February Lady Sweater

You may have noticed that I love, love, love Elizabeth Zimmerman patterns.   So much so that I even bought another copy of The Knitter's Almanac the last time we were in Toronto.  It's the commemorative edition and has great new pictures.  It's also in hard cover and likely to last longer than my original paperback one.  I can't encourage you enough to pick up this book if you love to knit.  There's a pattern for just about everything, and Elizabeth is so encouraging.  She wants you to be a fearless knitter and learn that you don't have to be tied to a pattern.

The best part of the new edition is the February Baby Sweater (best baby girl sweater ever) has been turned into a February Lady Sweater.   I couldn't wait to get this started and the trip to Picton was a great start.  Well here it is!!!!  I was finished by the next Tuesday -yep, a sweater in one week.  It is such an easy knit.  I made one main change.  Instead of the row of eyelet increases, I continued the raglan increases until there were enough stitches.    It fits wonderfully.  Since it's made from the top down that means the sleeves and body are the right length for me.

I used some old yarn that I've been hanging on to for a very long time.  It's leftover from another sweater but I've been waiting for the right pattern.  The yarn came from Eatons and was their lovely Lady Fair.  Yes I know it's acrylic but it's beautiful.  And sometimes you need an easy to care for sweater that won't make you itchy.  It's 'sayelle' sized wool.  The gauge sizing is my only complaint with this sweater pattern.  In her chapter about aran sweaters,  Elizabeth Zimmerman complains about the habit of sweater designers/companies saying 'certain number of stitches over pattern'.  This is such a hard way to measure gauge.  It is easier to match gauge given over stocking stitch.  Well, the pattern gauge is given over the lace pattern.  I used a 4 1/2mm circular (as suggested by my yarn).   I used about 10 50g balls.  I don't know for sure because a couple of the balls were part-balls left from the other sweater.

I'm probably going to make myself another sweater out of some 'real' wool.  I'll likely wait until the next time we're in Bowmanville and see what new loveliness Tina has in store.  This sweater would be luxurious in a merino/alpaca blend.

Go make yourself one.  You won't be disappointed!