Knitting: In Stillness sweater.

Finally. That's about all I can say for this sweater. I started knitting it on January 24th, planning on finishing it soon enough to wear before the weather got too warm. I finally finished it a couple of weeks ago. (And for the last month or so, all that was left was 6 inches of sleeve and the neckband.) This sweater was very simple and it's not that I ran into problems or didn't enjoy knitting it...I'm not sure why I just couldn't get motivated to finish it.

{Ironically, I finished it up as soon as it started getting really hot. For some weird reason, I do most of my sweater knitting during the summer. Example: my favorite sweater, from last summer. I hate hot weather, so maybe it's due to wishful thinking and anticipating fall?}

I picked out this yarn for Christmas a couple of years ago, planning on using it for this pattern (which I still want to knit eventually, but in a more neutral color). It's basic, inexpensive wool: KnitPicks Wool of the Andes, in the colorway brass heather. This is my fourth sweater from this yarn, and while it's not the best, it's a decent sweater yarn. Very inexpensive (a wool sweater for $40 or less), a bit fuzzy and rustic (so the inevitable pilling is less noticeable), and only vaguely scratchy, unless you're very sensitive. The small skeins can be a pain, but I always spit splice this yarn with sweaters so there are minimal ends to weave in.

Eventually I realized I needed a simple pullover more than a fancy cropped cardigan, so I decided to use the yarn for the In Stillness pattern. It's just a basic raglan sleeve pullover, with a bit of texture at the neck. I had to go down a needle size to (mostly) get gauge, and remembering the disaster that was my first sweater (which was also a seamless, top down, raglan sleeve pullover), I knit a size smaller than my measurements called for. Thankfully that worked out! I left out the body increases, though maybe I shouldn't have because I'm pear-shaped and the sweater is visibly snugger around my hips than it is anywhere else. I also made a few other tiny changes, which are mentioned on my project page.

The sleeves are a bit baggy below the elbow and I probably could have knitted the body an inch or so longer, but overall I'm really happy with how this sweater turned out. I know I'll wear it a lot this fall and winter.

Ravelry project page.