I wear this like it is my job.
If only I could be paid for wearing something I made that I love. I could just knit this sweater on repeat and make a mint, along with a rather beautiful and profitable wardrobe!
The Shifty sweater came on the scene…when? Early 2019?
I started knitting it when I got a case of pneumonia. Knocked down and mot capable of doing much was where I found myself. For someone who hiked rain or shine without missing a day since arriving in Kodiak, I knew I would lose my mind if I didn't get the perfect thing on my needles right away.
Before this, I hadn't used Spincycle Yarns and was unfamiliar with why there was such a crazed following for the yarn.
Let me confirm: the hyped-up knitters are sharing the gospel.
I coupled Ghost Ranch with a lighter weight handspun gifted to me by my dear friend Pat and knit my way back to health. I started the sweater on April 24th and wore it for the first time, after a good soak and block, on June 11th. There were a lot of fitful sleeps and dr. visits within that timeline. There was also a short row section right out the gate that I ripped back no less than 3 times. It was user error. The user of the pattern. ME. I should not have tried to knit that portion—-or any portion—while exhausted by coughing bouts. Which I was, and did, so I had to re-do it more than once. Also, the sleeeeeves! I had planned to knit them to just below the elbows (and did) for some reason, took a bajillion times longer than the body…
Want to make it? Here is what I think you should know.
The pattern is lovely. It is well written and has a lot of pages. It is laid out nicely in easy to read font. To get going, I don't think you need to print all of them, just the one with the chart. And after about 3 repeats of that chart, you should have a rhythm down and not even need it anymore.
You will want to take a few minutes and read the pattern, so you understand what you'll be doing, an overview of sorts. You will need to have your e-version nearby for cast on numbers and short row specifics, but I found myself not referring to the pattern at all once I got going. I wrote out a reminder sticky note of which rounds increases were worked and the number between each increase stitch and stuck that on the print out of the chart.
Definitely swatch in the round.
I swatch. I like this part of knitting, as to me, it is part of the project. Just as sewing up pieces, weaving in ends, and soaking and blocking wrap up your work, swatching gets you off to the best start.
Make the swatch and then make any adjustments.
Embrace suggestions.
After reading reviews by knitters who worked this pattern before me, I went with the measurements for a negative ease fit. Many knitters suggested this idea, as well as test knitters who worked alongside the designer.
But I did switch things up a bit…
You can be successful on your own as long as you know what you are doing.
Even if you don't plan to make any adjustments to the pattern, you need to swatch. After I got the correct gauge, I found the fabric I created was a bit denser than I imagined my sweater to be. I wanted a fluid, swingy drape. Since I'm the boss of my knitting, I was going to make a few changes.
According to the re-swatch that gave me the fabric I wanted, my numbers/gauge/projected size were close. Still, my finished measurements were going to be off taking this route. Noticeably. Knitting sweaters is not playing horseshoes, so close isn't the measure of success. I had to work a few numbers and split the differences between sizes. It wasn't hard. I came up with an in-between size count and adjusted from there.
I worked the body as a cropped version, which is ideally suited to my frame and style. I am short and weirdly layer everything. I layer under and over and between. I am a layering machine. Year-round.
Cropped was what my wardrobe needed.
A word about sleeves.
I worked the sleeves in tandem from the same ball in an effective, but not typical, way.
I would work a few rounds on sleeve one, break yarn, do a wet/felted join into the tail of yarn from sleeve 2, and knit.
I found this to break up the length of color blends more akin with the thinner bands on the body. The arms still have wider color bands, but not nearly as wide as they were before I ripped out the previous way and started to use this.
And though it sounds like a bit of extra work, it really was not.
Keep in mind working this way wraps up those stays on sleeve island at once. You don't finish one sleeve and then spend time contemplating how the sweater would look as a one-sleeved version. I have considered that option so many times simply to avoid Sleeve #2.
This is my favorite moment wearing this sweater, 4 July 2019 with my BFF
Final thoughts….
This sweater was a delightful companion as I recovered and had to stay in bed. The yarns I used not only complimented each other but were quite special to me. (keep in mind I only used 2 colors as opposed to the suggested 4 the pattern followed) I love rubbing the big and small bumps of handspun yarn along the sweater, thinking of a special friend sharing a most special gift. I also thoroughly enjoyed each stitch of the playfully spun Spincyle Yarn. Ghost Ranch has such a run of lovely colors twisted within in it, and I absolutely can not recommend it enough.
This sweater is such a wardrobe staple that I cast on a second version (this time in Noro), but it is taking a lot longer to complete. I am keeping notes and will share them once done. It is entirely different from this version!
You can see me wearing it on the beach in this video post. I am also wearing it in the woods for this video post. I honestly wear this like it is a uniform.
And I love it.