit it again. And I just might, because I really do love it.

Next up, Cobblestone One:

This sweater is fabulous; it’s basically a fancified version of a sweatshirt. The yarn (Handpaintedyarn.com’s Worsted Merino, which is essentially Malabrigo) pills like crazy, which is a bit of a problem, but nothing compares to how soft and comfortable this sweater is to wear. I loved it so much, I knit a second version of it, which gets worn even more.

And now, Bohus Yoke:

I wear this sweater at least once a week. I’m still absurdly proud of having designed and knit the whole thing myself. I should have used a stretchier bind-off, because it’s a little tough to pull over my head, but once it’s on, the fit is pretty much perfect. Not surprising, since I made it to fit my exact measurements! The yarn (Paton’s Classic Merino) has held up beautifully; a little bit of pilling, but nothing crazy. I love the knit-in hems with contrast facings. I get lots and lots of compliments on this one when I wear it.

Next, Cobblestone Two:

(I’m trying to illustrate “300” in that photo, in case you were wondering). I made this using the modified version of the Cobblestone pattern that I created while I was making my first one. I love the yarn here…it’s BFL (the aran weight, from Fleece Artist), so it feels amazing, and it’s a tiny bit bulkier than the merino I used in the first Cobblestone, which makes this sweater a tiny bit baggier. I don’t mind this a bit…it’s my current favorite (well, before it got warm) for throwing on over a t-shirt or thermal shirt on a chilly day.

And last but not least on the “sweaters I wear all the time” list, my most recent knit, Stripes!:

Y’all know how much I love this sweater. I’m still working on writing up the pattern (where by working, I mean, “not actually working on it but feeling rather guilty that I’m not, and hoping I can get it done by June”). This sweater is perfect. I used a slightly different decrease pattern than is given in the EZ books, and it fits my shoulders perfectly. I slaved over that neckline finishing, but it was so worth it…the neckline is so incredibly comfortable, and easily stretches over my head. The waist shaping is super flattering. The yarns work so well together, with the Noro adding great color, and the Eco Wool adding a nice almost-felted feel, post-blocking. The only thing I would change (and I am changing this, in the pattern I’m writing), is to start the corrugated ribbing on the bottom hem with larger needles. Right now it pulls in a bit at the bottom, which I don’t care for.

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Ok, now for the sweaters that I love, but simply don’t wear very often. With both of these sweaters, the problem has nothing to do with the actual knit (they both turned out great), but with the style.

First up, Demi:

I do love this sweater, very much. I feel incredibly pretty when I wear it. The problem is just that it’s so nice, I can’t bring myself to wear it very often. I feel too “dressed up”, and I worry that I’ll spill something on the pretty cream colored yarn (Lion Brand Fisherman). I do wear it sometimes when I dress up in the wintertime, and it’s very comfortable, but I’m just more of a plain and practical sort of girl, when it comes to sweaters.

Next up, Syncopated Ribs:

I’m quite happy with how this one turned out, especially after my neckline mods, but I just don’t wear it. I think it’s just not really my style; I like the kind of sweater you throw on over a t-shirt, and this just isn’t quite that. Lesson learned: even if the design is clever and looks great on the model, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good knit for me.

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And now, for the sweaters that don’t get worn for other reasons. My “problem sweaters”, if you will.

First up, Sienna Cardigan:

The only problem with this one is that I got a bit overenthusiastic in my attempts to make it a tiny bit smaller than the smallest size in the pattern, and wound up with a sweater that’s too snug in the shoulders. Something I should keep in mind for myself is that while I do not have a 36″ bust, my shoulder width is probably not that far off from a lot of women who do, because the only difference between me and them is, uh, what sticks out in front. Anyway, I do like this sweater, and can wear it over a sleeveless top, if I leave it unbuttoned, and I do that occasionally, but not very often.

Next up, my Gansey:

I’m so proud of having designed and knit this one, but again, I don’t wear it. It’s a combination of style (it’s not the most flattering garment for me…I’m already broad shouldered for my size, and the drop shoulders with no waist-shaping don’t help that at all!) and having made the neckline too wide, so the whole thing sits funny at the top. I could probably fix the neckline, if I had the patience for it, and I very well might.

And finally, my Garter Yoke Cardi:

This was pure operator error. I’m not sure how clear it is in that photo, but I simply used the wrong percentages when calculating my increases for the top-down yoke (I’ve since corrected them, in the post I made about it on the Yoked Sweater blog). The yoke is much too long and steep for me, and it’s obvious that there’s a fit problem whether I wear it buttoned or not. All I need to do is pick up the stitches after the last increase, rip out the top, and reknit up to the neck using the right decreases, I just haven’t found the motivation to do so. Maybe if some of you bug me about it, I will :)

Well, that does it for my Post-FO post, at least as far as the sweaters are concerned. Expect to see a new sweater added to the mix soon…I finished the sleeve caps on The Swatch last night, and just need to put in the v-neck finishing.