IntSweMoDo2013 #3

This is such an easy (no pun intended) pattern and so enjoyable to knit! I would have been finished sooner if I hadn’t ripped out the bottom hem twice (due to matchy-ness and wonky garter seams), and ripped and reknit both cuffs to match the cowl. On the plus side, I learned mattress stitch. Woot!

Mods
Doing the increases every 3 rows, 8 times to get closer to a medium for the hips.

I didn’t like the way picked up stitches look for the collar, so in an effort to camouflage that, I’m doing the collar in garter. Purling the first round after p/u. Did 3 garter ridges in size US 9 needles, then switched to US 7 to help draw the wide collar in more. Even knitting the size small, the top of the sweater was falling off of my shoulders. I also decreased every 4 garter ridges twice (4 stitches decreased) at the same point as the back raglan increases. My decreases were just k2tog, which are well hidden in the garter. Will rip back and re-knit the cuffs and bottom hem in garter to match. Grrr…hate feeling like I wasted time, but it’s worth it to have all of the cuffs/hem/collar match. For all garter edges, end on purl round, bind off using JSSBO knitwise.

Sleeves cuffs: Knit 5 garter ridges, then decreased twice on knit round (one k2tog on each side of wrist), repeat once more after 1 inch (~4 garter ridges)(4 st decreased total).

Yarn
This is my first time working with DiC. It’s nice, but I’m not sure if I’ll use it again. I found several knots in my skeins, they tangled like crazy while winding, and the yarn bled all over my hands while knitting.

The yarn has some tonal differences, but not as much as the pictures would suggest. It looks really dark around my neck/face in the pictures, but not in person. Weird.