The pink popcorn-stitch sweater with the picot edging turned out really nicely. The sleeves didn’t fit when I set them in, and the puckering really annoyed me, but it is so interesting the way the yarn actually conforms to the shape of your body in sweaters you knit yourself. I would swear this sweater fits better now than it did a few weeks ago when I had just finished it.
This is a nice shot of me wearing the finished sweater.
Knitting my first sweater felt like it took forever - almost ten months. By contrast, I expect my second sweater will only take around four months from start to finish.
A few months ago, this is what it looked like without sleeves. I ended up unraveling the first sleeve because it didn't fit.
So, greatly encouraged with the first flush of success on my grand knitting endeavor, I am now doing my second project – a navy blue, fitted sweater with hourglass shaping and a very simple honeycomb cable knit bodice. I’m using a beautiful, hand-dyed, honey gold yarn for the picot edging, and the contrast is striking. You’ll get to see it as soon as I scrape together my pennies for a new camera. It’s out of a book called “Big Girl Knits”, and the author said to knit it for a close fit without being ashamed, and described this pattern as a “sweater with good intentions”. I just loved that line.
The Big Girl Knits sweater will teach me to do short rows, which is an essential technique for creating shaping around a generous bust. Once I learn how to do this, the front of my sweater will actually hang at the same length as the back, something that didn’t happen on my first sweater because there was no bust allowance. There are no buttons or pockets on this sweater, so there goes two ample opportunities to screw up! I really have high hopes for this one.
COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT AN AWESOME KNITTING TEACHER
Kristy is the owner of Eleganza Yarns in Frederick, MD. Without her regular help, I would never have learned to knit as quickly and easily as I did.
Here's a photo of Kristy, her partner Paul, and me (taken on a "snow day" when I went to her shop to show off my new creation.)
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