Hello Darling. I finally did it. I knit Deodara, by Maria Olson, using Brown Sheep Serendipity Tweed. I have wanted to knit Deodara for a long time. I added this pattern to my Ravelry queue in 2015 and even started it at one point, only to realize that I was using the wrong yarn for the pattern. I completed the entire body and knew it would be gorgeous in the right yarn, so it was sent to the frog pond (and later became a gorgeous Felix cardigan). Fast forward 7 years, I bought a cotton/ wool blend yarn from Keri’s Ravelry destash and decided that it would be a great idea to turn Deodara into a short-sleeved Summer sweater.
Since it is a worsted weight yarn, the sweater knit up fast. But, because of school, it still took me a month to complete. I followed the body length instructions but modified the sleeve length to be capped short sleeves with a ribbed cuff. When the top was done, I tried it on and wasn’t 100% thrilled with it. The length was simply too short for my taste. I like sweaters of all kinds to go below the waistband of my bottoms. I know this, yet, I constantly try to ignore it. The hem of the sweater hit right at the top of the waistband of my jeans. I knew this garment would not be something I would wear often.
This meant that I needed to do something annoying, like ripping out the bind-off and ribbing so that I could lengthen the waist. There isn’t much that annoys me more than ripping out those particular things. Yes, I realize I could have cut it, lengthened it, and kitchener stitched it back on, but really, which is the worst of the two evils? I added about two more inches to the waist length and then knit ribbing and bound off. All in all, I didn’t add a huge amount, but it was just enough to ensure that I would want to wear it. I mean, what is the point of knitting something that you either won’t wear or want to gift to someone else?
So, after the slight body length modification, the sweater worked out great, and I wore it often all Summer. I like the pattern and think that it is very versatile for different yarns and seasons. The yarn was a little rough on my hands, as all plant fibers are, but it knit up very nicely and held its shape well. I believe I have almost a whole skein left, with no idea what to make with it. My tastes have changed since I added this pattern to my queue, so I don’t think I will knit it again. I now tend to lean away from fitted stockinette sweaters. I like my sweaters loose and plain, or fitted and textured. Because of the bubblegum pink and fuchsia color combination, I can’t wait to see if Feebs ends up wanting this top when she gets older.
Loves,
M
Mrs. Collins Makes Stuff 