I started this sweater back in Feburary, which gives it the title of Longest WIP Ever (for me, anyway). Not because it was complicated to knit, but rather because I put it on the backburner several times in order to work on new and shiny projects. Yep, I totally broke my own personal rule about UFOs! But I did finally complete this unfinished object, so I’d reckon that it’s all good 🙂
For this sweater, I used the Graphite pattern, and knitted up a size XS. Based on my gauge swatch (can you believe I’m still faithfully knitting these before starting a project?! Mostly because I told myself I would turn all those swatches into a blanket eventually. Despite all my swatches, it’s still a pretty tiny blanket haha), I went down a couple of needle sizes to an 8. The pattern has you knit the ribbing with an even smaller needle – in my case, that would be a 6 – but I didn’t do that with this sweater because I totally forgot. Oh well!
Oh, by the way – Kevin Pancho piggy is back in some of these pictures. Everyone say hi to Kevin! She’s currently in the process of invisible fence training, hence her collar. Kevin loooves rooting around in the woods a little too much (like, she disappeared for over 2 hours more than once!), so we had to take some measures to keep her safely in the yard. Training is going a lot more smoothly than it was at the beginning, but man, is that pig stubborn!
Anyway, enough about that pig! Back to my sweater!
I used Plymouth Yarn Homestead for this, purchased from my local yarn store, Haus of Yarn (actually, since I moved, I have a new local yarn store! More on that when I get around to posting projects from the stuff I’ve bought from there, though!). This yarn is 100% wool, Aran weight, and Haus of Yarn only had the natural colors. I don’t know why I gravitated to this off-white – it’s beaaaaautiful on the skein, but not really so much against my face. Ugh. Me and my visions of white sweaters, the endless mistake.
This sweater also gave me the stark realization that I need to pay more attention to suggested yarns for my patterns. I know this is a VERY obvious thing for me to admit, but I have never really given much thought to the suggested yarn, other than weight and ply. I just always stick with 100% wool, regardless of what the pattern tells me to use. Since I don’t really knit patterns that require a different fiber (for drape, or stitch definition, or what have you), this hasn’t posed a huge problem, but it does limit me. I think this sweater would look a lot better if I had used a yarn with a little more drape, like the suggested Debbie Bliss merino. Just something to keep in mind for my next sweater!
As for the pattern, I knit it exactly according to the instructions, with no further fitting adjustments. It has a nice fit, I think – form-fitting without being snug, and it skims over the body. I do think it’s a bit too long, though! It does not look bad in these pictures, but I prefer a little more of a crop with my sweaters, since I wear my pants so high-waisted (I think it looks weird to have high-waisted pants and a long sweater! Or maybe it doesn’t look weird, but it certainly feels weird!). But, the almost butt-skimming length will work in my wardrobe. I can totally wear it with leggings and pants with a lower rise.
Like I said, the pattern was super super easy. This would be an easy first sweater project – lots of endless stockinette in the round. It’s knit top-down, and you make increases for the raglan sleeves and then separate those stitches from the body. From there, you knit in an endless tube to make the cool broken rib knit pattern (which, again, SUPER easy. Just knits and purls!). After you knit the ribbing and bind off the bottom, you knit the sleeves (putting the live stitches on the needles, rather than picking up bound-off stitches as with traditional set-in sleeves). Since they are raglan, there’s no sleeve cap to knit – you just knit an endless circle. Finally, the neckline is picked up and knit with a rib pattern. Easy!
Blocking the thing (where you wash it and lay it flat to dry, pulling it into the desired shape and size) really made a difference in the finished sweater! Not only did it set the stitches and make them nice and flat/even, but it relaxed the yarn and gave it a nice drape. Where the raglan sleeve “seam” (really just a series of increases) ends, there was a poof right over my armpit when I put the sweater on. Totally not a good look. After blocking, though, that relaxed into a soft little fold, which I can live with.
Doesn’t that yarn look so delicious and swishy!? YAY.
Ok, I don’t have anything else to say about this project, so here are some pictures of me trying to make friends with Kevin. Whatever, I know y’all are just here for the pig.
Holy shit, I look like I’m balding in these pictures hahahahah. I swear that’s just the flat spot I get from sleeping haha. Oh lord!
I’m glad I finished this project and can finally put it to rest! While I’m not crazy about the color on me, I think I’ll like it with a colorful collared shirt underneath it 🙂 (I did consider dyeing it, but then decided… nah. Haha!). What’s on your knitting needles these days? What’s your favorite wool sweater yarn? I’m about to cast on for my next sweater, but I’m always looking for new projects to add to the queue!
LLADYBIRD 
We call that flat spot “nursing home hole.” I had a friend who was notorious for coming up behind you and poking her fingers into your hair to “fluff out the nursing home hole.” I miss that little service from her.
Ha! I love that name!
I can see a nice sunday roast with that red collar on.
Funnily the next pattern I’m looking at is called graphite too – but it’s by Berocco! It’s a dk weight, and I normally knit aran so I’m still wondering if I’ll have patience for slower progress. I just recently finished a raglan aran weight (it’s on my blog 🙂
Damn, that is a REALLY pretty sweater! I might have to steal that idea from you 🙂
Make sure you buy a really scrumptious yarn, and you won’t mind the extra time it takes to knit 🙂 Hell – you might even get it knitted faster, if the yarn makes you feel extra handsy 😉 haha!
I can’t be the only person that thinks it’s hilarious that a pig is on an invisible fence! The sweater looks great, though – off white & all. It looks like one of those cozy & comfy sweaters.
I’m getting to wind yarn for Sundottir – http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sundottir
I’ve got equal amounts of a mustard yellow & purple yarn & I’m trying to decide which to use for the body & which to use for the yoke. I like the idea of a purple body, but I’m not sure I want that yellow against my face, either, so I’ll probably spend the rest of time agonizing about it.
Oh, no, it’s totally hilarious! I didn’t even realize this until recently, but pigs can be invisible fence trained (along with dogs, cats, and GOATS. hahaha!). They are certainly smart enough. And Kevin has proven she can’t be contained in a, well, visible fence – she breaks out of it (she’s even managed to break a cinderblock in half, somehow haha).
That’s a great pattern! I really want to learn colorwork so I can make stuff like that. As far as color choices, I like the idea of a purple body, too! I wouldn’t worry about the yellow against your face; the ribbing will be purple, so that should be enough distance from the yellow.
Great project. Love your hair color.
Thank you!!
Girl, just dye it. No sense in having something around that you’re just, “meh,” about. Dye it turquoise! That would look killer with your hair color right now. 🙂
Don’t think I haven’t considered it! 🙂 I’m going to wear it around a bit before I decide whether or not to dye – the color is slowly growing on me, and might grow more over time. Or else I’ll just dye that sucker hahahaha!
I love the color. If you keep going darker with your hair, I bet you’ll eventually love that color. I have dark brown hair and pinkish tone to my face and I love a cream color.
It’s cream-ish, right? Or is it white?
Yeah, it’s cream-ish. Not bright enough to be white, more like an off-white/cream 🙂 I love the color, I’m just not 100% on how much the color loves me 🙂 haha
I want that sweater and a pet pig now.
I bet you could knit you one! A sweater, I mean. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend a pig unless you have a lot of yard for it to roam around in 😉
It’s a great sweater. I’ll keep it in mind when I learn to knit. Just pair it with a groovy sweater and it doesn’t matter what the color is. Nicely done! Love the Pig.
Thank you!
Looks great on you! I have an off-white sweater on my needles, too–Paper Birch by Laura Aylor. I highly recommend her patterns, and have a few more in my Ravelry queue. I am using a contrasting color for the trim on the neckline, body and sleeves, to jazz up the off-white. The other project I am finishing is my oldest WIP, a striped cardi I started a year ago! Still looking for the right buttons…
Whoa, that is a really beautiful pattern! I love the lacework at the cowl!! and now I shall fall down the rabbit hole that is Laura Aylor’s pattern library on Ravelry… ha
Yes, I’ve been down that hole! I am actually knitting the cowl as a separate piece from the sweater, so I can wear it alone, too. You will find her patterns very well written, and she is very accessible for answering questions. Her Ravelry group is always active, lots of KAL’s, etc.
I’m currently working on an I Heart Cardigans by Tanis Lavalee, which is a lot of fun. This is my thirteenth sweater of the year, but the first with cables in all that time. I also just finished a Delancey Cardigan, which I made in fingering weight (instead of DK) using the plus-sized version of the pattern, which I absolutely adore. The pattern is written in stockinette, but is knit on the bias, with increases and decreases at points across the body. It’s quite clever, and because of the little changes with inc/dec is a great pattern for reading or watching tv while knitting.
My current favorite yarns are Madtosh and Tanis Fiber Arts. I like the higher twist that these two companies use (with the exception of their singles bases, like TML), but they’re also gorgeously dyed. MT’s DK Twist (available only through her site) and Tosh Sock are probably in the lead for favorite right now, though. TFA does a lot of gorgeous blues, which I already knit with too often. If you want to look at my projects from this year, I’m katherinelynn04 on rav.
Friended you! You’ve got a lot of really awesome projects – I love all the sweaters 😀
Nice jumper, I think the colour is good as you can make it look quite different by adding different coloured accessories or shirts… who is Kevin? He looks seriously cute. I always wanted a pet pig.
Kevin is my roommate’s pet pig 🙂 Kevin’s actually a she – we thought she was a boy when we got her, hence her name. Ha! She is pretty cute, though! And really smart!
I am working on the impossible cardigan– http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lace-cardigan-30 I needed to go down to a size 1 needle to get the gauge. With luck it will ready to wear fall of 2016.
That is such a beautiful pattern! Will definitely be worth the time it takes to knit it 🙂
I really love the off white colour. I’m not fashionable enough to care what things like that do to my skin, I just wear them!
I’ve just cast on the Surry Hills cardigan for the third time. It’s my first ever cardigan knitting and only my fourth ever ‘thing’. First time I made a mistake and frogged it. Second time I left it lying on the sofa one afternoon and my dog ate it! I’m hoping third times a charm.
Maybe your dog just REALLY wanted you to get some good practice in with that cardigan haha. But seriously – that sucks! I hope that third time is the charm for you, too!
February Lady sweater numero dos, because the first is getting a little worn, especially under the armpits. However, the yarn I used for that one is the best yarn EVER–no pilling at all, five+ years later! It was ArtYarns superwash merino, I remember that. And I’m about to cast on something for my baby niece, but haven’t decided what.
Oh, that’s good to know about the the yarn!
My favourite wool yarn is Sublime extra fine merino – I’m all about the process with knitting, and it is lovely to knit with. It seems to have an extra twist or crimp or something on each of the plies which makes it extra squooshy, but with a lovely drape at the same time. It also comes in some nice, bold colours.
I will have to look into that! It sounds absolutely lovely.
So cute! You are making me want to learn to knit in my free(?) time.
DO IT! You can always find free time in front of the TV or in the car (or during your commute if you’re lucky enough to have public transit!) 🙂
I’m a big fan of your color choice! I think you’re on to something with the colored collared shirts. Or add lipstick to define your face a bit more? I’m super pale, too, so I want this off-white to work!
Oh yeah, lipstick would certainly help haha. I forgot to put it on before I took these pictures, whoops!
You are so awesome! What can’t you make? This is so pretty. I just could never get the hang of knitting!
Oh, I love it! Totally gives me a reason to justify vegging on the couch, cos I’m still technically doing something 🙂 haha!
I am in love with this sweater! I know you are not wild on the length but it just sits so perfectly on you. Such a pretty shape. I also really like the winter white look for sweaters, but I also completely understand that some people (like me being pink) need to be more careful of the undertones – and the collar idea is a perfect fix it. Anything with slight yellow undertone makes me look sunburnt.
Thank you so much! I admit, the length is growing on me (pun intended, I guess 😉 ). I’m sure I’ll appreciate it more when the cold really kicks in! And I agree about the undertones – I’m really pink, too, and certain colors just make me look siiiiick haha
Looks really cute, I love the colour, it fits to autumn-winter 🙂
The first knitting project I started back in last December was a mohair blanket, I bought instantly 7 pieces of yarn and…. well….. when I had 20 cms long piece I was sooo exhausted and tired of it, so it still is on the needles but I guess I’ll never finish. I hate UFOs, actually I try to keep the rule not to start anything when I’m working on something, so, right now I prepare for a scarf+hat combo with two different yarn types – this pattern:
http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/hu/pattern.php?id=5672
I already ordered the yarns in dark turqouise colour, but Im waiting for the paycheck.. 😀
I always want to knit blankets, but I’m afraid I would give up on finishing too! That’s a BIG project – both in size and knitting time! I guess at least the yarn never goes bad or anything,so you can work on it intermittently over the years until it’s done haha.
gorgeous knit, i think if you wore a preppy shirt collar under it (or made a detachable one for underneath?) or if its really cold, knit a cowl collar for your neck…. wearing it for a while will make all the difference. I am a crochet-er so i always admire the results and patience of knitters
Thank you! I think I am gonna try wearing a different color at the neck to see if that helps with the wash-out – it’s worth trying, anyway!
That sweater looks awesome on you! Great job. I personally like the off-white, but a wild scarf (think Dick Tracy cartoons?) will break up the bland. We fence train all of our dogs. We got the one from Pet Safe that goes out to a 90 ft radius and it works like a charm. It was a bit expensive, but it’s cheaper than vet bills to fix a pet that got ran over or to lose it to coyotes in the back. I liked how portable it was and we’d take it camping. It was so funny to see our little Bishapoo run across the camping mat outside the RV and stop at the very edge and bark his fool head off at a passing dog. Other owners were amazed at how trained he was not to leave that mat. They happened to miss that time in Coushatta, LA that he was out nosing past the perimeter with his collar on and I realized I forgot to turn on the unit inside the RV. All of a sudden I heard a caterwalling ruckus and the dog was dancing palsey seizures across the street. Stupid disobedient dog. Fixed his wagon. He never left the mat again.
That is awesome, especially that it’s portable so you can take it with you! I would totally get one of those if I had a dog (and while I love my cat and wish she could manage outside, I am NOT about to go through the process of training her to use that fence, she is waaay too stubborn haha). It’s amazing how quickly they learn not to go past the perimeter, huh? 🙂 haha!
Beautiful sweater!
I’m knitting an Agatha in Madeline Tosh Vintage, Antique Lace colorway. I love this wool! It is so squishy and cuddly. A bit pricey for every sweater though. I usually go with good old Cascade 220.
Ahhhhh, I LOVE the Agatha! Isn’t it so fun to knit?! I made mine with the Cascade 220, too, but I love the idea of using something special instead 🙂 I think it’s worth it every once in a while!
Not all yarns are created equally. And, wool isn’t just wool. There are numerous different sheep varieties, and each one produces its own unique type of wool. Then, there’s the matter of how the yarn is spun. And, when you start throwing in fiber blends, then you really get some interesting fiber and fabric characteristics. Fiber is a rabbit hole. If you’re ready for the next level, I recommend Clara Parkes’, Book of Wool and Book of Yarn. She does an excellent job explaining the different qualities you can expect from different varieties of yarn and what sorts of uses they are ideal for. 😀
Love the jumper but I’m completely in love with Kevin? Please show us more. Does he need a little cute knitted jumper himself?
There are a few photos of Kevin lurking in the background of this post if you want to see more of her 🙂 She’s not really one to pose for pictures haha.
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LOVE IT, LOVED IT, LOVING IT!!!