Tuesday, January 22, 2008

FO: Quidditch Sweater

Yes I am finally posting this FO, but it has seen much love the last several days.


Yarn: Berroco Comfort
Needle: US 5 / 3.75 mm
Pattern: Quidditch Sweater by Anne Bergeron
Pattern Source: Charmed Knits
Stash Down Yardage: 1209.6 yards
Total Stash Down Mileage: 0.75 mile


I made the XS size, which theoretically produces a finished garment size with a 34" bust lightly blocked (which I can't do with this yarn well anyways), because I was completely unwilling to knit an entirely ribbed sweater with 2" of positive ease. I have curves, darn it! The final result has some definite negative ease, but in a happy curvy way.

If you would like to make a similarly negative ease sweater, it is important to remember to add extra length though. This extra length meant that this size used as much yarn as if I had cast on the "correct" number of stitches for my size. I just tried my sweater on compulsively to make sure that the length was okay for each step. I increased the sleeves up to my nominal size, though, because no one wants their upper arms to look like sausages. Then it was easy to follow the sleevecap instructions for that size.

My other major modifications for this was to knit everything in the round that I could. This included the front and back up until the arm hole shaping and the sleeves until the sleeve cap. I did run just slightly short on the grey for the sleeves, which I knit two-at-once, but after accounting for the larger negative ease at the bust, it was fine.

The yarn I am somewhat torn over. The finished result is lovely and feels great, but it was also a bit of a pain to work with. It is not plied; there are just 8 or so strands twisted together. That means that it tended to split if you weren't paying attention. It has great sproingy-ness but would also tend to coil back on itself if given half a chance. The most annoying part was the number of knots though. Out of 6 balls I found 3 knots, more if you count the places where only one or two strands had been knotted together.

So over-all consensus? Great project, it is something I will wear to both fandom events and not. There were some dull and annoying parts to knitting it, but I am in love with the finished product. I can't see myself making another one soon, but if something happened to this one I would consider it.

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5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

You are amazing - just whip up a sweater - in a pattern you haven't made before (and altering and tailoring on the way) in a yarn you haven't used before...

And it looks awesome and you look pretty good in it!

I would love to knit with that kind of insouciance :)

23/1/08 8:58 AM  
Blogger BlackRayne said...

It looks great.

Curious about the knots - when I knit up the first 6+ skeins of Comfort for my frogged SKB there weren't any knots, though the 6th skein did have a fair share of fluffy bits that I had to pick off as I got to them.

I am not back onto the 3rd skein (well, now ball), and am noticing it doesn't knit up quite as nicely the second time around, but I think a good washing when I finish it will help a lot.

23/1/08 9:45 AM  
Blogger Catherine said...

Wow that sweater looks great! Good job!

23/1/08 9:53 AM  
Blogger twirldawg said...

The sweater looks fab! You did a wonderful job.

23/1/08 10:40 PM  
Blogger Bev Love said...

Very nice job, I think you do superb finishing too. You make me want to start a sweater!!!

24/1/08 12:02 PM  

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