February Lady Sweater

When we moved to Louisville in September of 2008, I had just a week between the day we moved and the day I started my new job. We tried to get so much done in that one week, I get tired just thinking about it – unpacking, buying a car, getting our new driver’s licenses, generally learning the layout of our new city. Then there was the whole couch fiasco…

Nevermind. I don’t want to remember the couch fiasco.

One thing I made a point during that insane week was to carve out some time for was to find one of the local yarn shops. And while I was there I bought some yarn, enough for a sweater. And during the insanity that was that week, I cast on for a sweater.

And now, more than a year later, it’s finally, finally done:

Pattern: February Lady Sweater by Pamela Wynne (adapted from the pattern “Baby Sweater on Two Needles,” aka the February Baby Sweater, from Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitter’s Almanac) (Ravelry Project Link)

Yarn: Cascade 220 in Garnet Heather, exactly 5 hanks on size #8 circular needles

Started: September 14, 2008  Finished Knitting: December 2009

I used exactly 5 hanks of yarn for this sweater. I allotted four hanks for the body since it was knit from the top down in one piece, I could just keep knitting until I ran out of yarn. The fifth hank was divided in two, and I did the same – I knit on the first sleeve until I ran out, then matched the number of repeats on the second sleeve.

I admit that as I knit, I worried it would be too short. But this sweater was helped with blocking, which opened up the lace pattern, and stretched the bottom of the sweater to the absolutely perfect length.

Did you catch that I absolutely love my new sweater? Because I do. I really, really do. I’m only sad that we’re heading for spring so soon, and I won’t be able to wear it more before the warm weather comes!