Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Applewood Nanook

I started my first ever sweater for me. I just love this sweater pattern and I'm really enjoying knitting it. I'm planning short sleeves with maybe using a slightly altered version of the neck lace pattern as a hem. I've tried it on and its fitting perfectly.
However...my yarn isn't matching. I'm using Malabrigo Worsted in Applewood. I found it on Etsy years ago at a steal of a price from someone claiming to have started a sweater and ran out of yarn. Not wanting to buy more she had frogged it and sold it. It never occurred to me that the dye lots could be different. They are. I started with gorgeous variegated Applewood and 3" into my 3rd ball I noticed that the new skein was much more pink with very little variation. I checked out my other cakes of yarn and saw that all but one more cake is this color. Sigh...... Fortunately it will look like I planned for the yolk to be one dye lot and the rest to be the other. I'll use the one other lighter skein for the arm hems.

Update:  The above was written and saved as a draft a while ago.  I'm finished now and I do love the sweater.  After blocking it's a bit big.  Not much, but next time I'll make the next size down.  And, I will make another.  With long sleeves and probably in a grey or navy.  I've worn it numerous times and it's warm and fluffy.  I like it better worn open as the neck just seems to long or something.  When closed with a shawl pin I think the neck looks funny.  I've tried it with it pinned under the bust and that is a bust too.  In a smaller size I think it would look awesome pinned at the neckline though.
Overall impressions of the pattern?  Very well written, but you do need to really read over the charts and such to understand everything.  It's written differently than I'm used to in a pattern, but once I figured it out it went very smoothly.  I highly suggest you try this one out if you like the design.  It's a beauty!
Thank you Alaina for taking these pictures for me.  You are truly a budding photographer!