Res Completa: Flicca

Pattern: Flicca, by Anna Bell
Yarn: Jaeger Extra Fine Merino Chunky, 21 balls of Hare(010)
Size: XS
Needles: 7mm 32" circular*
Start to Finish: December 1-16, 2007



Modifications: The only thing I changed was adding buttonholes (simple yo/k2tog style) and some buttons. I loved the rest of the sweater just as it was written. I even copied the color of the original Flicca!



Notes: Oh my goodness gracious, I love this sweater with a passion. Let's start with the pattern. This pattern rocks. It is so simple...and by simple I don't mean, "Anyone could have designed this," I mean, "It took a brilliant mind to design this sweater in such a straightforward manner." All the shaping comes from decreasing from 3x1 to 2x1 to 1x1 rib. It was such fun to make...

Now let's talk about the finished object. I have never loved a sweater like this. It is so warm, it looks great with just about everything I own, and it is extremely flattering. I like what Anna Bell says about wrapping the sweater around and hugging ones self with it, but I added two buttons just to leave open the option of buttoning.

I'm also a fan of this yarn, which is discontinued, but which I got on closeout at Webs. It's a pretty sturdy yarn and takes the weight of the sweater quite well. It hasn't started pilling yet, despite my constant wearing for the past two weeks, which I believe is a good sign. It is a slightly smaller gauge than the Sirdar Click Anna suggests (3.5 sts/inch instead of 3), but because there's so much ease built into the sweater, it worked fine.



Now the imperfections in my knitting. My collar turned out quite small. I added a few rows (I think 4) to the button bands and to the collar before starting the short row shaping, but it's still not as floppy as the original. This is probably a product of my smaller gauged yarn, and I probably could have done something else to fix it, but after knitting, ripping, and re-knitting the collar twice, I decided I liked it as it was.

It took me awhile to get over my laziness and realize this, but after Flicca, I am completely sold on wet-blocking. I was primarily a steamer before, but the way the soaking and drying eases out any tension weirdness is just fantastic. Though Flicca was a beeyotch to pin out to dry (she's huge!), I'm so happy with the results.



Thank you, Anna Bell, for this fantastic pattern!

*Why the @#$& do US sized needles jump from 6.5mm to 8mm?! Obviously there is a need for the sizes in between, so what happened?!?! This irks me very much.