The Perfect Sweater Project

The Perfect Sweater Project 

Sometimes, the heavens open and the stars align in the creation of the perfect sweater!

When I first saw my friend Liz wearing her St. Brigid sweater, by Alice Starmore, I knew I had to make this for myself.  The cable detail, the texture, and the cabled neckline just called out to me. 

Determined to use my stash whenever possible, I went diving through the bags, totes, and cubicles and eventually found some King Baby Llama & Mulberry Silk by Aslan Trends.  This luxurious yarn is comprised of 70% Llama and 30% Mulberry Silk.  The pattern called for a DK weight, and technically, my prized yarn is considered a Worsted weight.  To be sure, I consulted with Linda & Liz at my LYS.  It was agreed that this yarn knits up more like a DK, and is best knit with a smaller needle due to the tendency for Llama and Silk to grow with wearing.   A quick yardage calculation to be sure that there was enough yarn, then off to swatch.  Yes, I said swatch; (when it comes to knitting sweaters, I swatch; to make sure that the garment will fit when complete) and I decided to use a 3.75mm needle to achieve the correct gauge.

I don’t know when I have enjoyed knitting any project more than this sweater.  It was addictive.  The yarn was absolutely lovely to work with, and it glided over my needles, just so.  I had to stop and admire my work every few rows, just to take in the loveliness as the cable patterns started to emerge.  Good thing I did …. Best way to catch a cable leaning right when it should have been left.  If you catch it soon enough, it’s fairly easy to correct.  Just get out the crochet hook and fix it right away.  

The pattern has a 22 row repeat, so I set this as a milestone for myself on every sitting.  Once complete, I would lay it out and admire it for a few minutes, then put it away for another time.  Sometimes, I had to force myself to put it away as it was very addictive, but I knew that it was prone for mistakes if I worked it until I was tired.  Knitting backwards (aka tinking) is not a productive use of one’s time.

Oddly enough, the pattern called for 9 repeats of the cable pattern for the body, regardless of size.  My friend Liz, is about 5’6/7” and I am a mere 5’ ¾” (not quite 5’1”).  Since Liz has a good 6” on me, we agreed that I would do 8 pattern repeats.  This was taken into consideration when we verified the yarn requirements.

With the back completed and nearing completion of the front, I started to become very anxious that I would not have enough yarn to finish the project.  My anxiety was growing with every row.  Oh no, what if I don’t have enough to do the beautiful cabled neckline?  The cable is extremely important.  I must source more yarn!  So I wrote to every yarn shop in the GTA, asking if anyone had this yarn in my colour.  I wasn’t concerned about the dye lot; I just wanted a skein of the yarn. Every response back, “Sorry, we do not carry that yarn”.  Now what.

Option one - see who has it stashed on Ravelry and ask it they will part with one skein.  That takes too much time.  By the time people see they have a message and respond, my anxiety will have reached critical mass.   

Option two – surf the web for someone selling the yarn, anywhere.  Found it! $19.50 / skein plus $16 shipping.  Expensive option considering I paid $10/skein in a clearance bin.  Keep it in the back of my mind, just in case nothing else works out.

Option three – check the Canadian Distributor’s website to see if they have any left.  Bingo!  They have a limited supply, but they have it.  Appeal to my LYS … Linda, can you please order it for me?  Yes!  My anxiety wanes and I am back to blissful knitting.  

On to the sleeves.  The pattern called for 6 repeats of the pattern, regardless of size.  Interestingly enough, unlike the body, the sleeves work for my stature, although my arm span is wider than my height.  Not by much, but the pattern works.  To my surprise, the sleeves did not take as much yarn as expected.  With both sleeves and saddles complete, time to sew together all the pieces to start the glorious neckline.

I was anticipating that sewing the cable around the neckline would be somewhat painful, but not so.  It stitched together quite easily; a little fussy, but one shot and it was done.  Now, time to pick up the stitches for the neck.  (btw, still working with the original yarn.)

The game of Yarn Chicken ensues.  Will I have enough to complete the 1x1 rib?  Do I need to go into the new skein for the cast off row?  I hate doing that.  Three rows left, then two, now one … cast off.

Eureka, with two yards left to spare!

The moral of this story is, make sure you have more than enough yarn before starting that “must have, love it!” project.  On everyday projects, we make do, substituting other yarns or colours to complete the project.  When it comes to that special project, it’s important to complete it as envisioned.  Also, check your work often.  Complex cables can be prone to mistakes.  If you catch them early, they can be corrected without undoing all your lovely work.  If not, well, you get your money’s worth out the yarn by tearing back and re-knitting, but none of us like to do that.

Final note, although I did not need the extra yarn that Linda ordered for me, my pal Vivian purchased it when I told her how much I enjoyed knitting with it.  It seems that it is not available any more, but I would buy it again in a heartbeat.