Mist.

Amelia (designed by Laura Chau) has been in the back of my mind since a trunk show by Sweet Georgia Yarns at Lettuce Knits in Toronto back in November. Also in the back of my mind was the idea that I would use some Cascade 220 from my stash to continue the stash-busting I have been able to accomplish lately …

Instead, I bought 5 skeins of Galway Heather in 1021 Mist. I actually only needed 4 – I have a full untouched 5th ball left.

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Since we were in Toronto and I had not the following:

  • Eucalan wash
  • Scissors
  • Gauge ruler

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I decided I would just cast on. What is the worst that could happen? I have knit lots of sweaters, I know that my gauge is generally the same as the ball band unless it is a novelty yarn, and this is a straightforward worsted weight sweater.

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The stress that this caused of not swatching (while yes, the sweater did work out) has resulted in me resolving never to not swatch again!

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There were some happy accidents with this sweater:

  • My gauge was too big on the 4.5mm needles that I bought (I had to buy needles since I didn’t have all my interchangeables with me and I didn’t want to buy more than one set).
  • I cast on the wrong number of stitches (161 stitches instead of the 181 called for in the size 34” bust).
  • I didn’t realise this until I reached the set-up row, 2 inches into the sweater.
  • I really didn’t want to rip back.
  • I measured the width of what I had and it measured more than 19” – much too wide for the 30” or 34” bust but perfect for the intended size of 38”. A little smaller than the 38” and a little bigger than the 34”.

It was all an accident. Thank goodness it worked out!

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I used buttons from my stash of Fabricana buttons that I bought on sale years ago.

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I made only three modifications – I followed the pattern and I love the results. The twisted rib acts beautifully as a shaping tool which meant the lack of increases and decreases resulted in super fast knitting. I cast this on Friday and cast off 9 days later. Garter is my favourite stitch – I love the simplicity of it – and paired with the twisted rib is perfect. I added 2 extra inches after the waist “shaping” and am glad I did. I also added 4 short rows prior to casting off as the back of the neck was too low. And lastly, I omitted the bell sleeves and cast of for an 8.5” cuff.

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One last photo with a hint of something else I have been working on …

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Can you guess? I have been inspired by msmodiste’s latest work …

Join the Conversation

  1. Ooh, beautiful as usual! I love a good happy accident :) I'm also so excited to see what you're sewing! I've been on a total craft hiatus since the end of July and, while it was the right choice, I'm itching to get going again :)

  2. So cute! It looks like it has a great fit.

  3. Very nice – I love the colourway you used and the twisted rib shaping. That's a lot of happy accidents for one project!

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