Posted on 8 Comments

Vintersol

Vintersol Sweater Front

I finished knitting the Vintersol Sweater, my first sweater of 2018, and against all odds, I like it! I like it enough to post twice in one day 😁

Here’s what this project had going against it:

  • I wanted it to be body-skimming, but I picked too big of a size. I could tell by the time I’d finished the yoke that it was going to be too big. But I kept going anyway.
  • My knitting gauge these days is so loose it doesn’t seem to matter what needle size I go down to, so my stitches ended up bigger than intended, which didn’t help the fit situation.
  • Besides the problems with my regular gauge, my two-color gauge is generally even looser, especially the row gauge.

Really, when I saw the way this was going I should have started over, but I was pretty sure that if I ripped it out, that I would never re-start it. I’m not big on do-overs in knitting.

Vintersol unblocked
Vintersol, fresh off the needles, before its long soak.

So I persevered despite my misgivings, and when I took the sweater off the needles for the first time and tried it on, it fit like a roomy sweatshirt. Roomy sweatshirts have their place, but that’s not what I was going for here.

Oh well. I made up my mind to be fine with it. And then I soaked the sweater.

And after squeezing as much water out of it as possible, I held it up, and the hem came in about mid-thigh. Mid-thigh!!

At that point, I decided to take a huge chance and throw it in the dryer. I wouldn’t normally suggest such a thing, but I knew I wouldn’t wear it the way it was, and I didn’t want all of my work to go to waste.

So I took the sweater, and the towel I’d squeezed the water out into, and put them both in the dryer together for a nervous 5 minutes. I took it out, and tried it on. It was still damp, and the fit was a lot better, but it was not quite there yet. So I gave it another 5 minutes.

This time I took it out and I had a slightly-felted sweater that was still roomy, but roomy in the right way and not roomy in the almost-to-my-knees way. Success! (And relief! Because throwing a wool sweater in the dryer has never been a gamble that’s paid off for me before.)

There was still one problem, though: the neckline. It was so wide, that the whole sweater drooped really low. I didn’t like it at all.

So, I took some matching yarn, threaded it around the entire collar, and gave it a pull, drawstring-style. When it cinched the neckline to a size I liked, I tied it off to make it permanent.

Vintersol Sweater Front Vintersol Sweater Side Vintersol Sweater Back Vintersol Sweater Yoke Closeup

And now, after all of that fiddling, I have a sweater that doesn’t fit like I originally wanted it to, but is plenty comfortable, looks good, and is super soft. I don’t know if it would have been this soft without partially felting it, but it’s soft nonetheless.

My biggest problem with it now? It’s so distinctive, if I wear it too often everyone will recognize it, LOL! I will have to somehow limit myself to a respectable once-per-week…

The Details

Pattern: Vintersol by Jenn Steingass

Yarn: Webs Northampton in Bright Pink (22), Dark Olive Heather (46), and Sage Heather (51)

Modifications: While knitting, I did none of the optional body shaping, and I skipped the colorwork on the hem and sleeves. Plus I did all of the after-blocking nonsense described above.

Thoughts on the pattern: I enjoyed knitting this, and it gave me enough practice holding two colors at once, that I almost feel proficient at it. The method of constructing the yoke was really unique, and I love the i-cord bit at the neckline. I’m definitely going to use that in other projects.

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Posted on 8 Comments

8 thoughts on “Vintersol

  1. Was just looking at your first post when the second one came in. I have admired that pattern for awhile. I considered joining in on Berroco’s Lopi KAL but in the end decided it would cost a fair amount and more importantly, I probably wouldn’t finish in time to wear this year as my region of Georgia has mild winters and I am often running the AC in March. I looked at the pics others posted of this sweater in Ravelry and I think your choice of colors is probably my favorite. I think your finished sweater is beautiful and looks good on you. Great job!

    P.S. I am crocheting an Attic24 Afghan at the moment using my favorite hook that I purchased from you.

    1. Thanks for the compliment! I can’t imagine what it is like to have weather that warm in March! Last year, I was still wearing a sweater in May, so I think I’ll still get plenty of wear out of this one 🙂

      I love the afghans Lucy makes – her house must be so cozy by now! Glad you’re enjoying the hook!

  2. This turned out so pretty. My favorite one of yours yet.

  3. It takes nerves of steel to gamble this way after your labors. Easier when there is nothing to lose. You won Lisa!

    See you at Clayaton l hope.

    Mary Simkins Federici

    1. Thanks, Mary 😊 I will be there! Looking forward to it!!

  4. […] Instagram 📱: Show and tell time 😊 #vintersolsweater #knitlovewoolkal. So, I really like it, even though I was originally going for a fit that was more snug in the arms and the body, and maybe an inch longer. Let’s just say, after I blocked it, and it was HUGE, I tried a few unorthodox things to make it more reasonable 😁. I’m putting the details on my blog […]

  5. […] knit this first one with leftover wool from my Vintersol, and I used buttons I found in my grandmother’s stash. It’s a gift for someone. Maybe a […]

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