One goal down, many to go

I believe in goals. I believe it’s good to have goals, to have something that pushes you to try to improve and expand upon a craft, or a talent, or anything of the sort. One of my knitting goals for the year was to finally knit a sweater or cardigan for myself.

So, with a couple of friends in what was also my first ever knit along, I cast on for Pamely Wynne’s amazing February Lady Sweater, an adaptation of the famous February Baby Sweater by Elizabeth Zimmermann.

I’m not normally a fan of garter stitch, but I have to say, sometimes mindless knitting has its perks. The yoke for the sweater zoomed along off the needles. I knit that section so quickly I forgot that I was really even knitting it. I cast on, and lo, it was finished, and time for the lace.

I wish I could say that the lace part flew off the needles too, but that would be a lie. I blame the purling. Purling is slow. Must figure out some way to make purling go faster. But still! I persevered and kept on knitting, yarning over (what’s a better way to make that a verb?), and purling, and finally got sick and tired of the lace knitting. So I did two more repeats (because that’s what you do when you reach that “I’m done” point, you make yourself do at least two more repeats or you will regret it later), and knit the 1.5″ garter stitch border, and bound off. Rinse and repeat for the sleeves, et voila! Sweater was almost done.

Now it was time for the buttons. I love buttons. Buttons are the perfect finishing detail on any project, and boy, do I love finishing details. I will stare, ogle, and de-evolve into an admiring yet jealous fit when I see other people who have perfected their objects with the finishing details. Buttons are a big deal, people, and believe me I agonized over finding buttons for this project.

But find buttons I did, and I absolutely adore them. They’re small enough to not be ostentatious, detailed enough to be precious, and add that little touch of femininity that, to me, perfectly finishes off my very first ever me-sized sweater.

The only thing I really couldn’t control was the fact that it was HOTTER THAN THE SUN the day that I took these pictures. Standing around outside in 96 degree heat with 90% or more humidity and absolutely no shade while wearing a 100% wool cardigan is less than enjoyable. If you don’t believe me, try it out for yourself. Just make sure you have plenty of water nearby.

I’ve worn it twice to work this week, because my office is freezing and I LOVE IT. It’s so comfy and warm.

NOTES
Pattern: February Lady Sweater by Pamela Wynne
Size: 42″
Needles: 5.0mm for knitting, 6.00mm binding off the sleeves and 7.00mm binding off the body (it was a matter of what was close at hand at each time)
Yarn: Cascade 220 in Tibetan Rose, approximately 920 yds used. I cannot say enough good things about this yarn. It’s so soft and lovely to knit up, and it is super comfy to wear. The color bled just a teensy amount when I washed the sweater, but still remained vibrant and saturated in the finished product. It’s a fairly economical choice for a sweater like this, as I think I paid about $35 for the yarn, and I still have a fair amount left over.
Modifications: I didn’t make any, although if I knit this sweater again, I may go down a size or skip the eyelet increases, as there is just a little bit too much fabric in the yoke. I would also probably try to make myself have a little more patience with the lace and knit it just a smidgen longer in the body and sleeves, but that might involve me paying someone to knit part of it for me. (just kidding!)