Res Completa: Snow White

Pattern: Snow White by Ysolda Teague
Size: Small
Yarn: Valley Yarns Stockbridge, 7.5 skeins of deep teal
Needles: US 7 24" circular and dpns
Start to Finish: Ugh, forever ago

Mods: Well, I realized soon after casting on that the circumference of the bottom of the sweater (~28") was going to be much too small -- like 6" too small. Of course I kept knitting in denial for several rows until I decided to do something about it, but I did indeed abandon that first attempt*. For the second attempt, I was too lazy to do the beautiful but time-intensive tubular cast on again, so I simply did a cable cast on, but this time with 32" of stitches instead of 28. To account for those extra stitches and to get to the same stitch count as in the pattern a couple of inches below the waist, I just did the beginning set of decreases twice. Perfecto.

(*I spent forever on that tubular cast on and no way was I going to rip it out -- those first abandoned inches are working perfectly as the beginning of a hat!).



Notes: How cool is the back of this sweater?! I rarely read a pattern in its entirety before starting it, so I spent most of the time working on this thing wondering how on earth the shoulders were shaped like that and how that little starburst of stockinette was formed. The secret ended up being grafting, and I just think it's the coolest thing ever.

If I were to knit the sweater again, I would put a stitch or two between the slanted decreases at the very bottom of the sweater. I've done this before -- when the decreases are right next to each other, I get a little hole between them. You can see this somewhat in the photo below. It's not a huge deal, but it doesn't look as neat as I'd like it to.



A note on the yarn: I quite liked the Valley Yarns Stockbridge! It was nice to work with and though it's started pilling a little bit and doesn't look quite as sturdy as I'd like in a garment that is stretched to an insane degree, it is surprisingly soft against the skin and I think the color is very pretty. The advertised gauge for this yarn is slightly under what Ysolda called for in the pattern, but like a good little knitter I swatched and blocked before starting and was able to verify that it blooms up to 18sts/4" after being washed.

Final verdict: This sweater is so flattering, especially for someone like me who is a little less endowed in certain areas (if you know what I mean). Those darts work magic! Actually, according to the Ravelry-browsing I've done, this sweater works magic in many different ways and on many different body types.

On its own, it's a little on the sexy side for the office, but I think it works well paired with a button-up top.



Gotta love a versatile knit!