February Fitted Pullover

Man, three-day weekends are lovely, but they really throw off my schedule!  So after a bit of a delay, I present to you the February Fitted Pullover:

I've set an unofficial goal for myself to complete 12 sweaters in 2010 and right on schedule, this one is No. 6.  I cheated a little and picked one I knew wouldn't take much time, but still, I'm proud of having completed 6 by the end of June, 2010. 

I knit this one in Elann Peruvian Pure Alpaca, a decadent worsted weight yarn in 100% alpaca.  Amazingly soft.  If it weren't so dang hot, I would be wearing this sweater all the time.  I really love the color, too. This particular colorway is called "Creole Pink."  Now, I don't know what makes a pink creole, but it is lovely.

The pattern itself was written by Amy Herzog, who is also in the middle of writing an excellent series of blog posts about choosing and modifying sweaters to best flatter your figure.  She's calling it Fit to Flatter and it's already been helpful to me.  She breaks it down by body type, sweater elements, and a number of ways to make a great sweater a perfect sweater. Definitely check her out.

She based this pattern on Elizabeth Zimmerman's February Baby Sweater, which unlike Pamela Wynne's February Lady Sweater, is more "inspired by" than "scaled up."  I may give the FLS a try later in the year, but this one is an allover fitted lace that I found to be really flattering on most figures.  I think the reason these modeled shots don't look ideal is my choice of undershirt.  Next time, just a cami.

The sweater really was a joy to knit--it was clearly written, precise, and the lace pattern was really really easy to memorize.  Plus lace in worsted weight has the same instant gratification as bulky yarn.  And, besides, when do I not love knitting with alpaca?  The only modification I made was adding 2" of length before waist shaping.  I tend to favor a longer sweater and I think that did the trick.  Otherwise, I got a great fit and didn't have to change anything.

Other knitting: I haven't made much progress on the Swirly Mittens.  Not very into fair isle at the moment, I guess.  Can't say the same about lace, though.  Myrtle is about > < this close to being done.  I just need to weave the ends in, block it, and sew on some buttons.  So excited!  I should be able to show it to you some time next week!  I'll be starting on Vicki's leopard print vest by the weekend!!

Next time: Seed Stitch Beret and Moebius Cowl

Cheers,

-Allie