NOTES

Some knit projects sneak up on you. This sweater top was just such a project.

Last year, I purchased a ridiculous amount of tomato red colored (colorway: Serrano) DK Swish yarn from Knit Picks to make my “Candy Cane Lane Sweater”. My sweater was primarily made up of white yarn. But I over bought my contrast color yarn after modifying the pattern, which was written as more of an afterthought than actual instructions for how to make a thing.

It was just under enough to make any sweater and just over enough to be forced to make several accessories in a color that is just not my red. My red is a delicious, classic, lipstick red that has a blue undertone but would never dare cross over into merlot.

Personal preferences for red are tricky that way.

Enter the Caturra - an odd top, with a center lace/cable pattern that I felt ambivalent about. The more I stared at the picture of the model wearing the sweater, though, tiny shifts in thought began to occur. First, it was the seed stitch. The more I stared at that inviting texture, gently draping the shoulders, the more intrigued I became by a stitch pattern that I hereto had seen as a bit of a chore. Second, my eyes kept dancing back to the center panel of lace and cables, bookended by the ever faithful stockinette battalion.

All the pattern’s key words pointed true north to the yarn that was at greatest risk of aging right along side me. Being regretfully carted from apartment to apartment, a reminder of how stashes can go terribly wrong. My pattern size called for 984 yards of yarn. I had roughly 62% of that amount. I wasn’t deterred. The sweater would be cropped, the sleeves so short as to be called “cap sleeves,” and any ribbing past the collar would require a magnifying glass.

MODIFICATIONS

• Collar - I used the Norwegian cast on. I find this cast on to be my preferred cast on for folded collars.

• Sleeve length - I made the sleeves cap sleeves for two reasons: (1) yarn management and (2) I tend to like shorter sleeves on DK weight sweaters.

• Short rows - There are no short rows included in this pattern, and I debated not adding them. I opted to add them after I had divided for the sleeves. I find that my body shape does not need very many, so I added about 4 rows of length to the back using the German short row method.

• Body length - This sweater is cropped and hits about 2” past my belly button. The yarn is superwash, and I expect that it will lengthen significantly after it is blocked.

• Ribbing - I modified the sleeves to have 5 rows of ribbing and the body to have 4 rows. I would have preferred that the body have at least 5 rows of ribbing, but I was dead set on doing an Italian bind off and couldn’t manage to squeeze out 1 more row of ribbing without running out of yarn.

RESOURCES

• Casting on Cable Cast on Underarm Stitches // Youtube

Final Thoughts

I hate yarn chicken with a passion and it shows in my stash.

This project was a surprise joy - even with some minor, lazy knitting imperfections. The pattern was the perfect fit for this yarn, and playing yarn chicken kept me maniacally focused on this project until completion. This sweater has earned its place as my official Christmas sweater for 2023.

I am happy with the final outcome and could see myself eyeing this pattern again should I fall in love with a DK yarn in the future.

There is, after all, a little more room in the stash.