Thursday, June 10, 2010

Something green

At the closing sale of a local yarn shop, I bought some Berroco Peruvia yarn with the intention of knitting another Eris pullover.

Eris is a pattern by Girl from Auntie (who's site seems to be down for the foreseeable future) that I knit several years ago. Actually, it's the sweater that the Yarn Harlot pet when I meet her briefly at my very first Victoria fibre fest. I love this pattern almost as much as I love wearing this sweater. It's my comfort sweater, you know the kind one wears when one needs an extra big, day long hug. But, it was actually my dad who suggested that it was time to knit another one. I don't know if he said this because it looks so good on me, because I really enjoy knitting it, or because this one is wearing out. I suspect it's all of the above.

So I bought the yarn because it was on sale and I haven't bought yarn (at least not that much in one go) since the last time I knit an Eris. I brought it home, admired it, then knit a swatch.

I knit my swatch on 5.0mm needles and got a gage of 4 sts per 1 inch or 16 (or17) sts per 4 inches. The pattern wants 5 sts per 1 inch which means I would have to go down a few needle sizes. Only... the swatch is already stiffer than I would like. I would not want to wear fabric any stiffer than this except in cases of emergency or winter in Ontario.

I could alter the pattern but I'm not interested in dealing with the changes to the cabled yolk. Why mess with perfection? So Eris will have to wait.

I have 7 skeins of colour 7150 which is a muted jewel green which adds to 1120m of yarn. What shall I make with it?

I want a classic design with a low neck but not too low. Loose or V neck would be nice. Probably a pullover. At least something with long sleeves. I don't want to spend money on a pattern just now. I'm saving up to buy some yarn that will actually knit a Eris. I want something interesting, but not too complicated. Too many purl sts bother my arthritis, so something knit in the round is best. Also something that will suit my rather scrawny figure, is imperative.

After bumming around Ravelry, here are a few thoughts from patterns I have or have access to:

  • Dickinson Pullover - in which case I would need more yarn. Also a bit difficult on the hands. I would rather just a few cables instead.
  • Aquitaine Pullover - I like the texture of this and it looks comfy, except for the shape of the neck. It's too wide on the shoulders and too high on the front. I don't think it would sit right on me, which means I would have to edit it. I have the skill to do that, but it would mess with the beautiful yolk pattern and I think, take too much brain.
  • The Cardigan for Arwen - I love this and have had my eye on it for ages. Only, not a pullover and would require buying more yarn. Still, it is absolutely gorgeous! It's classic and it's warm.
  • Amused - I like this. The neck is too low for me, but easy enough for me to raise up. Still, is this right for my shape? I'm a bit busty, but otherwise scrawny. I also think I would like longer sleeves, again easy to do.
  • Banff - A wonderful hug. I've been keen on this for a while. It looks so cosy. But, then I look on Ravelry and find that it's not very flattering. I'm tired of knitting things that I only wear around the house.





1 comment:

Josiane said...

The Cardigan for Arwen is gorgeous, a timeless classic; as for the pullovers, I quite like Amused - as it's a top-down raglan knit in the round, I think it would be easy to adjust it as you go so that it suits you perfectly.