And…it’s done!
By ‘it’, I mean my Barocco sweater (Ravelry link) by Stella Egidi, my project for the SweetGeorgia Yarns Spring Make-Along. Following up to last week’s post, my knitting needles did come in. Some furious sleeve knitting ensued; but because the process of knitting a sweater is too exciting not to document, I did snap a few quick pictures:
And then, because the hangups are never where you think they are, I had quite a time doing the neckline. That bit of blue on the edge of the neckline in the above pictures is a crochet provisional cast-on. Shortly before starting this project, I read this blog post by TinCanKnits, which gives some must-heed tips for adjusting and adding structure to sweater necklines. Because I’m a perfectionist, I just had to make sure the neckline on this sweater was going to be top-hole (or better than my puns, at any rate). I didn’t take pictures of this part because I was doing it late at night; but suffice it to say that ripping, reknitting and a couple of episodes of The Mentalist* figure largely.
*Content warnings—enjoy responsibly.
One of the things I didn’t know about SweetGeorgia Mohair Silk DK until swatching with it is how stable of a fabric it creates. A lot of merino yarns grow when washed and will stretch into all kinds of contortions when wet, which makes a ruler, wires, pins and gentle hands absolutely necessary during the blocking process; not Mohair Silk DK. My guess is it’s a combination of the firm, highly structured 12-ply spin and the touch of mohair and silk, which curb the elasticity of the merino a bit. Whatever the reason, I didn’t have to wrangle and pin this sweater the way I have to wrangle and pin basically everything else.
I did need to whip out the blow dryer to get it dried in time for pictures. But what’s that after a month of knitting? Besides, it was worth it.
Now that the drama is all over and done, I can reflect on how much fun this project was. I’ve never done anything quite like this yoke pattern before, with the lace, colorwork and fun textures; and the stockinette portions were perfect relaxers (when I wasn’t snapping knitting needles, that is). The colors panned out exactly the way they were supposed to, and the fit is absolutely perfect. And that neckline? I think it’ll last for years.
And it’s finished just in time for hot summer weather, isn’t it? Oh well. Not exactly the most seasonable choice for a Spring Make-Along, but boy, was it a romp anyhow. Is it wrong to hope for an unusual chilly snap (not enough to freeze the leaves off my roses or anything, just a little dip) so I can wear this soon?
Just beautiful! Amazing pattern, and your choice of colors stellar.
Thank you—I had so much fun knitting it!