Sweater Weather

For quite some time, I've wanted to make a sweater for M. I love sweaters and wouldn't be able to survive a winter without the warmth provided by wool sweaters and M certainly shares my fondness for woolly goodness, if not quite to the same extreme. The prospect of knitting a sweater, however, was a bit daunting. My sweater knitting experience to date had consisted of a baby sweater and a mostly completed cardigan that I made for me that is currently in the bottom of a drawer in the States. So, my track record with sweater knitting wasn't stellar. In addition, I often have gauge issues, which, in scarves, mitts, and hats, and even socks, doesn't usually make too much difference, as adjustments are easily done. Incorrect gauge in a sweater is more difficult to fix (hello, math!) and really might not be obvious until the piece is finished. I had my heart set on making a sweater, though, so a sweater I would knit.

Gauge issues aside, I realised that I faced two major hurdles in making a men's sweater. First, I find many men's sweater patterns a little fussy or a little more mature than I wanted. Second, making a sweater for a person who currently lives thousands of kilometres away (ie with no body or clothes close by against which I could compare) was sort of a dangerous proposition. (Had I planned this earlier, the second hurdle would have been moot. But c'est la vie.)

I considered a number of different patterns, but when I saw Jared Flood's Cobblestone, I knew I had found the pattern. Simple and understated, but modern. Not fussy and it didn't scream grandpa. So I picked my yarn (the choices are limited in a small town, but I was on a budget and I knew Briggs & Little to be a good yarn. As B&L is slightly thicker than the yarn that the pattern calls for, I achieved gauge on my first try (yay to not having to break out my rusty math skills). I cast on for size small (completed Cobblestones that I'd seen look a bit roomy, and I was thinking of a more fitted result) and hoped for the best. I had the proper gauge, but I still wasn't sure how it was going to fit.

I started Cobblestone in August, thinking that would give me plenty of time. Of course, once I realised that four months might be more than enough time to finish a sweater, I promptly cast on for another project. And another. By the time November rolled around, I'd barely made a dent in the body. Canada Post holiday shipping deadlines dictated that the sweater needed to be done and in the mail by mid-December. So I knit and knit and knit (showing a focus that is rare with me these days). Lo and behold, I managed to have it finished and blocked and in the mail with a few days to spare.



Although I must confess I had a few minutes of panic after I cast off for the neck (thus completing the sweater) and attempted to try the sweater on (thinking that if it was a bit big on me, it would be the right size for M), and I couldn't get it over my head. Displaying an uncharacteristic degree of patience, I ripped out the cast off edge and redid it with a much stretchier cast off.



Pattern: Cobblestone, Interweave Knits Fall 2007
Yarn: Briggs & Little Heritage in Brown Heather (5.5 skeins)
Size: Small
Modifications: None



Overall, I'm extremely pleased with how Cobblestone turned out. I feel a bit more confident in sweater making, and definitely liked the almost nonexistent seaming involved. I'm not so pleased, however, with my short row wraps. Short rows, I get, but the wrapping of the stitches kicks my butt every time. As a result, there are a few small holes in the yoke that I'm hoping aren't too visible when the sweater is worn.



M reports that the sweater fits well and isn't too itchy. Mission accomplished.



Sorry about all the cat hair.