I’m over the moon for this sweater. It was killing me not to wear it sooner because I love it so much, but I am strict about getting photos before creations leave the house. It makes me so happy to start the week in this sweater, Element by Kirsten Johnstone. The main color is malachite in Hazel Knits Artisan Sock, and the sleeves are a Party of Five kit in Snapdragon by Sweet Georgia yarns.

I used about 2.5 skeins of Artisan Sock and a little over half of the kit in the Snapdragon colorway. The rainbow sleeve idea came about because I have a Still Light in a very similar green, and I wanted a little more variety in my wardrobe. This style lends itself to some fun and casual elements.

I did add several inches to this sweater, making it about 18 inches in the front before I divided for the front and back. It grew a little more than that with blocking. This is all superwash yarn. I did not wet block before casting on, but I always count on a little growth as I’ve worked with superwash yarns for large garments before. Sometimes there is even a bit of a panicky moment when blocking in which the item seems like it will be much too large to add to the drama! The sleeves could be about an inch shorter (they grew about that much), but all in all I’m very satisfied with the fit.

The pattern is well written, easy to follow, and has few flaws. One definite change I made was to use a three needle bind off for the shoulders rather than the suggested kitchener stitch to finish them. Binding them off and seaming them with mattress stitch would have been preferable too. This is a large garment that needs support. A kitchener stitch in that spot would not provide support and would decrease the longevity of the garment. I don’t have any problem with an extra seam. I love that this pattern has set-in sleeves. I find them to be the most attractive, flattering, and well-fitting of any sleeve configuration.

I’m not sure what my next big project will be. I think I might have to do a couple of kid knits for quick sweater fixes. This sweater knitting was interrupted by several pairs of socks along the way, but it went quickly due to a larger gauge.

I see a strand of yarn I need to trim in my picture…

Happy knitting!

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