Mr Greenjeans in Red--Finished

Mr Greenjeans in Red--Visible
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I finished this on Sunday, but didn't have a good photo until today--I had to go into blinding sunlight to get the sweater to show up--a consequence of choosing dark yarn, I guess!

I wore the outfit in the picture to work yesterday and got many compliments, including the dreaded, "Wow, that looks store-bought!"

So, for this version of Mr. Greenjeans, I used Cascade 220 hand painted in very dark reds and black. I love the way this yarn doesn't pool much at all (just one little spot on an arm) and how pleasant it was to knit with some high quality worsted-weight wool for a change (I tend to use "interesting" yarns like bamboo, hemp, microfiber, etc., just so "see how they do" and sometimes that is good and sometimes not). It is very warm and cozy, too.

Things I did on this one include:

* Knitting it one size up, because I wanted more ease, for wear with thicker things under it--I think it can serve as a jacket through much of our Texas "winter."
* Lengthening the arms so that my wrists are covered (because I will use this for warmth). Of course, I am petite, so this would not be a full-length sleeve for many people!
* Did just cables on the sleeves. I am not sure why I did this, but it looks nice.
* Decreased more quickly than the instructions asked me to (due to short arms).
* Lengthened the rib and cable section, so it comes down to a more aesthetically pleasing area of my back end.

I didn't need the short rows all the busty women are adding to theirs, since, as you can see, I don't really fill the sweater out.

Blocking really helped. It made the bottom part a bit flatter, so it is just right, and it made the button band/collar edge lie very flat and nice. Blocking did, however, widen the whole thing. I read on Ravelry that this happened with someone else, too. I still think the fit is good for me, so I don't mind at all.

I will continue to read this blog to see what lovely finished sweaters you all come up with, so please post!