the blue blog archives: cashual friday

My recycled cashmere hourglass sweater is done and ~~I hate it~~. Okay, April Fools is over, I love it!

How could I not love it? Isn't that sooooo much better than the original giant tunic-y thing?! That original sweater was so big that I managed to knit the body of the new sweater up to the armholes and in the round with only 3/4 of the yarn from the back of the original! That means I've got lots of yarn left over. I do believe I'll have to make a cashmere scarf and beret set this fall.

But back to this sweater. After my first sizing error, I stuck with the pattern numbers and it came out fitting great. There's enough ease, but it's still nice and form-fitting (instead of becoming uber-drapey like uhhhh, Klaralund - wink, wink). I also kept the body and sleeve length as given in the pattern and they worked out too. (Whew - I was worried about those sleeves!) I did however add two extra decrease rows to the top, to trim down the wide boatneck and give myself some bra strap coverage. So pattern, good (check the pattern errata though before you make one).

And the yarn, very good. It's a 65/35 cashmere/cotton blend that I recycled from an at least 10 year old Banana Republic sweater. It suffered a bit in the ripping (although I carefully ripped the entire sweater by hand instead of using the ball winder), making the yarn a little less tightly plied. And, of course, my hand knitting is nowhere near as even as the machine knitting of the original. But all this gives it a natural and casual sort of look, which I really like. Like the often irregularly dyed and sometimes slubby cash iroha that the pattern originally called for, it makes the sweater lovely and feminine without seeming so dressy and delicate that I couldn't ever wear it (can you tell I'm having a problem with some of the less casual patterns that some companies have been coming out with lately?). No, this one is just right: it's soft as can be, feels very comfortable directly against the skin and is cozy warm and fun to wear.

posted by alison at 11:37 am | in LMKG , hourglass

Comments

It really turned out nice! I'm quite impressed. IT look great with the coming beret and scarf too.

Posted by: Rebekah at April 1, 2005 11:41 AM

Your sweater is amazing. I am so inspired to make one now!

Posted by: Allison Guy at April 1, 2005 11:50 AM

What an awesome, go-with-everything color! It looks like it fits like a dream, too. Big thumbs up!

Posted by: Colleen at April 1, 2005 12:08 PM

Wow! It turned out beautifully! A classic shape and look - I bet it will get lots of wear. Brava!

Posted by: Jen M at April 1, 2005 12:14 PM

It looks awesome! Really a quick knit for you! Good job.

Posted by: Kyla at April 1, 2005 12:15 PM

That sweater is just perfect. I adore it. You've inspired me to start recycling too!

Posted by: cheryl at April 1, 2005 12:23 PM

I have been lurking, watching you knit and the boys grow up for a long time. LOVE the sweater. Love that I'm learning to knit by watching your projects.

Posted by: Penny at April 1, 2005 12:27 PM

Very inspiring! I have a very similar Banana cashmere sweater (tan, ribbed turtleneck) that I never wear (sleeves too short)--perhaps this is its future!

Posted by: Ashley at April 1, 2005 12:40 PM

It looks so great! The extra decrease rows at the top seem to have worked out really well. Nice work!

PS. I totally believed your April Fools joke at first, and was wondering 'why, why??'

Posted by: Diana at April 1, 2005 12:40 PM

Your sweater looks beautiful!

Posted by: Evelyn at April 1, 2005 12:43 PM

How flattering! It's plain, but beautiful! My favorite. Kudos!

Posted by: Beth at April 1, 2005 12:54 PM

Congrats! It turned out just beautiful.

Posted by: Michelle at April 1, 2005 1:05 PM

Beautiful! A few weeks ago I saw a cashmere sweater at the thrift store for $2.00 but didn't buy it because it was way too big. Of course a couple days later it hits me that I could have taken it apart and made myself a sweater with yarn left over. Kicking myself now! And even more after seeing your lovely sweater.

Posted by: laura at April 1, 2005 1:05 PM

how is it possible that everything you knit looks perfect, and when I try to do the exact same thing, it's a disaster? Your hourglass is AMAZING! I love the edges, the color, the shape, the way it looks on you, everything. I am so jealous of you right now!

Posted by: Illanna at April 1, 2005 1:08 PM

Ha, ha! April fool! I read the title and thought "Alison must be crazy. That is a fabulous sweater: great shape; great color. What is her problem?" Then I got the joke. Duh!

See you Sunday.

Posted by: Colleen at April 1, 2005 1:15 PM

It really is a beauty. Nice work, Alison! :)

Posted by: Liz at April 1, 2005 1:17 PM

That is one beautiful sweater! I'll have to keep my eye out for some cashmere sweaters at the thrift store...

Posted by: Amanda at April 1, 2005 1:22 PM

I love it! Great job on recycling!

Posted by: monica at April 1, 2005 1:24 PM

LOVE it! You had me going with your April Foolery, I was all ready with my "it's so lovely, why on earth would you hate it" speech. I'm glad you love it too. It's pretty and flattering on. Makes me want to recycle!

Posted by: carrie at April 1, 2005 1:25 PM

That looks so great! I have got to start hitting the thrift stores and recycling, I am so f-ing jealous of all this great yarn that you fancy-pants thrifters are finding!!!

Posted by: heide at April 1, 2005 1:26 PM

You had me going there for a moment! Whew.
It is beautiful all around and looks fantastic on you. Totally stunning.

Posted by: valentina at April 1, 2005 1:27 PM

Gorgeous! Just gorgeous!
As for the new Rowan magazine patterns -- a mohair nightie/over a slip thingy? What the hell is that?

Posted by: Gina at April 1, 2005 1:28 PM

I'm actually drooling....

Posted by: wendy at April 1, 2005 1:36 PM

Okay, you got me. I gasped aloud with dismay at the thought that you didn't like the sweater. (Along with the brief, illusory hope that I could 1)fit and 2)steal your sweater.) It looks great!

Posted by: Collette at April 1, 2005 1:46 PM

The sweater looks wonderful! Comfortable, practical, well-fitting . . . and, I can just tell by looking, so so soft!

Posted by: Deb at April 1, 2005 1:48 PM

Another lovely sweater! Beautiful job, Alison! Cen't wait to see what you knit next.

Posted by: Kristy at April 1, 2005 1:50 PM

Very nice! Much better than the original, and it looks great!

Posted by: erika at April 1, 2005 2:06 PM

I love the last photo. You never grin that big in your photos but you should. You've got a great smile! Sweater looks awesome, too.

Posted by: Allyson at April 1, 2005 2:07 PM

I love it. It looks fabulous! I am not liking mine right now, I don't like the yarn I am using...I love your sweater!

Posted by: carolyn at April 1, 2005 2:38 PM

I love it ! bravo !

Posted by: karen at April 1, 2005 2:42 PM

I completely zoned out and skipped right over the caption to the picture, so I kept reading, expecting you to explain why you didn't like such a lovely sweater. And then I got to the end and was completely confused. But then I finally got a clue and reread the entry a little more carefully. The sweater looks great.

Posted by: Sydney at April 1, 2005 2:45 PM

That is gorgeous! The color is lovely and the fit wonderful!

Posted by: Kristi at April 1, 2005 3:01 PM

Very pretty, Alison! A classic!

Posted by: Mary Beth at April 1, 2005 3:16 PM

wow I thought it looked awesome on you.keep it.

Posted by: cara at April 1, 2005 3:17 PM

I love it. That's is a sweater that you will wear to death - remember to save some leftovers for mending!

Posted by: Julia at April 1, 2005 3:22 PM

WHOA that was speedy! It wasn't even that long ago that I was gazing longingly at that big pile of cashmere. This looks wonderful - I'm pretty much in your function over fancy form camp too, and this looks like just the thing - great sweater!!

Posted by: christina b. at April 1, 2005 3:35 PM

Congrats on a fabulous re-do! It looks wonderful and so comfortable (oooh, and soft, I bet)!!

Posted by: Vicki at April 1, 2005 3:45 PM

That is so pretty! Now you've made me want one too ;)

Posted by: Shana at April 1, 2005 4:22 PM

LOVE the sweater. It's great that you reused yarn, also. I wish I had the time/patience to knit at a smaller guage like you.

Posted by: D R E W at April 1, 2005 4:45 PM

Very nice. Very Alison.

Posted by: claudia at April 1, 2005 5:33 PM

The perfect Alison sweater! Of course, I had to read through your post twice before I got the joke. Just kept saying, "yeah, so...?"

Posted by: Dava at April 1, 2005 5:58 PM

It's beautiful Alison. It must be soooo soft. The colour looks great on you too

Posted by: Dani at April 1, 2005 6:09 PM

i love it. I need to finish mine!

Posted by: Peggy at April 1, 2005 6:39 PM

Oh, you're SO bad. I read that you hate it, and my heart just dropped! April Fool, indeed! ;)

It looks absolutely gorgeous on you, and I'll bet it feels like a million bucks!

Posted by: Kim at April 1, 2005 7:29 PM

Gorgeous, Alison!

Posted by: other alison at April 1, 2005 7:32 PM

Perfect! It looks wonderful and sounds like a pattern worthy of knitting more than once.

Posted by: Leigh at April 1, 2005 8:29 PM

alison, your hourglass sweater is fabulous! you've inspired me to start mine immediately =)

Posted by: parikha at April 1, 2005 10:10 PM

OMG, like others who have commented you totally fooled me. I kept looking at the sweater trying to figure out why on earth you "hate" it!!!

But boy is it pretty, and look at your happy little man!

Posted by: Jenny at April 1, 2005 10:57 PM

Sorry if I shocked anyone.! It seems like I say "I love it!" in every "just finished" post I write, so I thought it might be fun this time to say something else. It is just a joke though. I do love it!

Thanks for all your nice comments! This was such a fun little knit. And for anyone who's thinking about knitting one and is worried about all the "errors" that they've heard about, it's just a matter of proper marker placement in the raglan shaping. My motto with things like that is to go with what you already know. If you've done raglan shaping before, then just set the markers properly based on what you already know.

Posted by: alison at April 2, 2005 12:46 AM

Wow Alison it has such a wonderful shape and fit! How could you not love it indeed?! I missed that april fools comment under the first pick and kept thinking to myself as I read "but this is all good, SO good, where's the bad? how CAN there be any bad with all this good?". Great sweater!

Posted by: jo at April 2, 2005 1:55 AM

It looks great - good idea on the neckline too. I think I might have to try that on my next Hourglass.

Posted by: Mary at April 2, 2005 4:33 AM

That sweater looks awesome. I have noticed lately that some knitting designers are going for interesting design elements or really really feminine designs, instead of paying attention to what people would actually wear...that sweater is a keeper!

Posted by: Colleen at April 2, 2005 9:07 AM

Really gorgeous -- and it looks so great on you too!

Posted by: Lindsay at April 2, 2005 9:52 AM

The fit is PERFECT and I really like the revised boat neckline (good trick on your part)!

Posted by: leslie at April 2, 2005 9:59 AM

Your Hourglass turned out very well! Nice job.

Posted by: kelly at April 2, 2005 10:27 AM

Beautiful! I think I'll try that sweater come next fall.

Posted by: Jenn at April 2, 2005 11:46 AM

It's beautiful!! And now I am going to have to consider knitting it. I don't know if I am ready for a sweater, having just gotten back into knitting after a many-year hiatus, but I want to try!

Posted by: Eva at April 2, 2005 12:58 PM

wow, thats really gorgeous

Posted by: Anna at April 3, 2005 11:58 AM

Beautiful! Just beautiful! I love love love it! You've inspired me to go through some of my old sweaters and rip and reuse!

Posted by: marichan at April 3, 2005 4:33 PM

FABUlous Photo Finish! Your sweater turned out fantastic!

Thanks for the fun and frugal Knitalong!

Posted by: Bonne Marie at April 4, 2005 10:11 AM

wow! simply beautiful. very classic - lovely

Posted by: rebecca at April 4, 2005 11:30 AM

i like the simple neutral color, and the fit is perfect and very flattering :)

Posted by: mcfliege at April 4, 2005 11:50 AM

Fits you to a T! I'm going to go through my orphan sweaters one of these days so I can recycle too!

Posted by: Joy at April 6, 2005 3:54 AM

Wow! Your hourglass sweater is awesome - looks great! Quite a change from it's original "tunic" form - very smart to reuse the yarn!!

Posted by: Vicki at April 6, 2005 2:35 PM

Wow, this sweater is beautiful :-) [by the way: fixed mine, too :-)] Greetings from near Munich, Nicole

Posted by: Nicole at April 7, 2005 4:39 PM