Rusted Root

(this is me massively sucking in my gut!)

I was so excited to knit this top based on all the awesome pics on Ravelry but it has really turned out to be a disappointment for me. “But it looks so cute!,” you say. I have to admit that it does look pretty good in the picture but if you see it in real life it’s pretty blah. (Perhaps all the great sweaters pictured on Ravelry are the same way?) To be fair, I don’t totally blame the pattern. A lot of what I don’t like about the sweater has to do with my own poor decisions.

First, the yarn I chose was all wrong for this project. (Though, in general, I liked the yarn. The color is to die for!). The pattern calls for a cotton blend but I think the cotton created way too much stitch definition. It looks great on the lace panel, but on the miles of stockinette stitch that make up the rest of the sweater the cotton highlights what would otherwise be barely visible changes in tension, which I think makes the end product look messy and “homemade” (vs. “handmade.”)

Second, I made the wrong size. This is my fault, but there are extenuating circumstances: I gained ten pounds while I knit the sweater, during which time I was under extreme stress studying for the bar exam.

Third, the sleeves are a mess. They are insanely tight – and this is a separate problem from the sweater being too small in general because I enlarged these sleeves a few times (even when I was still legitimately an XS) and they were still bad. (Now that I think about it, I had the same issue with Delphine. Maybe I just have big armpits?) Also, the shaping it takes to make the puff sleeves is a mess. Again, if the yarn didn’t have such insane stitch definition it might not look so bad.

Finally, my bind off on the hem is ridiculously tight and it makes the sweater pucker a little at the bottom. This is totally my fault. No matter how hard I try I just can’t make a freakin’ loose bind off!!! I did a tubular BO on the neck and arms which is so much stretchier, but you can’t do a tubular BO on this 1X2 ribbing that looks so nice at the bottom of the sweater.

In conclusion: I think if I knit this again I could do better, but I don’t think I want to invest all the time and energy in something that still might not work out.

yarn details
Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in Seaspray
dye lot 39451A
50 % Cotton 50% Acrylic
aran weight
machine wash
100 grams/207 yds @ $5.50
purchased 5/09

pattern details
pattern: “Rusted Root” by Sarah & Rachel – Zephyr Style ($6)
needles: size 6 and 4 circular
size: XS (28-32″ bust)
yarn used: 2.65 skeins
started: May 24, 2009
finished: October 3, 2009
total cost: $20.58 (including pattern)

notes…

• did a 1X1 rib on the neckline and the sleeves (mostly just so I could do a tubular BO)
• added hip shaping – Don’t forget to make waist shaping decreases match up (K2tog and SSK, not just K2tog).
• added two rows of straight stockinette before the ribbing on the sleeves
• converted the written lace pattern into a chart – this made life so much easier!