Res Completa: Arisaig

Finally, I have knit and finished the first sweater pattern that caught my eye and, one might argue, inspired me to really learn how to knit.

Pattern: Arisaig, by Ysolda Teague for Knitty
Yarn: Jaeger Matchmaker Merino 4-ply, 6 skeins of Dewberry
Needles: US 1 vintage aluminum straight needles for the ribbing; US 2 Susan Bates long-ish circular needles for the rest (Note: the pointy tips on those things were perfect for the lace pattern).
Notions: Four hook/eye sets
Size: XS
Start to Finish: August 9 - September 11, 2007



Modifications: I only made one modification to this amazing pattern. Because I have skinny wrists, I wanted the sleeves to be slightly tighter at the bottom, but the same size as the pattern called for at the elbow. So, I cast on 6 fewer stitches than instructed and changed the rate of increases (more info here). I also didn't need quite as much neck edging/side tie as was called for. I knit and held it up to the sweater as I went along and stopped when it looked right. I think I ended up with about 6 feet instead of 7. Also, after much deliberation, I decided to make a monochrome Arisaig rather than one with contrasting edging/ties. I just could not find a coordinating color that I liked.



Notes: I love this sweater SO. MUCH. I was worried at first that it would be extremely small, but some wet-blocking fixed that right up. The design is beautiful and very flattering and it is maybe the most wearable item I have knit to date (besides, you know, simple scarves).



I love the finished project, and I loved working this well-designed pattern. The increases and decreases on the body pieces seemed to be timed exactly with the lace pattern repeats, so I never really had to keep track of how many rows I had knit. I just knew where shaping would occur by which part of the pattern I was on. That was very cool.



Not so cool was the huge knot in my neck I got from the intense concentration I put into seaming this thing. I could tell right away that if I did a sloppy job sewing the neck edging to the garment, it was going to look horrible. So I sat there for a couple of hours squinting down at my work, deeply concentrating and not realizing that I was holding my head in the same exact awkward position the entire time. My mom called it a sports injury and thought that was pretty funny since I had done it to myself while knitting.

The yarn was nice to work with -- soft and squishy and not splitty. However, it's surprisingly itchy against the skin. Not too bad, though.

I'm not sure what else to say about Arisaig. I thoroughly enjoyed making this sweater and am absolutely in love with the finished product!