…also known as the Pinup Queen sweater in Stitch n Bitch. I made (and botched) this sweater years ago as my very first sweater attempt, so I thought I would reprise that and see if I could knit up a sweater I’d actually enjoy.

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Pattern: Pinup Queen Sweater by Annie Modesitt
Source: Stitch n’ Bitch (edited by Debbie Stoller)
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Angora in 021 Turquoise
Needles: Sizes 5 and 6 (one down from suggested size)
Started: 6/19/06
Finished: 11/10/06
…
The final verdict? I like it. It’s extremely comfortable and extremely soft & warm - wonderful today on a day that’s got a high of 34 degrees -and for the most part the fit is flattering. My only complaint is that the sweater is a little more boobalicious than I expected it to be. I’m not sure I’ve got the cleavage to pull off this kind of sweater! I may crochet along the neckline to give it a little less oomph. Modesty aside, though, it’s wonderful.

In other knitting news, I’m trucking along on the Hourglass Sweater from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts:

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This is the first substantial project I’ve done in a Noro yarn (this is Noro Cash Iroha) and for all the controversy surrounding this particular yarn and its alleged cashmere count, despite all the reasons Cash Iroha gives me to not love it, I have to admit that it’s really nice. I’m not head over heels in love with the color - it’s nice enough but doesn’t have the vibrancy I associate with Noro - and it is NOT a delight to deal with the two to three knots in every 91 yard skein. I’m surprised to find those sorts of shenanigans in such expensive yarn.  But all that said, it’s a delight to have in your hands, and I’m pretty sure it’s going to make a really nice sweater.   It came from a great swap with another really nice Knittyboarder - thanks Trill!
I’ll close with two pictures of yarns I’ve spun up from the British Wool Mania collection.  The brown is Manx Loaghtan, navajo plied.  I love the way the lighter tips give it a heathered, tweedy effect.  I can’t wait to try to card a colored fleece like this with nepps to make a really strong tweed.

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The grey is Gotland curls, in a very unruly and energized singles.  I had to work hard to get it to look this way - which is amusing because it looks like my very first attempts at yarn barf!  If I had it to do over again, I would likely comb it out completey instead of using the fluff and floof method.  But it was a fun experiment…
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I’m off to spin and knit some more - my goal is to finish the Hourglass sweater as quickly as possible, then hit the home stretch with the dreaded Argyle of Doom.  Wish me luck! And next time you hear from me, I’ll tell you about this:

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