Sweater Slog

I’ve been working exclusively on the Cerisara sweater while at home lately, which makes for pretty boring blog updates.  Sorry about that!  Here is a view I’ve been taking in a lot of: I got the first sleeve going and knit about 8” of it.  Then I tried it on and decided it wasn’t fitting quite right – it was giving me a mild case of what we call “bat wings” at our house.  Do you know what I mean?  “Bat wings” are when the upper sleeve is too roomy and it leaves one looking thicker than one is.  Unflattering.So I ripped back about 5 inches (I’m pleased to report that Ultra Alpaca has enough “stickiness” that I was able to rip out stitches and then just slide my needle back through again without losing any) and recalculated.  Of course, I’m now worried that I decreased too dramatically.I finished the first sleeve yesterday and tried it on for S1 in the evening.  I didn’t voice my concerns but just asked what she thought.  She was positive, so I decided to just go with it.  I’m about 3” into sleeve #2 now and will knit it the same way as #1.

I suppose if I don’t like the finished product, I can rip and re-knit yet again!I’m also nursing a fear that the sweater will never hang properly.  I keep reminding myself that my swatches were pretty lively before I blocked them and that the sweater should react in the same way… but I still fret.  The pattern stresses that one should use DK yarn knit at a worsted gauge in order for it to drape properly.  I’m not using DK yarn – I’m using worsted yarn.  The shop owner told me it would work fine.  I didn’t have a copy of the pattern when I bought the yarn; I purchased it later online.  Grrr.  A few other Ravelers used Ultra Alpaca, too, though.

Worry worry worry.  I suppose I just haven’t knit enough sweaters to work all this out ahead of time.  I’ve knit a gazillion socks and I consider myself a fairly advanced knitter, but in the sweater world, I’m still a novice.