Pattern: February Lady Sweater

Yarn: Dream in Color Classy in Happy Forest, 3 skeins

Needles: US 6

Notes: I knit this while I was waiting on my yarn for honey to arrive from England.  It was a very quick knit, though the garter yoke seemed eternal (especially since I started it three times!)  My gauge was 20 st/4 inches rather than the 18 called for in the pattern.  Assuming that this yarn, which is superwash, would stretch, I cast on for the smallest size.  I did 2 extra increases and knit about 6 garter ridges after the eyelet row, for a total raglan depth of 6″ preblocking, 7″ after blocking (measured along the diagonal line.)  I knit 22 repeats of the pattern on both the body and the sleeves.

My buttonholes are 2 inches apart rather than 2.5″.  Plus – pirate buttons!  (As an aside, has anyone ever read The_Pirates! in an Adventure with Scientists? I highly recommend it – very funny!)

The sweater was too small, especially in the armholes, when it was finished.  I was counting on blocking to fix that, and indeed it did – this sweater grew considerably.  It’s also much lighter and drapier now.  Total growth was 1.5″ in length and 2″ in the bust.

I love the color of this yarn, but I’m not sure I loved knitting with it.  Am I the only one who feels that superwash wools have a strange plasticky feel to them?  I do not usually enjoy knitting with them, though they are lovely and soft when washed.  This yarn, due to its springiness, seemed especially tight to me.  The colors, though, are gorgeous, and because of that I would use it again.  I can think of nothing that compares.  I didn’t even alternate skeins here, and you can’t tell a bit!

Now begins the difficult task of choosing my next knit.  I’ve spent tonight on ravelry, considering my queue and my yarn stash.  There are a million things I want to make for fall, including a bunch of Kim Hargreaves knits, the new Silken Scabbard pattern from Stitch Diva, the Lamour Slipover from the new Rowan mag, several knits from Custom Knits, the new book by Wendy Bernard, Petersburg from last winter’s Rowan… well, you get the idea.  I am very indecisive.  This week we are also removing the wallpaper in our bedroom (at last!  No more wallpaper!) so I’m probably going to be pretty busy with that, as well as a ton of work related activities this week (I have been on vacation the last few weeks, working on my house.)  We have a few falling leaves here already – it may be hot, but fall is on its way!