So a little story. About a year ago I came upon a gorgeous sweater on Ravelry by Natalie Meredith with a gorgeous colorwork forest of evergreens. Since my family runs a Christmas tree farm I am a little, shall we say, obsessed with evergreens and Christmas trees, so I was hooked immediately. Unfortunately the pattern sizing stopped just short of my bust measurements. I messaged Natalie and we had a really nice chat about pattern sizing and she told me that she couldn’t guarantee a timeline but it was on her list to expand the size range. “Great!” I said. “Please let me know!” And then I got distracted by…life.
Fast forward to September, just as I was starting to plan the Christmas hats I knit every year for my niflings. (There’s five niflings now, I need to actually plan and not just start digging through stash on December 1.) And what should appear in my inbox but a note from Natalie that she had, indeed, worked out an expanded size range as I’d requested, and would I be able to test knit.
I probably should have said no, because my schedule is ridiculous. Instead, I ordered yarn, paid for 2-day delivery, and wound and cast on immediately. The Christmas hats can wait. (I got the yarn for them too, don’t worry.)
I usually don’t bother with swatching because I am a daredevil and when you’re doing socks and shawls it’s not usually necessary. But this time, I did a proper swatch and washed it and everything.
And a week and a half later now I’m finally up to the colorwork section. It’s…not going as well, partly because I can’t sit on the couch knitting for hours on end while I watch an entire season of Hell on Wheels in one weekend (new discovery, it’s great, why did I take so long?) and partly because I can’t count. I knit the first two rows of the chart four times. (It’s demoralizing when your six year old nephew can count better than you can.) There was a lot of ripping back, but I think we’re starting
I think I have it figured out now but let’s see how quickly I can power through these charts. It’s getting chilly in New York, and I want to wear this!
Details:
Forest Sweater: Etsy or Ravelry (please use caution when clicking through to Ravelry links)
Yarn: Cascade Eco + Hemp in Jasper (green) and Antique (gray)
