Knitting from the top down

Ok, I've really neglected my blog over the summer months. Looking after and entertaining my little nephews, working on a festival then going on a short holiday pretty much took all my time away. On top of that, the latest projects I'd been working on all required a second pair of hands in the photography department. Anyway, the fact remains, I have loads of catching up to do!

So let's start with one of my least recent projects that hasn't had its time in the spotlight yet! About two years or so ago, a friend showed me a knitting pattern from the book "Fitted knits" and I'd been dreaming about that pattern ever since. A quick email to my friend earlier this year allowed me to track the book, buy it and thus get my hands on the coveted pattern.

The novelty for me is that this project is knitted from the top down - for the non-knitters, sweaters are traditionally knitted from the bottom up. My favourite aspect of the project though is that it's knitted on circular needles and requires a minimal amounts of stitching, which is the part I like the least about knitting a garment. One more advantage is that it's knitted on large needles so it's pretty quick to knit.

Before starting the project, I made the wise decision to look on Ravelry to see what fellow knitters had amended/improved on the pattern. This led me to the decision of shortening the "wraps" and thank god I did because I still find them very long the way they are!

I really like the end result. I used a Sirdar Silky Look yarn which gives it a luxurious feel and kind of complements the romantic look the garment. If you were interested in it, the pattern is called "Airy wrap around sweater" and features in the above mentioned book.