In 2018 I found a box that had been set aside for 18 years. Inside the box was an unfinished sweater. My first sweater. I began the project when I was young and fearless.
I had finished reading Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Opinionated Knitter and Knitting Without Tears as well as Maggie Righetti’s Knitting in Plain English. So I was ready to conquer my first experience knitting a sweater. I chose Cathy Payson‘s Broken Ribs and Bobbles sweater from Interweave Knits. I decided to modify a few details such as changing drop shoulders to set-in sleeves and a folded over neckline.
Then Life intervened and the box was set aside, forgotten, maybe even lost a little between moves. Then it was found again with all of my copious notes and drawings. It was a joy to find, like a long-lost friend. I found that the fearlessness was still there, too. I finished it quickly after that and I wear it frequently It is much loved.
After all that time it is My First (finished) Sweater. I had other sweaters waiting in the limelight that were almost finished but this one had to be first.

Mods:

1. Set-in cap sleeves in place of the drop sleeves so the armhole & neck shaping had to be recalculated
2. Different neck band; no bobbles; I knit the band twice as tall knitting several 1 x 1 rib rows then purling so that I could fold it over and bind off with Kitchener stitch
3. Made sleeves larger and longer as in the next size up (size 45)

I thankfully kept copious notes.

12/31/19- I have been wearing this almost nonstop; there is barely any pilling!!

1/10/23- I found 2 teeny pills, that’s all !!!

2/24/23- After constant wear since this sweater left the blocking mats, there continues to be barely any pilling! One cuff had begun to fray though and the other cuff definitely teetered on the precipice of to fray or not fray.
So I cut back the cuffs and added some new garter stitch rows with the leftovers that were carefully saved in deep stash.
Excited to wear this again
RUN, don’t walk, to get some of this hard wearing yarn.