Friday, June 20, 2014

I'm done with Relax(ing).

Sigh.  It's true - there's a lot going on around here at the moment, so I've had much less crafting time than usual, and even less time to write about crafting.  But I did manage last weekend to finish the Relax sweater I'd been working on for two months.  And I love it!  It was cool this morning when I went out to do the grocery shopping, so I took the opportunity to put it on:


I wrote a lot about the knitting details in this post, so I won't go over it all again.  But just as a quick recap:  in order to get the knitted fabric I liked, I had to go down from the recommended 3.6mm needle to a 3mm.  Of course, that threw off my gauge, but I still stuck with the size XS.  So instead of a finished bust measurement of 55" I have a closer fit of 50.5", and I'm very happy with it.



One of my favorite details of this design is the row of eyelets going up the sides:


I did make a couple tiny changes to the construction:  the entire sweater was knit in the round to the armhole, then front and back were split and knit flat.  The shoulder shaping is done with short rows.  On my back piece, I worked 2 extra rows of stockinette stitch after the short rows before doing the three-needle bind-off, in an effort to give myself a tiny forward-shoulder adjustment.  I do think it helped a bit with how the sweater sits on my shoulders.


A shape like this is perfect with slim jeans, but I also really like it over a maxi dress:


(And for the shoe-curious:  here are my sandals, several years old, from Boden.  Also, please to note my leopard-print accents on my big toes.)


Here are some flat shots of the sweater;  sadly the weather heated up so as I write this I'm back in a t-shirt!  The crazy wide shape:


That nifty row of eyelets:


After the eyelets are finished, there are a few rows of paired increases to widen the sweater at the bust.


I chose to steam the heck out of my collar to get it to roll less.  I also knit it a few rows longer than the pattern recommended, to bring the neckline in a bit.


And here's that three-needle bind-off at the shoulder:


All in all, a very lovely pattern once I got the fabric worked out.  I would certainly knit this again.  I ended up using less yarn than recommended - 1097 yards rather than the 1260 listed.  I would probably make the sleeve opening a few rows longer - these sleeves are quite close-fitting on me, although not uncomfortable.  But you know I have bigger arms.

Anybody tempted by this pattern?


48 comments:

  1. DROOL! I love this!

    Ooh I miss knitting. I have to take a real break though. Like maybe 6 months to allow my hand to heal. Booooo!

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    1. Thanks, Nakisha! I feel so sorry for you that you can't knit. But it's definitely best to heal first before giving it another go. At least you have sewing!

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    2. Exactly! Thank goodness for sewing!

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  2. This is gorgeous on you! I really like the style.

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  3. I love this pattern, and yours turned out beautifully!

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    1. Thanks, Shivani! I wasn't sure I'd like something so oversized, but I really love it!

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  4. Beautiful color! And I love the toes!!

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  5. You look terrific in this! What a lovely colour on you. And very slouchy-chic.

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    1. Thank you! I wish you could see this yarn in person - my camera came close, but didn't quite capture the aquamarine gorgeousness of it, nor the sheen from the silk. It was worth the wait (i.e. the long amount of time this was a WIP)!

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  6. Not tempted by this as I don't do oversized (yet!!), but it looks great on you! I was about to email you actually cos I was thinking I hadn't seen you around for a while! :)
    The mint colour is to die for. I need me some of that... and paired with the coral skirt it's beautiful. Love your clever mods and think they really worked out for you :)

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    1. Not to worry - just have lots of chores to get through :-) And slightly faltering sewjo and writing mojo. Knitting is so much slower that it takes a while to have anything to post about!

      I'm glad I made myself finish this sweater before buying any more of Linda's yarns. All her colors are just so gorgeous! But I'm sure I will be purchasing more from her in the future!

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  7. Gorgeous! The color is beautiful, and I agree those eyelets are the best detail. :)

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    1. Thanks, Marrie! I think this sweater is so understated, but it has some great little details, like the eyelets and the mock rib hems.

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  8. So I was going to say it is gorgeous, stunning colour, nice shape...and then I realised you KNITTED it. Wow! Times two what I was thinking in the first place. My knitting never took off, but the experience makes me appreciate knitters immensely!

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    1. Hahaha! Thank you! It would have been pretty sad if it took me two months to sew this, LOL!

      Knitting has taken a back seat to sewing for the last year or so, but lately all I really want to do is knit. Just in time for the 100 degree weather!!

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  9. That's a beautiful sweater. I think I'd like one in a cozy charcoal grey to make summer maxi dresses wearable into the fall.

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    1. Thanks, Cari! I've seen stripey versions too and have been daydreaming about making one of those . . .

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  10. Wow, this is lovely! It really looks nice on you!

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  11. Lovely sweater! I like this kind of oversized sillhouette but you are right, not too oversized is better! The colour is beautiful and the drape is gorgeous, changing the needles was a good idea :)

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    1. Thanks, Erin! I would like to try it again in the full-size, but I'm really happy with how this one worked out.

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  12. Wonderful sweater. Love how you paired it up in these shots. My kids would love your polish and leopard accents.

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    1. Thanks, Stef! The leopard is super easy to do - just uses a toothpick or other tool for dotting! You and the girls should take a look at the Sally Hansen website - there are lots of nail art tutorials!

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  13. It looks amazing, beautiful work. Hope your sewjo comes back soon - you always make such lovely things!

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  14. this is gorgeous! you know i'm on board with the over-sized tops and skinny jeans. someday (maybe even soon if i can stop blowing all the $$ on fabric... ha!) i'll be able to tackle a sweater. actually, i recently bought a sweater knit to use for the hemlock tee as a lightweight cover up, basically the same shape as your sweater here. anyways, love the sweater and the color is great!

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    1. Thanks! Yes - I kept thinking to myself as I was knitting this that I was actually knitting a Hemlock, LOL! I guess if it works, it works!

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  15. Beautiful! I've admired this style for a while now, I still can't work out if it would suit me, but it looks great on you.

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  16. You and the sweater look terrific!
    -- stashdragon

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  17. Just beautiful! Gail this is just lovely, it looks fabulous styled both ways. What a gorgeous sweater.

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    1. Thanks, Jillian! I seem to be all about the big, floppy clothes lately!

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  18. The sweater looks really great!! I love the color and relaxed fit, and it really does look good with everything!

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  19. Oh yes, totally tempted. Two months? Oh you put me to shame. I've been working on a sleeveless cardigan since January (bottom up) and I've not even got to the armholes yet!

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    1. Hehehe - you better get cracking! I haven't been able to knit as much as I used to, but lately it seems to be all I want to do!

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  20. The color is beautiful on you! It looks so cozy and the eyelets are my favorite part, too. I'm not able to knit because my hands lock up :( but I love seeing what everyone else is making!

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    1. Thanks, Linda! And thanks again for the inspiration and the gorgeous yarn!

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  22. Gail, your Relax sweater turned out beautifully! I really love the versatility of this sweater. Also, I like that you didn't incorporate as much ease as the pattern suggested. It looks perfectly drapey in your photos. Great job!

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  23. I love this sweater (I may just have to add it to my never ending queue). I would not have thought to pair it with a maxi skirt, but I have to say that is my favourite look out of the two you've shown us, and of course, your toes!

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    1. I would totally make this again, even in the original gauge, if I could find a yarn that would make that possible. It's perfect idiot knitting, which seems to be my preference these days!

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  24. Hi! I am currently knitting this and am super confused about knitting the front... I have knitted everything from bottom up and now beginning on working up the front. However, I am confused about the instructions in general T.T

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    1. I did not knit mine in pieces; I knit it in the round, so my construction will be different from yours. However, there are more construction notes in the post I linked to in the text.

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    2. Thank you so much for replying! I have also knitted this in the round. I am however, confused about the instructions for knitting the front after finishing the increases. Thank you!

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    3. I'm sorry, I'm not able to dig this out at the moment to see what the pattern says. I remember knitting straight for a few inches after the increases and then starting the shoulder slope. There are lots of this project listed on Ravelry - perhaps another knitter has taken more complete notes.

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