Notice how I used the word "started" instead of "finished" or "completed"?
Well, this lovely pile of yarn has been in the progress of becoming a sweater for over 2 years now!
The yarn is Cascade 220 in a colourway number 2404. I bought it on destash for an amazing deal. I think I got 10 skeins for about $40 plus shipping! The pattern was from the lift out of an Australian Women's Weekly and it's called "Jumper with saddle shoulder".
Here's a better picture of what it looks like...
I'm determined to have it finished before next winter meaning I have about 8 months to knit 1.5 sleeves, a teeny button band and collar. Easy, right?! WRONG! I can never motivate myself to knit on this project. I've used every excuse under the sun "my needles are blunt" so I bought signatures, then "the yarn is too hot to knit in summer" so I waited until winter... nothing works, not even the constant ribbing by the boyfriend. I think I've figured out some reasons why this sweater is just so difficult to knit on, even though I'm on a major sweater knitting kick and here they are:
1. I chose a pattern that is not on Ravelry. This was a big mistake. Especially for a novice sweater knitter like me (this is my first man sized sweater and probably only my second or third adult sized garment). There have been SO MANY times in knitting this sweater where I've gotten lost or the numbers looked wrong. Had it been a Ravelry pattern, I could've contacted the designer or asked fellow knitters for guidance... Instead, it has just been me, bumbling away... ripping back and reknitting :(
2. Not only did I choose a pattern that is not on Ravelry, I chose a yarn that was a different weight and I "fudged" the sizing to make it work. The result is that I think the sweater is going to be ENORMOUS on my boyfriend... it looks far too wide and is at least 5-10 cms wider than most of his other pullovers. Oh no!
3. I think there are some pretty serious errors on this pattern and yet, I've just kept soldiering on instead of abandoning ship and starting with a new pattern and now, I've just let it get too far.
4. I made too many alterations on a garment I did not understand. The pattern says to knit the sweater flat and in pieces, I decided to alter it to knit in the round. But when I decided to do that, I hadn't fully understood the structural importance that seams play in a sweater (especially one that's this heavy). I also did not understand seam allowances adding to the "the sweater is going to be enormous" concerns.
5. Although I reduced the number of seams by knitting the body in on piece, I still need to do some seaming and that scares me... a lot!
6. I might be a little scared of the sweater curse. Maybe.
