May 27, 2008
It isn't yarn anymore
That is my odd sentiment on finishing the Gathered Pullover with my handspun bluefaced leicester. It isn't pretty skeins anymore.
Of course, I made a couple of changes. I raised the neckline and made it narrower - I saw a photo somewhere of someone wearing her Gathered Pullover over a blouse and it was totally falling off her shoulders, it really didn't look all that nice, so I wanted to avoid that. I also knitted the sleeves top-down, as I described the other week. The shoulders fit well. I knitted too long before starting to do decreases, so from certain angles the shape of the sleeves is a little funny, but they won't bind on my elbows and upper arms and that was my biggest concern. They came out about bracelet length which is fine with me.
The most important thing for me was to be sure that the center of the cable motif, and the decreases that went with it, fell at the right location. I think if I had followed the vertical dimensions of the pattern, they would have fallen too high and just looked goofy on me. So I tried to be sure that I placed them just below the bustline so they would cinch in the right place like a Georgian empire waist. I came pretty close.
When I was done I had this much yarn left.
I was VERY fond of this yarn. Here's a reminder.
Sigh. Yarn is like the ball at the top of the hill - so much potential energy. A knitted object is like the ball at the bottom of the hill - the only thing you can do to get its potential energy back is push it up the hill (i.e. frog it).
OK enough of the tortured analogy. I finished my blue socks too.
They came out great. I've started the 'master Riverbed' pattern from the same book, I'm just at the point where I'm rearranging all the stitches to make the heel. Once I've turned the heel I will know if my master numbers math was right or if I need to frog the whole thing and try again. Rolling the ball up the hill...
Posted by Prudence at May 27, 2008 07:43 AMYou sound so sad about the sweater, but it's beautiful! I know, those skeins of yarn sometimes feel like pets, don't they?
That looks great! Your handspun is fabulous. Gorgeous colors, and it looks so even and soft.
Posted by: orata on May 27, 2008 09:30 AMI wouldn't have thought to make the Gathered Pullover in a striped yarn, but yours looks amazing -- what pretty yarn!
Posted by: Katinka on May 27, 2008 10:21 AMWow you really love blue!! That sweater looks pretty on you...you are nice and slim. I luv reading your blog. Lots of great pics.
Posted by: Jody on May 27, 2008 10:37 AMI love that sweater! It is SO pretty! The socks are nice too. :o)
Posted by: elizabeth on May 27, 2008 11:08 AMDon't you dare frog it!!! It's perfect. I know what you mean though. I started and finished a whole project over the weekend, and I'm feeling a little lost!
Posted by: Maria on May 27, 2008 12:00 PMYou did such a great job matching up the stripes on the sleeves!
Posted by: Vicki on May 27, 2008 12:55 PMI know just how you feel about finishing this sweater. It looks fabulous on you, you did a great job, but still--there is sadness on finishing a project...especially if you loved the yarn. There's this bit of advice that says something like: The spinning technique should flatter the fiber so that it looks even better as yarn than it did as fiber. The knitting/weaving/crochet (whatever) technique should make the yarn look even better as a finished project. The person inside the garment should make the project perfect looking...and etc. Sometimes, at the end of a project, I just want to go back to the fiber. It happens. I think your sweater does glorify the fiber and yarn...and you look great in it. Hopefully the sadness will dissipate.
Posted by: Joanne on May 27, 2008 02:31 PMOh Caroline! Another perfect fit, and could the striping have worked any better? I think not. You've put the cables in the perfect location. It's beautiful.
The handspun is so perfect. If you print a picture of it, you can have your yarn and wear it too.
Posted by: Melanie on May 27, 2008 03:52 PMlovely sweater!
Posted by: vanessa on May 27, 2008 05:29 PMYour sweater looks lovely, amazing handspun and colours. Don't frog it!
Posted by: Lin on May 28, 2008 02:37 AMYou could always spin more!
Posted by: Lynn on May 28, 2008 07:16 AMThe sweater is amnazing!!! It isn't yarn anymore but it is more wearable now;-)
Posted by: elizabeth on May 29, 2008 06:16 AMYour sweater (and the yarn) are beautiful!
Posted by: Saffron on May 31, 2008 01:47 PMWonderful! You must have been sweating bullets as you neared the end of that last skein!
And the socks are fabulous too!
Aw, Caroline, that came out just great! Love the placement of the cable, but I do understand how you feel. Still, now you get to keep that pretty skein with you all day, every time you wear that beauty. Lovely, lovely job. :-)
Posted by: Sam on June 3, 2008 11:16 AMThem's is some very pretty FO's!
Posted by: Carol on June 4, 2008 03:57 PM