Cactus Blossom

I suppose when the designer of the sweater you just knit asks to see a modeled FO, you should oblige. I was going to anyway, but now I have extra reason!
Let's start with the stats:
Pattern: Cactus Blossom from Fall '07 Knitscene
Designer: Kate Jackson
Yarn: Body - Farmhouse Yarns Sweater Skein; Contrast - Noro Kureyon, colorway 70
Needles: KP options, size 8 and 4
Notes: This is a great, simple sweater. Since developing my current obsession with Fair isle and Stranding, I've been searching out patterns that fit my person style. I'm not so into the snowflakes and moose heads. What I love about this sweater is the geometric nature of the Fair isle. It is modern, yet classic. Very my style. I chose to make this as my "Saturday Sweater". You know, the big comfy sweater you throw on when you are chilly. The one you wear on the weekend all snuggled up on the couch, with a cup o' coffee, and your knitting. The one you wear until it absolutely dies 10 years from now, when you have to knit another Saturday Sweater to replace the pilled nightmare that was your last Saturday Sweater?! eh hem.
I'm really not that crazy. (often) Anyway, I didn't modify this sweater from the pattern, aside from the small error in stitch count I found in the yoke, and the shortening of the sleeves. If were to make it again, and wanted a more fitted sweater, I'd surely add some waist shaping. This sweater really wanted to be big and roomy, some sweaters don't.
In the process of knitting the Cactus, I got a lot of comments about the colors I was using together. Mostly about the fact that the commenter felt they "couldn't do all that colorwork". Listen up knitters! There isn't really that much colorwork! It is only TWO yarns to deal with! The noro does it all! Originally I started with a variegated yarn, as opposed to the noro color-changing. It looked just as cool. Really, two solids would be good too. You really can't go wrong here! The other comments were about my "bold choice" of color combinations. I know. It really is. I like the finished product, but I have to tell you, for a while there I thought I might be making the worlds ugliest sweater. I had major concerns about the tonal variegated colorway and the bright noro together. Turns out, Not so ugly. Go me!

Now people. Let's not judge my lack of "picture in the mirror" taking skills. It is not an easy art.

Yes that is the best one. Want to see the worst ones?

sigh.

Prickly

The Cactus sweater is progressing at a nice speed. I joined the sleeves and body, and got through ten rows of chart last night. I really like the way the Noro is knitting up with in the Farmhouse frame. I keep thinking that this sweater is either going to be gorgeous, or the "ugliest sweater ever". Let's hope for gorgeous.

I do need to e-mail Knitscene though. I've found an errata in the pattern. It could be because i am one of two people knitting this sweater, so no one else has come across the error yet. Or, maybe I farted up. I doubt it. I got all crazy with the math skillz, and did the math for a couple of sizes, and by all my estimations, my size was wrong. Off by 4 stitches. I did a little wizardry, some more math, found the error, knitted on my way, and lo and behold it worked! I have the right number of stitches, and a cool evenly decreasing yoke to show for it.

(grin)