January 7, 2011

From Minnesota with love

For my birthday last year I received a super special gift from a friend and fellow knitter who lives in Minnesota: a skein of handspun. 


The yarn itself was really exciting, but layered on top of the gift was a coincidence that made it really exciting for me.  Almost two years earlier, I had commented on flickr about a beautiful baby blanket that I saw in a friend's photo. He told me it was made by a super cool knitter/spinner he knows in Minneapolis.  End of story? Not quite.  Turns out, Stephanie special ordered this yarn for me from the very same spinner: Nuttnbunny.  There's nothing quite like the feeling of getting a truly spot-on present.

I considered making mittens or a hat with the skein, but in the end decided to use it for something that would be treated a bit more gently: a sweater. 


I was snowbound when I shot this; perhaps that accounts for my sour countenance.

Details:
Pattern: #22 Garter Yoke Cardigan, by Melissa LeBarre
Yarn: Zealana Eco Cashmere Merino Blend (body), Nuttnbunny
Needles: 4.5mm
Start: September 5
Finish: September 20

I had been wanting to make this sweater since I saw it in Knit 1 magazine two years ago, a feeling that was underscored when I met the designer, Melissa, during our roadtrip to Webs.  Quite a few knitters have knit with the colorblock modification and my calculations told me that I would have enough of the handspun to make it work.  My initial instinct was to work the body using a grey yarn, but (a) I have almost as many grey sweaters as I do horizontally striped shirts and (b) I thought the grey might accent the purple and pinks of the handspun in a rather 6th grade way.  There's quite a bit of brown in the yarn, so I decided to go that route instead.


Very glad that I did.  The yarn was a bit of a leap of faith for me, as I ordered it online, but it matches exceedingly well.  The cheap wood buttons make me quite happy, too.  I am less happy, however, with my button sewing abilities.  I sewed the buttons too close to the buttonband's outer edge, not realizing that this would result in noticeable gapping in the region of my bosoms.  Easily enough fixed, but let's be realistic:  I finished the sweater in September and only got around to sewing on the buttons on December 27th.  This is how she's going to stay for the foreseeable future.  And that's OK by me.

7 comments:

Erin Joy said... Best Blogger Tips

Hey - as long as the buttons are on you can call it a success, right? This looks terrific - perfect balance of color.

Oiyi said... Best Blogger Tips

It's fabulous and the color combo is right on.

LittleCanoe said... Best Blogger Tips

Love. It. I have to say, I suffer the same button sewing problem you do. I may never get buttons right, which is why I tend to avoid them at all costs.

craftivore said... Best Blogger Tips

So pretty! What a smart way to use a special skein of handspun. I met Nuttnbunny at Rhinebeck, she has an incredibly awesome Owl and Pussycat tattoo that was done right here in my hometown. The ring of 7 degrees of separation grows tighter...

Yarny Days said... Best Blogger Tips

So cute! It is a great fit too. And simple and classy.

nuttnbunny said... Best Blogger Tips

Rock on! :-)

Nettie said... Best Blogger Tips

I love this!! You look lovely in it.