Crossing the Border

More precisely, I’m crossing the sweater with the intarsia border off my UFO list!

I really don’t know why it took me so long to finish this one, but if I encounter any sort of problem that requires some serious thinking, a project is in trouble.  I guess I was a little wary of closing the back of the neck and attaching the button bands carefully.  It did take a lot longer than the three days I imagined to finish this—about 10 days.  I completed it on Sunday, once I felt better after the dental work.  The gum work went well, and thanks for all your kind wishes.  I’m still a little sore and slightly puffy—as you can see—but I’m recovering quickly.

This sweater was knit from Rowan Lambswool Tweed (the dark gray, and some of the border colors), Rowan DK, and one skein of Fine Cotton Chenille (one of the orange stripes).  All were used in double strands and knit on US 9 and 10.5 needles.  All of these yarns are discontinued, but a sweater with a border like this would make a fine first intarsia project, and there are many other yarn suppliers that would provide a suitable color range to use.  The diagonal pattern is particularly easy.

There are several reasons I took a detour from the work at hand (DH’s green sweater and my entrelac jacket).  This sweater gave me some good practice in working with a shawl collar, which I hadn’t done for a long time.  I need that for DH’s sweater. It also gives me dimensions to use in working with the entrelac sweater.  The intarsia sweater is 46 inches around the chest, and that is the absolute maximum I’d want in any jacket style sweater.  I’d really like the entrelac to be smaller (I’m shooting for 44 inches) because it is thinner yarn.  I also have difficulty when measuring sleeves for dropped shoulders.  I feel like a contortionist as I try to measure myself with a tape measure in front of the bathroom mirror.  The intarsia sweater sleeves are a good length, and I can use them in checking the entrelac sleeves.

So this week it is on to the fronts of the green sweater and the entrelac.

Comments

[Dorothy]

Very lovely - the fit is great and your workmanship is outstanding.

[Robin]

Nice!! The fit looks good and I'm sure that was a great feeling to cross this off your list. I had to laugh at projects being doomed if there's any sort of special thinking involved, as that is the case for me as well.

[tiennie]

Great job! It looks really warm and comfortable.

[TECHknitter]

Wow. Marjorie--that looks really good. It is a lovely creation. The shawl collar is flattering and practical and the colors will go with lots of things. The red stripes on the sleeves are a nice touch too. Congratulations.

[Judy G]

Beautiful! You almost (almost!) make me want to try some intarsia again.