Hot + Humid = Wool Sweater

So it's the hottest it's been this year with high humidity. Let's go over what I'm working on:


I'm sewing afghan blocks together... 'cause there's nothing like a lap full of afghan squares on a hot and humid day.

Oh, and since it's so nice and hot and humid, let's cast on a wool sweater for Matt:


Ya, not even CLOSE on color to say the least. The yarn is indescribable. Brown, khaki green heather? With some hints of gold? I don't know... but it's frickin' stunning. The pattern is my nine millionth attempt at Patrick. I've tried this sweater with several different yarns, and even finished a disaster version.

The finished one ended up being a "test knit"... there's several problems with it. Some my fault and some the pattern's fault. The Beaverslide Fisherman weight is way too heavy to knit at this gauge, and the sweater is stiff as a board (soft and lovely, but it stands up by itself). Wrong yarn/pattern combo. The pattern... well, I've used Black Purl patterns before... they aren't proofed. They are full of errors, which I can get around. However, this one has a serious issue for my husband. All sizes use the same sleeve. So if you are making the 40" or the 52", all sleeves are 19" wide. Matt's biceps measure 13"... that's a lot of extra fabric for his small frame. Not a good look. So that means I'll make some sleeve adjustments (I'll probably do about 16-17" sleeves. I also will probably drop the semi-insert just in case I need to adjust that sleeve width and just do a traditional dropped sleeve.

Let me say... when in doubt, use Cascade 220. It truely is the workhorse of wool yarns. Great to knit with. Fabo colors (did I mention how frickin' stunning this color is?). Super stitch definition. Doesn't pill. It's soft enough that even Matt will wear it. Why did I even try a different yarn for this pattern?????

Okay... I've got 18 more blocks to sew up today!