July 24 - Finished and it fits perfectly! Instead of sewing the pocket linings, I crocheted the edges - makes for a very neat finish. All ends woven in, now to blocking. Used just over 7 skeins.

July 22 - Less than an inch to go and I’m done! This has been a challenge to work on in this blazing heat.

March 16 - Sleeves are finished - this sweater fits beautifully through the shoulders and the sleeves are exactly the right width and length. Love it!

Feb 4 - With other things out of the way, I’ve picked this up again and am making speedy progress: first sleeve almost done.

August 18 - It’s now officially too damned hot to knit this sweater and since I’m finished with the yoke it’s a perfect time to move this to the back-burner while I take up something much cooler to knit - Hessian Boot Socks in a nice smooth wool. (The Lace Weekend socks I’ve been working on have also been shelved for the time being - wooly wool makes for sweaty fingers - not my favourite knitting experience!)

These pics are obviously pre-blocking but you get the idea of how nice this pattern is. Even DH said “that’s a beautiful sweater”.

Pattern super easy - only major skill required is the ability to read the instructions before diving in and training yourself to get used to the fact that this sweater is primarily worked in REVERSE stocking stitch. My old brain is so used to standard stocking stitch that for the first few rows, I kept getting confused about which was the right side. D’oh! But once I figured that out, it’s been smooth sailing. Pay close attention on the set-up row and when you’re attaching the collar edges. If you go real slow at the beginning and just trust the instructions, you’ll have success.

Also, remember to work your M1’s purlwise on the RS (reverse stocking st side) and knitwise on the WS (stocking st side). Otherwise, your increases at the raglan and side “seams” will look weird. And we don’t want that.

I predict this will be my go-to sweater this coming fall and winter. Perfect for chilly days and nights!

Got this yarn for cheap from Elann - it knits perfectly to gauge on 4.0 mm needles. My only disappointment is that although the colour is called Purple Heart, it’s more blue than purple. The swatch photo looks brighter than IRL but either way, it looks awesome with denim.