Miette

I am so proud of this make. I mean: I knitted a sweater!!

I had always wanted to knit, and had learned, but never got past the stage of the scarf. I was convinced that I did not have the skills and/or knowledge to knit something more intricate, which was what i actually wanted to knit. Scarves are a little boring (no offence to all of you who like knitting scarves)... I was also quite jealous of the skills of knitters, and of what they could accomplish. And in thruth, I really loved the idea of sitting in front of the tv, with a cup of tea and knitting. Mysigt (that's cozy in Swedish...).

So I just dived in. Ignored the fact I knew very little about knitting, signed up on Ravelry, downloaded the Miette pattern (which I have seen so many lovely versions of, including Lauren's, who was very inspirational to me in her approach to knitting...) and bought yarn. Then I just starting knitting, following the pattern and looking up Youtube and my Craftsy class Knit Lab, which was fabulous by the way, when I stumbled on something I didn't know.

And I knitted a cardigan! It's not perfect, but nobody will ever know, and I LOVE it! I wore it to work, and nobody asked me the dreaded question "Did you make that?". I hate that question. Makes me feel like it is obvious I made the garment, and that it shows in the poor quality. Now, I do think that I make nice things, and I pay attention to the finishes, but maybe others see my makes with a different eye. Well, maybe it's something I need to learn to take as a compliment?

Now I'm totally hooked to knitting and I ordered new knitting needles and accessories. And I bought yarn for my next two projects, a beanie for my boyfriend and the Chuck sweater for myself. Oh my, cables.

Detail of the lace pattern. It's most visible at the bottom. 

Close-up of the button band and collar band. The buttons are mother-of-pearl in a creamy color.

My labels. I had them printed, so they are unique (well, all 200 of mine). The text and drawing are actually woven, so am really pleased with the quality of these. I sew in one in every garment I make!

Project details:
Pattern: Miette, by Andi Satterlund
Yarn: Drops Alpaca, 8 skeins
Knitted on 5mm circular bamboo needles and 5mm double-pointed bamboo needles.
Link to my Ravelry notes.