Finished Object: Happily Sweater

Pattern: Happily Sweater by Katy Banks
Yarn: Holst Garn Supersoft 100% uld
Colours: Calypso, Dark Apple, Tundra, Indigo, Tiffany, Bleached White
Needles: 3.25mm, 3.5mm and 3.75mm Round Needles
Start of project: August 21st, 2017
End of project: November 24th, 2017

On Ravelry

This sweater was probably my longest and most daring project so far. It started with an image and an idea, it took three months to get done and another one to finally wear it and take some photos with it. I changed almost everything from the original pattern. Surprisingly enough, it turned out well and my fuzzy idea actually worked.

When I started, I knew I wanted a fingering weight fair isle sweater with a fading effect, just like in the original Happily Sweater. I decided on trying a new yarn (Holst Garn Supersoft 100% uld). I'd read a lot about it and I liked the many colours to choose from. I'd never before touched it, the only thing I knew was that it was supposed to be quite sheepy and that it might break easily. I wasn't sure if I could pull this sweater off, so it was a bit of a relief to see that the yarn was super cheap, even if nothing ever came of it, it wouldn't have been very expensive at all.

I didn't like the original fair isle pattern very much, it seemed to flowery and overloaded. Instead I had a look at my new Alterknit Stitch Dictionary and decided on going with the Tapestry pattern all over my sweater. I started the sweater during the SSKal 2017 when it was still summer. Progress was very slow and the knitting was kind of hard because the yarn is really quite stratchy. I had done a swatch and knew it was going to soften up but it was still intense knitting.

It was also not a project to take along to Knit'n'Sip or on holidays because I had to pay attention to the pattern and the yarn all the time, so I needed a lot of breaks and a few smaller projects in between. I wasn't sure about the size, the bottom looked very wide and the fair isle part rather tight, but I just knit on and on.

Finally I was able to join the sleeves with the body. I added a few short rows to elongate the back and I finished the collar with an iCord. After a billion of yarn endings and an intense blocking session, my sweater was finally ready to be worn and it was ok -  a bit tighter at the top than I had wanted but all in all totally wearable and while not acutally soft, it's ok to be worn over a long sleeved t-shirt.

Right after christmas Antonia and I took the train to the mountains and there, in the middle of the snow and beautiful weather she took a lot of photos of me wearing it. I am quite proud that I didn't give up and was able to finish this quite close to my original idea.