I think of this sweater as my main side project. I go back to it as a palate cleanser between items, or for a break from more complicated creations (or frustrating ones.).
It’s rare for me to find a pattern I like ‘as is’. I’m either reworking them, or mixing them together. These days I’m mostly making up my own. And making them up is definitely different from designing actual patterns.
This one, I rather liked. It’s good to actually follow a pattern from time to time. I learn best through practice and this is how I teach myself different sweater constructions in order to make my own. I love the big collar, big sleeves, and split hem of different lengths on this, but, of course, I had to alter a few things.
I am knitting in the round instead of in pieces. It’s bottom up, so I began the hems separately (and shortened them). When I finished with the first one, I worked it onto the larger cable needles, completing half of the first round. When the second was ready, I just worked across, finishing the first round and joining the pieces.
Bottom-up is fun. I enjoy working back and forth for the upper part and joining the shoulder seams. I’m actually going to sew them together, as instructed, this time.
I’m also picking up stitches for the sleeves, so I have to break down the flat, separate instructions. I’ll be picking up stitches along the top edge and then picking up more as I go for the increases until I’ve got them all picked up to work in the round once more.
And, naturally, I’m using acrylic instead of wool and different size needles than the pattern calls for. I have definitely put it on scrap yarn to check that it’s coming out the size I want. So far, so good.
The Accidental Domestic Goddess 