Res Completa: Levenwick

Happy October!  I know it's technically been fall for a little bit now, but here in the Great Central Valley it's still not really sweater weather.  (I always have to remind myself -- and I have no idea why I remember this -- that my 16th birthday party was held on October 5th, featured being outdoors all night as well as an ice cream sundae buffet, and I wore white shorts, a denim short sleeved shirt, and sandals.  Also, Neill held our wedding reception outdoors in Turlock on October 7th and it was a lovely evening. So this weather is normal.)  Anyway, October 1st always feels like the beginning of a new year for knitters (or maybe it's because I worked at NASA for so long and it's the beginning of the government fiscal year), so I thought I'd start to go through some unblogged cooler weather projects to start to will the fall to come to Turlock.

First off, Levenwick, the truly stunning design by Gudrun Johnston for Brooklyn Tweed's first Wool People:

Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers, about 4.5 skeins of Garnet Heather
Needles: US 6 and US 7
Start to Finish: hmmm, started some time a year ago, picked it up again last Thanksgiving, then did the last sleeve and finishing near the beginning of 2013.
Mods: Left off the top button because I only had 6.

Notes: My gauge was a bit off from what was called for (and why I didn't go down a needle size, I have no idea) and I wanted a fitted sweater, so I knit the smallest size.  In the end, either my gauge wasn't what I thought it was (check gauge, people, CHECK GAUGE) or my bust isn't what I thought it was (likely), so the sweater is a little looser than I wanted, but I still do love it.

I originally bought those buttons during Thanksgiving 2010 when we had gone to visit Neill's parents in Asheville, NC.  They're from a local yarn shop, hand made (they're glazed ceramic) by a local artist.  I was putting the finishing touches on Blue Daisy at the time and bought them as contenders for that design, but in the end decided the contrast would be too much.  I'm glad I went with something else, because I LOVE THEM on this sweater.

So...if you're looking for a sweater to knit this fall, I definitely recommend Levenwick!

ALSO, have you heard about Anzula's Indiegogo campaign?   The ladies at Anzula have been dying yarn in a warehouse in Fresno for a few years now WITHOUT AIR CONDITIONING.  Now, if you don't live in the Central Valley, you may not know that it gets FREAKING HOT here during the summer.  Yes, it's a dry heat, but when it starts getting above 100 or 110 (which is normal), standing over boiling pots of wool is not going to be very pleasant.  Anyway, Anzula's campaign is to raise money to install much-needed AC in their factory, and there are some really great perks for those who donate.  And, as of yesterday, my Lunaris shawl is available as a perk!  If you donate $20, you can choose to receive a FREE copy of the pattern.  I encourage you to go check it out!