Details

Pattern:

Strathcona Sweater by Tara-Lynn Morrison

Yarn:

Rowan Big Wool, a super bulky 100% merino wool yarn.

Cost:

Pattern: I paid 🇨🇦 $ 7.80 which was £4.77 at the time (last Nov). I notice it has gone up a little since then.

Yarn: 4 balls bought in a Sale at a yarn shop when we were on holiday last November for £19.50! This usually costs around £9-10 per ball.

Total (excluding labour): £24.27! Bargain!

I had to buy some 15mm (US19) needles to make it, but they can be used again so I haven’t included in the total cost. I bought KnitPro Symphony interchangeable, as I have lots of their cords and this made it great for switching between knitting the body and arms.

Timeline:

Started – Tuesday 10th November 2020

Finished – Friday 13th November 2020

I meant to count how many hours! If you had confidence in your yarn length this could easily be done in a weekend.

Pattern summary

Link to Ravelry Page

Well this pattern is very easy and very quick! I made only a couple of modifications. I made the neck shorter and increased the yoke one more repeat than the pattern…to compensate for this I picked up 2 less stitches on the arms and on the below the arms increases I did one less increase – so that my arm and body stitch count matched the pattern. I ran out of yarn early so think the patterns yarn length is for the smaller size. I did 21 rows stocking stitch from the point of splitting for the arms on both the sleeves and the body. I managed to do the 4 rows of rib on the sleeves but only managed 2 on the bottom and when I cast off I had 2” left!

I showed my husband and he said ‘It’s a bit short’. It is supposed to be cropped. It will be ideal for when I am felting stuff at home as the shorter sleeves won’t get wet.

Yarn Summary

I have some mittens I made a year or more ago in another colour of the Rowan Big Wool so I know it copes well with use. It is a little scratchier than the WYS Re:treat yarn I used for my Turtle Dove, so I knit less rows on the collar so it wasn’t on my neck. (Talking of Turtle Dove I wear it almost every day!)

The pattern has lots of suggestions for other yarns including Wool and the Gang – Crazy Sexy Wool, Malabrigo – Rasta and Drops – Eskimo. If I make I again I will treat myself to some gorgeously coloured Malabrigo Rasta….it is soooo pretty and it looks great when you have a nosey at others’ project pages on Ravelry. But I’m more tempted to make a 2nd Turtle Dove and have ordered yarn for it….🤦🏻‍♀️

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