Sweater the First

At long last, it's done -- my very first sweater! After two failed attempts with too-advanced patterns, the third pattern was the charm. Granted, it still took me a shameful amount of time to complete, but complete it is.

I used the Babe Solids Cardigan pattern with a few alterations (some intentional, some not!). Short sleeves, for one, since I didn't have enough yarn for long sleeves. I also modified the shoulder/sleeve shapes to resemble the shapes I'm used to using for sewing, added the lace pattern to the sleeves, and omitted the ribbing along the center front (along with the buttonholes) due to limited yarn.

Speaking of yarn, I used Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Superwash (worsted weight). The color is Fjord Heather, and it's really delightful. Blue-green, but not boyish. I find that I'm drawn to heathered yarns, as I like the subtle color variation.

This sweater is knitted flat and then joined. Apparently most knitters prefer as little joining as possible, but since my background in sewing is far stronger than my knitting, I found it easier to knit simple shapes and leave more complicated techniques for the future.

I am excessively fond of lace knitting, even though all I've tried so far have been very simple patterns. I'd like to explore those techniques more, as I find it far more interesting than endless rows of knit and purl. I ended up stitching the sweater together with a backstitch, since my joining skills are very limited! 

In the end, I'm very satisfied with this project (though the sleeves came out a little longer than I expected, and I think they look a bit 80's). I'm curious to see how blocking affects it, as the wool I used is superwash. It's a little oversized on Rosa right now, but I think it will be perfect this Spring and next Fall. 

Now on the needles is a tiny Newborn Vertebrae, in a delicious merino-alpaca . Tiny knitting is so rewarding... and quick!