Spector Sweater #jojifallkal2019

I've joined in with plenty of sewing challenges and sewalongs but this was my first knit a long. Knitting takes much longer than sewing so it's a real commitment. Luckily Joji's fall knit a long ran for a whole three months, giving me just enough time to complete the sweater project I had in mind. There were hundreds of people signed up this year, with different chatter threads for different types of projects on Ravelry. There were plenty of knitters who managed multiple projects which astounded me! 

Yarns

Part of what attracted me to the pattern was the use of different colours. I already had a skein of Norah George yarn that I knew I wanted to have at the top of a jumper (Daisy colourway on a MCN base). I also had a skein of Coop Knits sock yearn in a lovely green so set about trying to find two other colours to bridge the gap from one to the other. I ended up with a skein of Qing Fibre merino single in the Rosemary colourway, followed by Meadowyarn Rig sock yarn in the Dragonese colourway. When the skeins are laid out next to each other they look like they will work well together. However, having knit the jumper now, I would say that I'm not thrilled with the overall result and have learned lessons about combining colours in this way. The Rosemary and Hunter Green yarns are solid colours, which makes them stand out more when they aren't fading from one to another colour. To get a more blended look, I would make sure that all the yarns used are as variegated as the Dragonese. I think that would give a much sleeker look. I think what I have is okay, but there's a definite shift in the middle and the final green colour looks a bit unusual from after its fade to the ribbing. If I had simply progressed to ribbing I also wouldn't have needed to buy an extra skein of Coop Knits (they come in 50g measures).

The pattern calls for one skein of each. Actual yardage used:
Colour 1: 83g
Colour 2: 68g
Colour 3: 77g
Colour 4: 52g

Pattern and Instructions

All of Joji's patterns were reduced in advance of the kal so I picked up this sweater as well as a wrap and a pair of socks...I knew full well that I wouldn't be knitting all these patterns in the fall kal but it seemed a good opportunity to get patterns that I had my eye on anyway.

In the pdf download, the instruction booklet has plenty of colour photographs, which I always find helpful as a reference point. When I'm coming across something new I like to be able to look at the photographs to see what it's meant to look like in the end.

There is a lot of purling to start with and ribbing throughout the project. Luckily there comes a point where you can turn the work inside out and knit more than purl...otherwise I just wouldn't have made this! I really like the way the neckline is constructed and think it sits very nicely when it's on. Once you get past the decorative stitches on the yoke, it's a pretty straightforward pattern to repeat, with colour changes coming along every now and again that maintain some interest. It does leave you a lot of ends to weave in though!



The only part of the pattern that I wasn't overwhelmed with was when it came to picking up stitches and knitting the sleeves. Mine didn't look very tidy and I had to do some patching up when I was weaving in ends to get a good finish. I also blocked it to the measurements specified for my size, but preferred the fit that I had before blocking!

I was pretty monogamous on this as I really wanted to finish it in time for the kal (it ran from 1 September to 30 November). I did get it done but was starting to get a bit fed up of it by the end! I think my next sweater project will be in a heavier weight yarn to see if that makes a difference in terms of how I stick with it.

I would recommend this pattern because I really like the stitch definition at the top but it isn't very beginner friendly, and yarn choice will make a big difference.