Procrastination is my middle name. Mostly that comes back to bite me in the arse, but sometimes it turns out to be a blessing in disguise! This sweater had been finished weeks ago, but I put off taking pictures again and again. When Patricia, Meike and I planned a girls’ night, I asked if we could do a little photoshoot before the wine and gossip … and ended up with a photographer and a stylist! (Girls, you’re hired. I pay in woollen goodies and terrible looking muffins.)

The flower crown Meike made me is a fittingly regal accessory for this sweater. I used a gift certificate my generous and lovely friends gave me for my birthday to purchase a luxuriously large amount of Malabrigo yarn. Sometimes you just gotta pamper yourself! The colourway, Velvet Grapes, gave me a bit of a headache at first. Once I had seen it, I knew I had to have it, but I really wasn’t sure it’d look good used for clothing instead of accessories. In the end, in order to let the yarn shine on its own, I decided to choose a pattern with a very simple design.

Funnily enough, the pattern turned out to be a challenge. It’s threadbare, the pictures differ from the pattern, etc. Thank the goddess of yarn for the “helpful project” function on Ravelry! I followed most of StockinetteKnits’ as well as TheCATTLady’s notes. I started the buttonhole row on the 3rd row, then every 12 rows (3, 15, 27, 39, 51, 63, 75, 87, 99, 111, 123). Then I knit until the sweater fit around the chest and under the arms as stated in the pattern. This meant that I ended up with more rows than in StockinetteKnits’ project, who separated the sleeves after 40 rows. Afterwards, I followed her notes regarding waist decreases/increases religiously.

Since I had knit more than 40 rows before the sleeve separation, naturally my sleeves had more stitches. This meant that I ended up with ridiculously bulky sleeves. I tried wearing the sweater for a day to see if it did or didn’t bother me, and it definitely did. That’s why I ripped up the sleeves and knit them up again with faster decreases. Obviously, it was worth it! The sleeves are still kinda bulky, but I still love the way it looks!

The yarn is simply luxurious. It’s soft and warm and basically feels like a velvet-y hug. The colourway isn’t overbearing or clashing as I had feared, on the contrary! It looks divine, doesn’t it? (Hence the flower crown, ha.) I just want to pet it again and again …

Check out what the other ladies created on this here beautiful Me Made Mittwoch!

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Pattern: Buttony Sweater by Katie Marcus

Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Chunky (100% Merino), 204 Velvet Grapes

Photography: Patricia