In good news

I have an interview set up in mid-August for a company at which I would actually be doing research, so things aren't all doom and gloom. Yet.

Also: the Candlelight Halter pattern is up now at This Is Knit! Yay! Please have a look, and if you knit it, please please let me know how it goes. My feelings about feedback apply to knitting as well as job interviews.

And in more good news:


Silk Garden scoop neck pullover
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden, colour 84, 5 skeins; ribbing in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, 1 skein
Needles: 4.5 mm bamboo Pony straights; 3.5 mm Addi Turbos for the ribbing
Pattern: my own

Notes: This was a sweater of many firsts for me, the most notable being steeking. I'm happy to report that it worked out fine. The stitches seem to be in no danger of unraveling past the first sewn line of defense. I'm pretty happy with how it all came out. The fit is good, and it turns out I can wear all those colours together. While it was blocking, I thought maybe I'd want the scoop neck deeper, but now that I'm wearing it, it seems at just the right height.


Also: the sleeve length turned out well. I used my Standard Operating Procedure for when I don't have enough yarn: I cast on provisionally and knit the sleeve caps first, then I pick up from the cast on and knit down. I do both sleeves at the same time, one from either end of the skein, and just go until I run out of yarn. This way, I use up all my yarn and both sleeves end up the same length.

Some words on the yarns I used. This was my first time working with Noro yarn, and I fully admit that the accolades it gets for the colours are justified. The colours are gorgeous. However. I'm not sure I would work with the self-striping Noro yarns again. I don't like not being able to control the colours! In fact, at some points, when the muddy browns started coming out of the skein, I cut them out. I know I was short on yarn anyway, but I just hated that colour.
The Cashmerino looks okay in the photos, but in real life, it doesn't stand up well to the Silk Garden. It's not the colour- that's alright. But the silk content of the Silk Garden makes the colours bright, vibrant, lively. Compared to that, the Cashmerino looks flat and dull. I think, if I were to do it again, I'd definitely choose a yarn with some silk or bamboo content- something that would stand up better against the Silk Garden.

All in all, a success, I think. I washed the whole thing in baby shampoo, and it softened enough that it feels fine against my skin. It helps that the points that rub- sleeve hems and neckline- are in soft Cashmerino, but the Silk Garden should soften more and more.