Sunday Knitting

Remember my Thyri Pullover, which I kind of finished back in July, but was a bit too long? And all I needed to do was rip back a bit and re-knit the hem? Five months later, I am finally wearing it.

Very little was involved in finishing it, just a couple of hours of work plus washing and blocking. But I may have mentioned that we got a dog a while ago and she really, really enjoys biting and chewing and tugging on things, especially things made of fabric. The first time she came into the house, she immediately walked over to my knitting basket and grabbed my Thyri in her teeth. So, I didn't really touch the sweater until we sent her off to a board and train facility several weeks ago, where hopefully they're teaching her the value of hand-knit items. (That is what they teach there, right?)

This pattern is from the Winter 2014 issue of Knitscene, and I was immediately drawn to it because of the built-in handwarmers, which unfortunately I didn't get any good photos of. This is probably the best one:

Perfect for my Dickensian workplace.

The neckline is a little wider than I'd like, which you can tell better from the photo below. This is a common problem with many knitting patterns. I mean, sweaters are for winter and winter is cold so I'd like to not have my collarbones exposed. I also have to adjust the sweater a bit when I first put it on because it's a bit tight around the shoulders, pulling the neck even wider. But once I rearrange it to my liking, it seems to stay pretty well.

It's not the most flattering fit, I'll admit, but this sweater is more about the coziness. What really makes it is the yarn: I used the recommended yarn, Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage in the colorway Forestry. It's really gorgeous and feels wonderful too. It's hand-dyed though, which means I had to knit a couple of skeins at a time, moving back between them every couple of rows. This is not only annoying and disrupts the flow of knitting, it created a weird little seam, which is most visible on the back right shoulder.

But that's a fairly minor issue. All in all, I'd call this project a success. This is a sweater I think I'll be reaching for a lot this winter.