Ooof this sweater. I had 3, or 4 false starts with this one and ironically the first try was when I was feeling super confident. Things were clicking – I’d memorized how to do M1Rs and Ls, I was getting faster, I was feeling accomplished… and then when it was time to try it on, I’d produced a sweater for ants. It was so small. My tight knitting was no match for this stable yarn.
After unraveling it again and starting another project, I learned how to loosen up and make a less dense fabric. I took a little break from it too.
Once I had my tension down, it knit up as quickly as other projects, but this was the first time I was forced to play yarn chicken.
After completing the body, I only had two skeins left. I didn’t love the instructed waistline, but I also didn’t hate it, so I decided to knit up the sleeves and if I had enough leftover, I planned to rip out the purlwise bind off and redo it with a couple rows of ribbing.
I did not have enough leftover and I had to shorten the sleeves by an inch too. So the waistline is what it is. I really love the texture on the yokes and upper sleeves and this yarn is super soft and somehow not as insulating as the other bulky yarns I’ve been using. I can wear it without overheating! Another thing I learned with this yarn is that its core is pretty untouched by the dye, so joining/felting ends together didn’t work out great. Because of this, there are some light stitches on the back (thankfully). The joins didn’t look that bad in nighttime lighting but they sure are focal points in daylight. Next time I use a yarn that doesn’t felt together nicely, I’ll add new yarn and weave in an end.
PATTERN: Trefann Sweater by Good Night, Day
YARN: Malabrigo Rasta in Belgian Chocolate
SIZE: S/M
