PLANNING

I intended to make this pattern, it had been in my queue for over a year, but while planning this project I decided against it because:

• a lot of people had some minor issues with it, but enough to put me off because I have zero brainspace to think it through myself
• I would pay for a pattern while knowing I would have to figure out a lot of stuff myself, while having a library full of comparable patterns without issues
• I would have to calculate inches > cm the whole time. I can do it, but I don’t want to, I want this to be a straightforward knit.

So I decided to knit the no frills sweater again but with some of the features of the simple stripe pullover that I like, being: the micro stripes and wide raglan seams. I’ll be knitting it with Drops Fiesta in red & white that has been waiting in my stash for me to start this project.

PROJECT

• I did not do short row shaping… I could have done the short rows while maintaining these microstripes by cutting my yarn many many times, but I picked my battles and decided to take this risk over the other.
• Back seam: on the start of the red row: knit the first stitch; on start of white row: slip first stitch purlwise with yarn in back. This creates a red faux seam over the back instead of a jog from changing colors. I started this after finishing the ribbing, since the jog isn’t very noticable in the ribbing. I might do this on the sides too, to compliment the seam on the sleeves.
• Three raglan stitches instead of one. The single row stripes make it mindless: raglan increases are made on the white rows.
• 02.03: finished the yoke, divided sleeves and body. Going for a white seam on the sides/sleeves. I LOVE where this is going!
• decided to put the body stitches on hold to knit the sleeves first, I’ll do the ribbing last to see how long I want the sweater in the end.
• 26.03: finished the first sleeve
• 05.04: finished the second sleeve, on to the ribbing. I think I’ll make it slightly longer than the pattern says, maybe 2-3cm before working the rib.
• Skipped decreases before the ribbing on both arms and body to give it a straighter fit like the simple stripe pullover and because this is my preferred sweater shape lately.
• It’s done, it needs a thorough blocking because it looks a bit sloppy here and there. I really hope this will block out and that the fit will be good
• Used exactly 5 skeins of each color for the M size, with 4g & 3g left.

LESSONS LEARNED

• Although overall it looks very pretty, this fabric is very unforgiving when it comes to irregularities in tension and/or yarn (visible in the picture I took of the back). My back seam and sleeve decreases don’t look as neat as I would want, and also the ribbing is sloppy in some places. Blocking helped a bit, but it is still visible.

• My ribbing is much prettier on the inside of the fabric, next time I’ll knit the ribbing inside out.

• Would the fit be better with short rows? Definitely! But do I have regrets? Definitely not! The neckline turned out a bit high, but overall the fit is still very okay. And this sweater turned out to be exactly the kind of brainless knit I hoped it would be.

General conclusion: very happy with how this sweater turned out!