I finished a new sweater in about a month! I was hoping to finish it in time for Stitches West – and I finished the knitting the night before but it really needed a blocking. So it was done the day after.
This is Whitehorse by Caitlyn Hunter.
What can I say about this pattern? It is pretty flawless. I did not notice any errors or anything and it was very easy to follow. I used the chart instructions. I knit the instructions for the 2XL however did not complete the directions to extend the lace panel as written – my row gauge was off. So I just knit through the chart once without repeating any of the rows. I also knit the body a little longer. Knit the sleeves exactly per the pattern.
The yarn I used was Valley Yarns Stockbridge, an alpaca blend that I bought at Stitches West from Webs many, many, many moons ago. I mean, like, years. It’s been in the stash so long I don’t even know how long I’ve had it, and they discontinued it two years ago. I had exactly ten skeins, which comes out to 1090 yards and hopes and dreams that that will be enough yarn for a sweater project. It was, but barely: I think there is something like three yards left total. Talk about a nail biter!
This was my second project using ChiaoGoo needles (size US 8) and I am in love. I went and got a bunch of other ChaioGoos at Stitches West the other weekend.
I have already cast on for Zweig (also by my current knitting crush Caitlyn Hunter) and have actually already completed the yoke and separated for the sleeves/body. This is my first colorwork and it’s super fiddly for me. That is not to say the pattern is difficult but but because I have not done much colorwork in the past I’m having a bit of a hard time with handling the yarn changes. It’s a simple pattern and why I’m working on it before I tackle Sunset Highway. So, tension-wise, not sure if it worked 100% but it looks okay to me so far. Won’t really know till the end and it’s blocked. D:
I got a better hang of it during the vertical stripe section (don’t have a picture of that yet) so I think at this point I could tackle something a little more complicated! (i.e., Caitlyn Hunter’s Birkin…. can’t stop won’t stop with her patterns!)
