FO: My Red Pearl!

As many of you know from watching the podcast, I have been working to modify a sweater by Carol Feller called the Dark Pearl. Carol is one of my favorite designers and the knitter who taught me to cable! So, I was psyched to find her pattern in the German knit shop and bring it home as a souvenir of sorts. Dark Pearl is a really unique and beautiful sweater: a work of art! But it’s not quite practical in terms of wear. I investigated many project pages and found that about 1/2 of the makers said that they either didn’t wear the finished garment or frogged it or gave it away. So, this got me thinking . . . I like to knit sweaters for a number of reasons, one of which is learning new techniques. This sweater had a lot to offer in this regard. But the other reason I knit sweaters is that I like to wear my sweaters–I run super cold and need the extra layer 🙂 I have a box full of garments that aren’t quite right for one reason or another and I didn’t want Dark Pearl to join those ranks. So, I let the shell of the sweater sit in its project bag for a few months while I knit up other samples and thought about what it wanted to become.

I measured, I looked for lace patterns, I swatched, and then, I cast on what would become the front panel. I decided on an Elfin Lace pattern from the KnerdyKnitters, a 3-stitch garter tab to match the other side that was already knit, and a bit of ribbing on the bottom. I knit and seamed and rippped! and re-knit the armhole . . . And thus, this asymmetrical sweater became symmetrical! Boom! I know it lost a little bit of it’s funky cool nature in this process, but damn if I don’t want to wear this all the time! It’s also knit in Titus, which is a 30% alpaca blended with 70 long wool–glorious halo and drape and weight. It’s light and so warm! And the lace panel in the front keeps the front panel from being too bulky and heavy! ❤ What do you think? And have you ever had a sweater you loved after modifying it like crazy?

Remember, I’m hosting a Modification KAL on the podcast and over in the knittingthestash Ravelry group for all of 2019! Come join us?