Sorry to send so many of you off to get your eyes checked – I was really excited to have finished (including some steam blocking) and wanted to share but didn’t have time to goof around with the timer and all. Thanks for all your kinds words!
Here’s the sweater in action. (Ignore my red eyes. Me fixing red-eye results in eyes that look like bottomless pits. Trust me that the red-eye is better.)
Besides providing evidence of Chaos’ evil nature (the glow! the glow!), it should also give you a better idea of what a big cat he is. (He’s not fat, either.) This monster can handily fish things off the counter when he stands on his hind legs. But I digress. Back to the sweater…
It’s not easy to take a good photo of a black sweater that’s 50% silk – very reflective. What you can see in the picture below is that there were definite color differences between the skeins. It’s much less pronounced when I’m wearing it (and not being photographed). I didn’t knit from two skeins at once because that’s just such a drag to do when knitting in the round.
Pattern: Hourglass Sweater from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: Brooks Fiber Farm Four Play (50 silk/50 wool)
Modifications: As part of my training, I gathered advice from others who had knit the sweater (let us pause and give thanks for Google). Based on my research, I added some short rows to the back of the neck and am very pleased with the results – no sweater strangulation. I also decreased the size of the neck opening. I’m not a fan of bell sleeves, so I completely redid the sleeves. Finally, since I hate sewing (and with tips from Jeanne), I picked up and knitted in the hems and the neck – which meant that this sweater required very little finishing.
Thoughts on the Result: I love this sweater! I already wore it to work today. Circular swatch notwithstanding, my gauge on the body was a little loose while my gauge on the sleeves was a little tight (my average gauge was perfect!). My sweater fits more loosely than many other Hourglass Sweaters I’ve seen, but I think it’s still very flattering.
Thoughts on the Knitting Olympic Experience: If I planned and prepped for all my major projects like I did for this one, I’m sure I’d have a lot more knitting success stories. I was also very surprised at how quickly I knit this. Had I truly applied myself, I would’ve been done last weekend. Because I apparently don’t have a good grasp of my knitting speed and skill, I didn’t select a sufficiently challenging project. That said, I think I’d rather be in the “pleasantly surprised” boat than in the “oh oh, I think we’re sinking!” boat.
If you’re wondering what those blobs are at the bottom of the picture… That’s my leftover yarn. I originally had five skeins. I purchased two extra skeins, just in case… and I so didn’t need them. Of the seven skeins, I have three full skeins remaining (plus that little bit on the right). So, just to finish off my Stashalong aspirations in fine fashion, I headed over and joined the Rockin’ Socks Club. Sorry, Kim…
I love the sweater!!! Chaos is huge! I had no idea he was so huge!!
LOVE the Sweater – and I was going to suggest you use the left over yarn to knit a matching sweater for Choas – but now that I see the size of him, I’m not sure you’d have enough!
The sweater looks great and Chaos is h-u-g-e. Love his glowing eyes. (Yes, Chaos, master. I. will. send. tuna.)
good thing cricket and chaos aren’t in competition – cricket is tiny (only 8 pounds!) but she’s the biggest bully on the block – it’d definitely be quite a contest!
luckily, since they’re pen-pals instead, it all works out. 🙂
sweater looks great!
Congratulations, it’s a sweater! And a wonderful-looking one at that! 50% silk, how did I miss that before? Wow!
The neck and edges look great too! I love seeing the finishing on projects — since I fear that stage immensely ;o)
Chaos picture: LOL He is big! I showed J the picture, and he made me take a ‘catfish’ picture too, like yours ;o), to show how big Willow has gotten.
Congrats on finishing the sweater! I think it looks great on you. Love those green glowing eyes. LOL!
The sweater looks perfect! It looks like Chaos is trying to get away from your grasp – those hind legs straight out, claws ready for something, anything, to dig into…
Too cute!
Love the sweater. Chaos must be pleased that you chose the same color as him.
Congrats Chris! It looks wonderful! I’m eyeing that Brooks Farm Four Play yarn for a project later in the year. 🙂
Oh, the sweater is lovely, and since I have a little bit of Brooks Farm Four Play in my stash, I can imagine how soft and gorgeous it must feel! A wonderful choice of yarn for a simply elegant sweater.
That cat is frighteningly HUGE!!! 😉
The sweater looks so much better when it’s in focus. Chaos is pretty big. I hope you can afford to keep him in tuna.
beautiful! you definitely desevre gold!
Congrats! I just love those glowing Chaos eyes!
That sweater is gorgeous and so is the cat. That’s a big one to be able to stand up and touch things on the counter. Wow!
Great knitting!
Um, I’m not sure which is worse, the blur or the glow. Make him stop, please!! It looks absolutely FABULOUS on you. Now that I can see it IS you and not some body double!
Hourglass looks lovely on you! I love your kitty. He looks like one of my kitties, only she really is fat.
Just like everyone else, I love the glowing eyes! What a great Halloween cat. 🙂 And the fact that you knit a matching sweater…hehehe.
Seriously – love the sweater – that’s SO up my alley. Great job!
Definitely a gold medal for you. It’s gorgeous. I think it’s a perfect fit but then I don’t particularly like clingy stuff 😉
Oh, wow — he’s huge and your sweater is gorgeous.
And here’s a thought: pretend it was Tuesday ehwn you joined the STR club. You’re allowed to buy yarn on Tuesdays, aren’t you? Or once a month or something? Or you could say it was a gift…
I signed up too, so I want company!
congrats on finishing! 🙂 did you know that cats’ eyes are lined with reflective material so they can see good at night? that’s the eerie green glow…but I like to think my kitty is actually a robot.
I love your sweater. You did a really nice job.
He’s scaring me – turn him off!! Looks even better not blurry. Can’t wait to see it in person some time. It’ll look nice with a big gold medal on it !! Congrats; you’ve earned it.
i love your sweater! It looks great.
Chaos is huge. Now that’s a big kitty.
I love the sweater! It’s on my list of things to knit one day. 🙂 Great job on your Olympic knitting.
Gwen
Great job! Maybe you needed less yarn because you knit a lot of Chaos’ fur into the sweater??
The sweater is fabulous! Sorry to see you go from the StashAlong. I can’t believe you confessed! I’m still holding out…just a little longer;-)
Congratulations 🙂 what a great feeling!
I too am considering the Socks that Rock club ****CV
Gorgeous sweater!
And since you haven’t received your STR yet, have you really broken the stashalong vow? Maybe there’s some wiggle room here.
The sweater looks great – congrats! Maybe if I would have been paying closer attention to your blog, it wouldn’t have taken me until stitches west to realize how great all the yarns from Brooks Farm are!
The sweater looks good! I can’t tell it’s from two blacks. Maybe because of your Gou’ald cat?
I love it!!!! congratulations Chris!!!
Noice sweater! We have gold gold gold at SOC!
Chaos is big! It is hard to tell until you have something to judge his size by.
That’s a gorgeous sweater. I wondered how long it would be before your resolve broke and you joined the Rockin’ Socks Club. He he. I think socks are becoming addictive!
The Hourglass Sweater is gorgeous. I think a loose fit is far more flattering to most people anyhow.
I really need a basic black sweater . . .
Yea! Looks great, Chris! What lovely yarn – I bet it feels so soft 😉 Although the neckline is much wider on my Hourglass, it is quickly become a favorite sweater because of its comfort. I think you will wear yours often – it is so versatile!
Have a fun weekend!
Wow Chris, it looks great!
And yeah, you really do have a serious case of red-eye in this pic, don’t you? LOL!
The sweater looks great, and I can just imagine how beautiful the Brooks Farm yarn is in person. Chaos is…. huge! I hadn’t realized that either.
Love that sweater, it really suits you. Congrats on getting the gold!
And, wow, isn’t Chaos a big cat!
It looks great. Good for you to modify it to how you want it. I love my Hourglass, it is one of the best sweater patterns out there in my opinion.
You did it! Yay!!! I’m so proud! Gold medal!!!!!
I can’t believe how big Chaos is! He is twice as big as Bella, although I’m sure that she could scare him with her viciousness………
That’s a great picture!
Enjoy your weekend without the stress of Olympic knitting!
Gorgeous! Love the black yarn! Great job. 🙂
That is a beautiful sweater… I have some alpaca/wool/silk that is crying for a pattern, I think I just found it!!!
Chaos is one huge mamma jamma of a kitty… Great name! I have one named Entropy for the same reason 🙂
It looks great – very flattering. The short rows are a great idea. If I make another one, I’ll definitely try that.
Congratulations on your “gold medal” finish, Chris! and good god, Chaos is huge!
His eyes are quite something…after just glancing at the picture I have a strange feline voice in my head saying over and over “send tuna…you must send tuna NOW..” 😉
i think my cat Veebs could give Chaos a run for his money, as far is girth goes. We should have a contest.
Congratulations on your gold! That looks like a sweater that you will wear a lot…And it will hide Chaos fur – an added bonus!
Hey~The sock yarn ships the THIRD week. You can still be ok until then!
Well, I don’t think the yarn you bought to finish your sweater would count against you(as it goes with the exceptions noted earlier) and the STR thing is a subscription–there are a few Stashalongers who have subscriptions to the Rowan and Debbie Bliss clubs. I even thought about joining the STR club–they don’t even start shipping until the middle of March, I’m not sure how long it would take to arrive. If you want out, you can be 🙂 I’ll still be popping by to keep up with Chaos’ adventures(and yours too!) Happy knitting!
By the way, your sweater looks great! The shaping is really flattering 🙂
It’s beautiful! I like the narrower neckline much better than in the original. Congratulations on finishing in time!