So, I have pictures of a finished project to share! Hooray! This is my
Warriston, pattern by
Kate Davies, knit up in a worsted weight wool, that I got at a garage sale about six or seven years ago. It's been a struggle to find the right pattern for this yarn, not because it's a difficult yarn to use, but because of my indecision and at the same time, picky-ness. If my memory is correct, it was knit into two different, nearly-complete, sweaters before I realized that this was the right pattern for it.
Part of my dilemma is the difficulty of white. I love white, but daily life is rarely kind to white, in my experience. So for a while I was planning to dye it, and then I became obsessed with the idea of a traditional Aran sweater, so I knit nearly the whole thing, before I realized that I didn't have enough yarn (cables eat yarn up so fast!), so out it all came again. That was the most heart breaking tear-out job I've ever had. I have no problem frogging a project if I know it won't get used, but to be completely in love with your project... dreaming through every stitch how beautiful it will be and all of the ways you can wear it... and then being unable to finish, that is a very painful blow.
Of course I have not given up on my dream Aran, heavily cabled, creamy, warm sweater, someday it will come. Just not yet. Because I'm picky, and cables devour yarn, and good yarn is expensive. Anyway, this sweater, Warriston, is what I'm here to talk about, yes, I remember. I love this sweater. It has pockets and a snugly cowl, it is long, and it's edges look like snow drifts.
The pattern called for Aran weight yarn, which is a bit heavier than the worsted which I used. So as a result the garment is a bit thinner, and has a little more drape. If I ever make it again, I'll use the yarn it calls for, just in order to have a sturdier sweater, and something not white, so I'm not paranoid every time I where it. In fact, I just won't wear this one to work. After I came home with an orange marker stripe on my back last fall, I am determined to be very careful with this one.
In order to make sure the sweater would fit me correctly, and how I prefer, I began it at the bottom, in the size that was right for my hip measurement. Then, as I reached the waist decreases, I just continued on with them until I got the right stitch count for the size that my bust measurement falls into. I think it crosses three sizes, such as Large decreased down to a Small. I wasn't very mathematical in my planning for this, I just looked at the pattern and my gauge and decided to give it a shot. It worked perfectly, I am happy to say, without being too tight or baggy anywhere, just as I wanted. As a result, the sweater is also a bit longer than the original, that is due to the extra rows and decreases. I knew that would happen, and because I have long torso, I was fine with the added length. It did block out a bit longer than I had expected it to though, which is why it fits more like a tunic. In the end, I like it better this way.
And the most exciting thing about all of this... Kate Davies
featured it on her
blog! I'm still on a bit of a star-crossed high from that. Just hours after I updated my Ravelry page and pictures, she messaged me and asked if she could share it on her blog. And of course I said yes, as I squealed a bit at my laptop. Oh man, so exciting.
And I wanted to show you guys how good it looks with my toggle coat too! It can be a lot of fun staying warm when you knit!
Thanks for looking!
Love, Clara
