Goin For Da Gold!

Howdy peeps! Tonight, I completed Angelica, my Knitting Olympics project! I finished a sweater in only 2 weeks. Unfreakinbelievable! I'm goin for the gold!



Pattern: Glampyre's Angelica, available at HipKnits
Yarn: 6 1/2 balls (approx 700 yards) Plymouth Suri Merino (50% merino, 50% alpaca), color 2174
Needles: Susan Bates Quicksilver, size 8 and size 6 for keyhole trim
Start: Olympic Opening Ceremonies - 2/10/2006
Finish: 2/24/06
Modifications:
- 4 decrease rows in the "bust darts" instead of 6 to make up for my lack of waist!
- additional plain rows to add length
- added 4 increase rows before beginning hip shaping
- added 3 inches to sleeve length

The story of the yarn
My SIL bought me 5 balls of different boucle yarn for Christmas. She's not a knitter, so although the thought was there...the yarn was not my style. She also lives in Delaware, so I had to drive 3 hours to the LYS she purchased the yarn from to exchange it! Furry and I drove down one afternoon in December when we were off from work. We left our apartment around 2 pm...and got to the store at 5:15...they close at 5! Luckily a phone call was all it took to keep them open a few extra minutes, so I didn't have too much time for browsing. I picked the first soft, relatively inexpensive yarn I could find...Plymouth Suri Merino was $6 for 110 yards.


I think this yarn was a bit too thin for this pattern. The gague was pretty close with the recommended size 8 needles, but the stitches are not as crisp and firm as I would have wanted, like Illanna's or Bronxie's. But, the yarn is soft, and warm, so I will get a ton of wear out of this one!

Keyhole:
My row gague was off a bit, so instead of 2o rows/4", i came in at 23 rows/4". This made for a slightly smaller keyhole, which is fine by me because I don't have to wear something under the sweater!


Have a great night - we're off to visit friends in Massachusetts tomorrow!