The Beatles sweater

This is the first non-scarf non-hat grown-up item I've knit: a sweater for Jan. I call it "the Beatles sweater" because it's made out of Norwegian wool. (If blogs could have sound effects, I'd insert a rim shot here.) I used Gjestal Naturgarn No. 1 in a dark olive green color that I ordered from Elann last winter. Elann is a Canadian distributor that carries a wide variety of yarns in different sizes, colors, and fibers. A lot of the stuff is discontinued, which may explain why some of the prices are so low. One nice thing about Elann is they ship their U.S.-bound packages from the U.S., which saves a bundle on shipping charges (and times!) and avoids the whole customs hassle.

I used the pattern called "He'll Wear It Every Day" from The Yarn Girls' Guide to Simple Knits by Julie Carles and Jordana Jacobs. The pattern calls for Rowan Chunky Tweed yarn, which is frightfully expensive. This 100% wool Gjestal yarn has the same recommended gauge as the Rowan, so I figured it would work. In spite of the sweater's name, though, Jan has not worn it every day in the two or three months since I finished it. I think that has something to do with the fact that it's an extremely warm garment, and wearing it inside feels sort of like sitting around in a coat.

And here I have a confession to make: even though all the knitting books say that one must must must knit a gauge swatch for any project where size is important, I have never done so. I am just too darn impatient to get started. Mostly this hasn't been a problem yet (except for Sylvia's too-long sleeves, but with this sweater I ended up having to redo one whole side of it--partly because the gauge was off, and partly because I misread the pattern and ended up shaping the neck so bizarrely that only an alien would have been able to look good in this sweater.

Right now, I am working on a sweater for me in the same yarn. I'm using a different pattern from the same book. I've finished the front, the back, and one sleeve, so I'm in the home stretch. Problem is, I have misplaced the front and back somewhere in the house. Hmmmm. When I've finished this sweater, I will knit one for Sylvia using the yarn that's left, probably in a size that will fit her next winter. Then we can be an ultra-geeky family and wear matching sweaters! (Hey, that's an idea for next year's holiday card...)

Sylvia's sweater

Long before Sylvia was born, I knit this sweater for her. It's a simple boatneck sweater from Baby Knits for Beginners by Debbie Bliss. There are some beautiful designs in that book, but most of the instructions are poorly written and full of errata (which I discovered only after purchasing all the yarn I thought I needed for another project...a few months later, I realized I was short a couple of balls of yarn, which was no longer available...grrrr....). This sweater, however, isn't very difficult and offers a good dose of project-completion satisfaction. It consists of two identical rectangles that form that front and back, and two slightly tapered sleeves.

Rather than knit this with Debbie Bliss's overpriced and difficult-to-find (though very very nice) own yarn, as she recommends in the pattern, I used Mission Falls 1824 100% merino wool superwash in a nice orangish-brown-russet color that makes me think of the forest. I have just found out that the manufacturer is going out of business, which is unfortunate because 1824 is a very nice yarn to work.

Overall, I think the sweater turned out nicely. The seaming is pretty simple, so I was able to put all the pieces together without creating a Frankensweater to go with the Frankenblanket. I did make the arms a bit too long, though. I was worried that I'd make them too short, so I added on a few extra rows...and then a few more... Fortunately, they stay put pretty well when rolled up!

My next project?

A chameleon shawl. Of course, the materials probably cost tons more than even the most expensive novelty yarn out there today!