Friends, I think I've found the perfect sweater. That is, if having finished it last Wednesday and hardly taking it off since then is any indication. I happened to see a dear friend three days in a row in that stretch, and on the third day - with me once again wearing this sweater, I saw the look on her face - amusement and love and understanding (she's a knitter too). "Yeah," I said " so I kinda LOVE this sweater!"
The funny thing is - it's been on my needles for nearly a year. It was just about this time last year that Carrie Bostick Hoge submitted it to us for the pages of the fall (2014) Taproot issue, MEND. Just the very moment it came in, it immediately made the rounds of all the knitters on our team (which is most of us), and my order for yarn was placed within hours. I cruised ahead on it, and was excited to have it ready to wear for fall. And then, I don't know....a weird but totally normal knitting thing happened and it got put to the back burner. Or rather, in a project bag, in the bottom of a basket full of works in progress project bags. I kept intending to get back to it. And I kept seeing other people's finished barn sweaters and being excited for my own. But it wasn't until last week that I picked it back up again....and cruised on through to the finish line.
I was skeptical of the reverse stockinette stitch, fearful I would just feel (and look) like I was wearing my sweater inside out. But no, I love the stitch on this sweater. The whole fit just feels perfect, and the sleeve length so practical for actually working with my hands. And pockets! I'm glad I went with the Owl yarn - my first time using it. The pattern is found in MEND, and also now available from Carrie directly.
I think Shalom is the only other (adult) sweater that I've knit more than once. But I have a feeling there might be another barn sweater in my future. It's a good one.
