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I made a sweater?!

Materials: 5 skeins Lamb’s Pride Worsted in M80 Blue Blood Red (85% wool, 15% mohair). Size 11 needles. Size 11 and size 15 DPNs. Cowl [and howl] pattern from Stitch ‘n’ Bitch.

Time: A few months of intermittent knittery.

Cost: $0. Thanks, Mom!

I can't believe I actually made a sweater-ish garment. But it was in garter stitch, so it doesn't really count. Things that I learned:

• I mostly knit while reading or watching TV, so I need to check my work carefully fairly often to make sure that I haven't missed a stitch or something. There were a few occasions when I had gotten two-thirds of the way up a sleeve and had to rip it out because of a mistake that I made six inches back.
• I purposely chose this pattern because it required nearly no new techniques, so I could concentrate on, you know, making a sweater. And while I'm still not great at seaming things, I'm quite proud of the way in which I competently picked up stitches around the neck for the collar. It's also a pretty cheap sweater to make -- the yarn for the whole thing only cost $32.

• I still have much love for Brown Sheep yarn, and the 15% mohair gives it a wonderfully vaguely fuzzy halo which works really well with this pattern. It also sheds, and produces incredibly pervasive fluff. I'm still finding red-tinged dust bunnies in odd corners of the apartment.
• It's also super-warm, even at a loose gauge. In fact, even though it's in the lower 30s outside, I'll still probably have to wait until next winter to wear it.

• Lastly, I really suck at blocking. It took 5 days (!) to dry, and I pinned it to the wrong dimensions so that I currently look like an overripe sweater girl with stumpy arms when wearing it. With enough patience, however, I could probably mold it into an enormous dress, so I'll try re-blocking it later before my mother comes to visit and wants to see how it looks.

nicely done! it's classy but still handmade-looking enough to be a little edgy. might give this one a try myself. now to persuade my mom that it's alright to buy yarn for my birthday ;-)

I love it. You've inspired me to knit it myself ... and that color is BEAUTIFUL. :)

another sucess!!! excellent - stumpy arms and all. I think I will try this one as my first sweater too. Tre' Inspirational!