I was drawn to the Hedgehog yarn in the color „ Hurricane “ and bought it originally to knit a simple sweater using Elizabeth Zimmermann’s method or the ready available calculations by Ann Budd.

Then I got sidetracked and thought to knit up the Trestle, but never could find a second color which I was completely happy with.
At some point I even thought to use the yarn to knit up the Zweig by Caitlin Hunter, but it didn’t quite feel right.

When I saw this pattern, I felt that this is perfect as I can imagine myself to slip on this pullover often for warmth and comfort.
The main difference in my sweater is that I use more colors and change every five inches ( about 30 rows).
Also instead of two variegated colors, I use mainly solids as second colors to go with the hurricane.
Using two strands gives me lots of room to play with color and I am planning to use three ( or more) different colors for doubling up , creating somewhat of a fade/ color blocks, which I may even interrupt with some stripes.
I will choose the colors as I go along.

2.6. ( my Names day- St Dorothea-)
I cast on 200 sts with one strand each of himiko and ghost. Then I start knitting in the round with both strands for 7 rounds.
I don’t usually like the rolled edges created by st st, but it goes well with the look of this sweater so I go for it.

My color choices for the body:
Ghost and himiko 7 rows
Himiko and himiko 3 rows
Himiko and hurricane 31 rows
Truxton Circle and hurricane 31 rows
Hurricane and hurricane 32 rows
Hurricane and fathom 9 rows

This will be approximately 17 inches and ready to divide the front and back.
After dividing front and back

Hurricane and fathom another 25 rows
Fathom and Fathom 27 rows
3 needle bind off on the shoulders in hurricane and fathom.

For a more gentle color change I work the first row with the new cc in sl1, k1.

2.12. I am not at all sure if I like these color combinations I have come up with and am already thinking of better combinations….I will still finish the sweater; it may balance out more after I introduce the fathom which will be shortly….
2.13. After finishing the front and back and seeing the whole picture, I love how it comes all together.
You could say that I love my boyfriend SWEATER

Right front neckline: For a neater ssk I slip the third stitch from the end in the previous purl row.

2.14. ( Valentines Day). Finished the body and love the fit.
I will do the neckline before moving on to the sleeves.

2.15. I came across a method by Biscotti Yarns for a perfectly picked up neckline and tried it on this sweater. You chain stitches with a crochet hook along the neckline before picking them up. I like it, but even though I used an H Hook and in the end Jenni’s Stretchy bind off, the neck feels tighter than I want it. It looks very neat, but I am ripping it out and use my regular picking up stitches on my second attempt.
I redid the neck with just five instead of eight rows. For the first three rows I used hurricane and fathom, for the last two and bind off I used fathom and tremble which I had left over from a pair of socks.
Although it does not look as neat, it feels much better.

2.16. Started on the sleeves.
I usually knit both sleeves at the time, but don’t in this pattern because it would be too many balls of yarn to deal with, so I am a little uneasy about having enough yarn in each of the colors for the second sleeve.

Although I bought an additional unicorn tail of fathom, I don’t have much left of that color. So here is my color sequence for the sleeves:
CO 2x40 sts in fathom and fathom
3 rounds fathom and fathom
3 rounds fathom and hurricane
21 rounds hurricane and hurricane
33 rounds hurricane and truxton circle
37 rounds hurricane and himiko
12 rounds hurricane and ghost to get to desired length and for the lighter edge look as with cast on and collar of body.
It’s hard to know how long to knit the sleeves, because the stockinette edge rolls a lot.

Following the decreases as written in the pattern:
Five times every twelfth round and
Seven times every fifth round.
However about seven inches from the end of the sleeve, I reconsidered and added a couple of extra decreases to end up with 38 sts on each sleeve.
2.17. Kept knitting like crazy and finished one sleeve. It is so huge and I am thinking I will need to redo it .
Recalculating to get from 80 sts to 44 sts over 100 rounds.
I will decrease every sixth round nine times and every fifth round another nine times.
This is just my personal preference. I did pick up as written in the pattern , but wish there was an actual number of sts in the pattern. Perhaps 80 picked up stitches was too many to begin with.
I unraveled the sleeve and before restarting I did the math and I am correct with picking up 80 sts around the armhole.
Here is the math:
Armhole: 2.5” at a gauge of 25 rows=4” is 15.6rows
Then for the neckline it is for my size 4+9x2 =22 rows and then another 2.5” which is 15 rows. A total of 52 rows
52 rows for front and 52 rows for the back=104 rows.
Picking up 3 sts for every 4 rows. 104 divided by 4 is 26.
104 minus 26 is 78.
I am glad I have this reassurance.
On to my second attempt.
2.18. A snow day and extra time for knitting. I finished the “take two” on the sleeve and it looks so much better
Now on to the second sleeve and I am done.

2.19. ( another significant day; my brother’s birthday): Finished the second sleeve and with that my sweater! YEAH!!!!
2.20. I re- knitted the neckline again. Third time is a charm and I love how by using hurricane and ghost together it pulls it all together color wise.
I picked up and knitted one row in fathom and hurricane then I alternated between decrease rows and knit rows in hurricane and ghost until I had 68 stitches on my needle , then bound off with Jenni’s stretchy bind off.

May I say it: i love the boyfriend

July 9: Added 9 rows to each sleeve for that oversized look in the sleeves.