Knitting Fail

So I'd been working on the Agathe Pullover recently, and was all excited to finish it at the cottage over our 2nd wedding anniversary. When I finished the body (but not the sleeves), I tried it on, and......

Fail.

Lesson learned: Face up to the reality of the schematic information. The schematic clearly shows that it's an A-line sweater, and it clearly showed that it was going to be big on me. I thought I could just subtract 20 stitches from the cast on and all would be well. I was so, so wrong. it's still huge around the middle, and snug across the bust.

Second lesson learned: I thought this was a boatneck, because it was tagged as a boatneck on Ravelry pattern info page. And it's pretty believable- the photos on the project page is indeed a boatneck. However, a quick look at the schematic shows that it's a crew neck, and further pattern reading indicates the model is wearing a sweater that is several sizes bigger than what she'd probably normally wear. Again, should've taken that schematic more seriously. The designer had all the accurate information out there, and I chose to imagine an alternate knitting reality.

Third lesson learned: I suck at jogless stripes. Like, really suck. I've read several articles, watched several tutorials, and mine look terrible. I was doing the stationary slipped stitch method. Anyone have a moron-proof jogless stripe technique?

What absolutely kills me is that I was so excited about this sweater. I love the colours, I love the yarn, and I want to love this sweater so badly. I had visions of it being the classic striped boatneck sweater, the perfect thing for me to wear regardless of trends for years to come. So I'm crushed. I haven't frogged it yet, but I don't know what else to do. Ripping the whole thing out and starting over is so depressing. The only other possibility I can think of is to frog to below the bust and add more room in there, and make it a slouchy, sort of oversized sweater. And, of course, make it a boatneck.

Update: Rose Armwarmers and Agathe

I knew that if I asked my fellow knitters out there, you'd have awesome solutions to the problem of the rose armwarmers! I was absolutely bowled over by all the awesome suggestions, links to patterns with similar charts, etc. I can see now that I'll probably have to do some swatching with the colourwork charts, to see what will work- a big chart can only be scaled down so much when using fingering weight. I'm so excited to start them in the fall! As soon as I come back form England in September, I'm going to get started on them right away.

So. remember when I was trying to decide on the colourway for my Agathe pullover? And you all got to vote? Well, the yarn arrived, and I've swatched!  I don't think like it. Well, it's okay. Maybe it'll grow on me?

I got another colour, just in case:

 what do you think?

FO: Athyrie

Pattern: Athyrie

Yarn: Mirasol Nuna in 'Royal Purple"

Needles: 3.5 mm (US 4)

Mods: Eliminated two of the hexagon repeats, as I was concerned that the silk in the yarn would already yield a much longer garment, post-blocking.

Notes: I fell in love with this pattern, and I have a soft spot for convertible items of clothing and accessories (perfect for travelling!) but this was just a bit off the mark. Some of it was the pattern being a bit too general in it's sizing, and some of it was my fault. The 'my fault' part: buttons. I was so excited to use a bunch of the vintage shell buttons I had, but I find that the results a bit too much of a gypsy sort of look. Not that it's bad (it isn't) but it's not my style. I wish I had gone for more subtle, nearly invisible, buttons.


The pattern: the sizing is waaaaay to big for my arms (the photos hide how flappy the sleeves are. I don't understand why fit issues never seem to show up in the photos- I swear it's not all in my head!). I understand that the width is meant to give it the option of being a wrap, but I don't think it then converts easily into a shrug for those with skinny toothpick arms. If I were to make this again (and I very well might, I love the idea of it so much) I would eliminate about 15-20 stitches of the stockinette in the middle.I also would probably eliminate another 2 hexagon repeats, so that it could still be worn as a vest (see the Flickr photos for better shots of when worn  as a vest) but with less fabric volume.

Otherwise, this was a fun knit. It's a good thing that I'm determined to give lots of knitted gifts this year! I believe this lovely thing will go to someone who fits it better.

Also, I never gave an update on the  Agathe colour combo voting!! Option 3 won out, but not by much. And there were some excellent suggestions about possibly mixing it up based on some of the colours in that post- using pink stripes in with the black or brown, for example. So- I've placed my order for  option 3 colours, and when they arrive I'll begin watching!!

Obsessing Over Agathe

In my ongoing love of all things St. Denis, I'm obsessing over my next target from the latest issue of the magazine- the Agathe Pullover.

(photo filched from St. Denis magazine, issue 2)

I love everything about it. The simple silhouette. The stripes. The way it looks fabulous with jeans, on the beach, in the sunshine. I tend to really love classic wardrobe staples, and this sweater is hitting all the buttons. I think this would be a lovely, Zen knit... full of stockinette and some stripes to keep it interesting. Except.... have you seen the colour options for St. Denis Nordique?! I can't bloody decide! These are the colour combos I'm looking at so far: 

So... each row of three is a potential combo that I like. The first colour in the row represents the main sweater colour, while the other two would be the contrasting stripes.  I like the idea of a pop of colour, but I tend to gravitate towards neutrals; they suit my lifestyle (and me, and my wardrobe).I'm leaning towards the top two, but I'm not sure if I have the combo right. What do you all think? I could use some advice.