Let the Trumpets Sound...

If I had a trumpet, you'd all hear a royal fanfare because the sweater is complete. Drops design 103-16 became this.

Back view showing off the snazzy little hood SS asked for and the lovely ribbed construction and
the front, showing off the small change we made to the stitch used.

On the original design, the fronts are largely made up of reverse stockinette stitch. They still are, but as we were assembling this sweater, we decided to go inside out and use the stockinette side. It just looked nicer. The longer than called for sleeves were done using stockinette rather than the reverse too.

I'm very, very pleased. So pleased at the yarn choice, so pleased at the construction details, so pleased at the way it hangs, so pleased at the way it falls just right at the hood. I'm less pleased that I forgot buttons on Saturday, but I'll fix that first thing this morning. The buttons and the closers are the only part of this still to be done, and that won't take but a minute.

While the model is not the very slender SS, it does show how very very versatile this sweater would be. The knitted size is a medium and yet that medium still looks decent on my much, much larger dress form. The patterns top finished size is 58 inches, plenty for many many of us big girls. The ribbed back will keep the fit stylish, the front, with its not quite ribbed look, will keep that which we don't want emphasised, un-emphasised.

So while I am riding the success of this sweater, and finishing only a day shy of my resolve to finish it in January, I can go forward with a pretty clear conscience. Tonight I'm going hunting for the wool for Mr. Needles vest.

I have to finish choosing the patterns and colours. There did not seem to be a rush, and yet here I am ready to begin, with nothing picked or completely planned.

In the mean time, I am knitting feverishly on the baby surprise jacket. The first draft was ripped back, and I'm going forward at the larger gauge by doubling the sock yarns. It's a great way to get the second and larger gauge EZ gives in her pattern. The big benefit of this is how lovely and bouncy the fabric is. Its a joyous thing to work with and I feel a very quick knit coming on.

So onward to stash diving, stash digging, stash playing (and maybe even stash tidying) onward to fresh knitting, and a lot of fun.

Update:

In my final dash to finish the sweater, I did not quite get the third book read for NaJuReMoNoMo. It is so close, but it's a contest and I did not make the finish line. close doesn't count. That said, I doubled my book count from last year. Two whole books. Wowsers, I have a long way to go.