Feeling Sheltered (the Sweater)

I wrote a little about Sheltered last week, and I’ve been wearing it almost constantly, because it’s winter, I’m cold, and I love this knit! So I thought it deserved its own blog.

This pattern is essentially a poncho, but clever Andrea Mowry seamed a few stitches under the arms, making it a swancho, the new construction that’s taking the knitting world by storm. I think they’re cute, how about you?

Here are a few examples of swanchos that I love:

That Wisteria swancho is especially dreamy. I may have to knit it, and it’s a free pattern! I’m not a bobble-hater, so I think I would enjoy this one.

One of the reasons I love Sheltered is because it’s written to have a ton of ease. I knitted the medium, so as I get smaller, the poncho will continue to fit. In the photo below, Andrea is also wearing a medium, but hers has 31 inches of positive ease. I can only hope to get as small as Andrea, so I think my Sheltered will stand the test of time!

 

Some projects say they look good on all body types, but Sheltered really does. I do have some advice for potential Shelter knitters, though: Take a look at the finished objects in the Ravelry gallery. Many look too large to me, and that’s why I decided on the medium. At some point mine will be looser, but I wanted it to look like it fit me, not like it was dwarfing me.

This is an issue for us shorties, and I battle it all the time. I like tunic length tops, because they hide all the “bad stuff,” but they can also add to the dumpiness, so I try to choose shorter lengths that cover just what I want them to, and aren’t too large otherwise. These can be hard to find, which is why I spend a fortune at J.Jill.

In my knitting, I stay away from tunics, simply because I don’t want to knit that much on one sweater—or use that much yarn—and I won’t get the drape I like unless I use fingering-weight yarn. I don’t have all the time in the world to knit a sweater, so no thanks!

Sheltered is perfect for me—not too long, not too wide (yet), and worsted-weight! I used Shepherd’s Wool Worsted from Stonehedge Fiber Mill, in the color chocolate milk. It’s a gray-brown that goes with everything. I can’t emphasize how much I LOVE this yarn. It’s wonderful to knit with, has great stitch definition, is affordable, and comes in a bunch of great colors. Highly recommended!

Andrea incorporated several interesting techniques into Sheltered (did I mention her cleverness?!), which was really fun. There are faux seams, the slipped stitch that runs up the front (and back), and a textural twisted stitch on the top of the sweater. Here’s a closeup of the details:

I didn’t say it was a GOOD closeup picture. Sorry about that—I hope you can see the stitches. You can see where the stitch pattern changes from stockinette to twisted-stitch stockinette, though. The twisted pattern is knit through the back loop on the right side and purled on the wrong side (thanks Andrea, purling through the back loop is a pain in the butt!).

The diagonal seams are created by slipping stitches with yarn in front, but the real inventiveness is the straight seam across the top. Those stitches are bound off and then picked up through the back loop. So the “seam” you’re seeing is the front loop of the bind off. CLEVER! I learn something new from Andrea every time I knit one of her patterns. Love her.

Now about that screw up noted in the top right of the photo. I have to be honest—I don’t remember exactly what I did wrong, but I think I went a row too far before binding off. I do remember thinking that it was no big deal, and I still don’t think it’s the end of the world. You can’t tell unless you get really close, and who’s going to be getting that close to the boob area?

I didn’t make the same mistake on the back, so that’s a smoother transition. People can get as close to the back as they want to!

So that’s my journey through Sheltered. I know Andrea named it for the yarn she designed it with, but I really feel so cozy in this piece, and yes, sheltered. I’m writing this blog on vacation in warm Arizona, but the polar vortex is going on right now, and we have family in Cincinnati who are literally sheltering from the storm. One of them is a knitter, and I know she’s hunkered down with her needles clicking.

Cheers,

 

Giveaway!

I have one full skein of Shepherd’s Wool left, plus a ball that’s a bit less than half a skein. Leave a comment, and I’ll put you in a pool to win it! It’s enough to knit a hat, mittens, or ??? So tell me what’s up with you, and you might wind up with a little something to add to your stash!