I’ve finished my Quadrillion.
Actually, I finished it in early May, even managed a few pictures the day after, and then forgot to post anything about it to the wider world. It seemed like I would barely get any wear out of it before the weather turned hot and sunny, but due to the mercurial nature of spring in the PNW (Pacific Northwest) I’ve actually gotten some good miles out of this one already.
The yarn, Happiness DK, came from stash, bought at a great discount from my local yarn shop, and I love the color, aptly named “Adobe Clay.” Since it’s a hand-dyed yarn, I did my best to alternate skeins, but ultimately I couldn’t take knitting the sleeves two at a time and alternating as well, so those turned out a bit, um, off (much lighter than the body). Luckily, this is a boxy, oversized sweater, and unless I specifically raise my arms and point out the color difference, it’s pretty insignificant. Still, I may need a short break from the drama of trying to match skeins like this. As a perfectionist, it can make me a little nuts.
The cable pattern on the front is amazing, and completely worth the craziness of the chart (I suggest investing in a set of colored highlighters). I considered writing out the whole chart (since each cable panel has a different repeat length), but ultimately the old-school method of checking rows off as I went worked fine.
I deviated a bit from the pattern because I wanted more seams, and slimmer sleeves. I knit the sleeves flat, bottom-up, so had to turn the chart upside down at the wrist, and add selvedge stitches (1 on each side). Using a RTW sweater of a similar shape, I copied the dimensions of the sleeve onto a piece of tracing pattern and just eyeballed it to match. It turned out great, width and length-wise, so I need to remember I have my sewing skills at my disposal when necessary. Make shape, knit to match shape, easy peasy.
I also added short rows at the shoulders on both front and back pieces, and although it may not have been necessary, I thought it was a nice experiment that led me to discover German Short Rows. I can certainly elaborate on that if it’s at all interesting to anyone, but I’ve tried to at least keep good notes in my project page.
Stitch Party 