The Coat of Blue

In July 2012, I started knitting "The Coat of Many Colors" from the book Knit Swirl.  When I had originally got this book (for the birthday or Christmas prior), I thought I was going to make "Winter Waves" but upon reading all the detailed information about shapes and sizing I went with the "Coat of Many Colors" for it's slim/tapered arms and a more fitted body.

So with my pattern and yarn (Malabrigo Rios' in Azul Profundo) in hand I cast on those several hundred stitches.  That's right several hundred as this sweater is knit from the outer edge in as a HUGE circle and then binding off stitches for where the neck line will attach and then building the arms on up to the neck.  Sound confusing, well in type it is but in action it makes sense.  Plus the book has some awesome photographs to help you through the "huh?!" part of it.

The beauty of this sweater is that each channel is called a welt so if you put it down (as I did... several times) and pick it back up again you don't have to count all those stitches and then try to figure out which row you are on.  Just count the "welts" and then figure out which row within the welt you are on (there are only 5) and continue the directions for that welt!  Easy Peasy!

As I mentioned I put this sweater down a LOT.  I was pregnant with our second child and we had just moved into our new place.  Exhaustion got the best of me.... and probably all those stitches as in the beginning just one row took FOREVER to get through especially on those purl rows.  When V was born this sweater got put on a permanent back burner in favor of knitting up wee girlie things and this was also when I finally started really sewing.  I would dabble with this sweater here and there finishing a welt or two as the months trickled by only to stop when a heat wave rolled in (heat wave plus no a/c plus lots of wool on your lap equals very hot lady) or there was something cuter or more fun to do.

But in the Fall of 2013, my husband interviewed up in Washington and the possibility of moving became very real.  I decided this sucker needed to be finished BEFORE we moved as I needed a cute and stylish sweater to wear during those drizzly cold days.  Managed to meet my goal and finished it just after Christmas!

Now in the spirit of full disclosure, there is seaming to be done on this sweater.... one LONG seam.  The seam goes from arm to arm and include the attaching of the neckline to the drapey neck part.  I SUCK at seaming if you look at the big circle picture you can see all sort of spots where my seaming should have been better.  BUT this sweater is so comfortable i just don't look at the seaming and just put it on.  Once on, not even I notice and I'm fairly sure most people aren't going to come up to me and inspect it.

Now you may look back at older pictures of me and the kids and think, "Hey that's not sunny Cali!  "Well that would be because that possibility of moving became a reality.  We now live in a state with all of the seasons and all that green is our humongous front yard.  So glad I finished my sweater for days like today when I want to sit on the deck and just simply watch our kids play in the yard.

So if you have the will and the drive go make one too so that you can be all snuggly this fall (or maybe next fall if you are like me and get distracted by other fun projects).

Going to go turn on the fireplace now and curl up with my sweater, a book, and a cup of tea.  The weather is perfect for snuggling today.

--Viever