Well, this is embarrassing. I have been so busy with studying and finalizing my Master Thesis, that I haven’t posted a single thing for two months! (i.e. you can blame them, not me xD) Even though a new exam period is shortly coming up, I hope I will be able to post a bit more frequently. If only, I have been making (some) stuff and when I don’t write about them soon after, I forget!
So, today I will write about a sweater I made in December. The sweater is Halyard by Norah Gaughan and has quite the back story to it. First, it’s a very beautiful design, and even though simple, it is quite interesting to knit. The neck design is both enjoyable to make and unique. That’s what I wanted to make basically, as I have changed almost everything else! My mods include a shorter body, 1×1 ribbing on sleeves and a crochet border on the neckline. I also worked everything in the round up to the armholes. If I had actually read the whole pattern beforehand, I would have made everything in the round, as the seaming was a bit of a pain.
I am very pleased with the changes, as they worked as expected, and still produce a flattering result (more to my style) as the original. This design was quite the exception on my queue list, as it entered and left very fast. The reason for that, has to do with the project’s back story, and that’s basically it’s yarn’s story.
The yarn I used is Rowan Kid Classic, purchased in Belgium, and used previously on the La Gran dress. Yeap, I frogged the dress and decided to make a sweater instead. The pattern that fitted the bill at the time was Halyard. There is a reason why I decided so quickly on such a fresh design (at the time). Seeing the La Gran dress sitting there, not able to be used, was depressing. So I decided to fix this situation fast, and it was a good decision. Halyard was used quite a lot during this winter.
Reusing yarn on a different project is not a big deal, but the amazing thing about this case is that Halyard used up the exact amount of yarn as the dress! Not a meter more! And that includes the yarn used for the seams.That’s what I would call perfect recycling.
On another note, this project is also special because it’s the start of a trio of Norah Gaughan patterns I am currently knitting. This is a first for me, making more than a design from a sole designer, and especially at such a short time. I have already completed the second design, incidentally using the other yarn featured in this old post along with the Rowan Kid classic. I haven’t started the third design yet, as I can’t find where I have stashed the yarn I want to use for it (or just swatch for it)!
In the meantime I am knitting other stuff. And I am still working on a long haul project (= future design) that I started in 2013. It sometimes feels like it has no end! Argh! At least the rest of them finish a lot quicker and I can write about them. See you around soon!
