Finished Project

Finished Project: Kate's Newbold Turtleneck

Hooray! Another F.O.! I actually finished this sweater back in October, and even tried to take pictures on the last morning of Camp Workroom Social, but I was looking a little haggard by the end of the weekend. (Sewing jeans in two days is no joke..also, I may have had a wee bit too much fun at the Gala our final evening!) I happened to be wearing it yesterday and the weather was glorious, so Courtney and I snuck out after lunch for a quick photoshoot.

It is rare that I knit something more than once, never mind in the exact same colors, but I cast on this sweater for myself as soon as I finished the Newbold sample for our Lucky Collection shoot because I loved it that much. Luckily (har de har), it knit up quickly and the colorwork portion is super fun to knit - and was even more enjoyable the 2nd time around when I didn’t have to fret about math and sizing!

I knit the 2nd size (40” finished bust) as written, except I shortened the body by 2” as I have basically no torso, and I added a turtleneck because my hard core turtleneck phase is still going strong. To make the turtleneck more fitted than as written, I decreased a few extra stitches prior to working the final chart repeat in order to obtain a 20” finished circumference.

The woolen spun Lucky Tweed makes for a super soft, light, and warm sweater. Although we’ve had a very mild winter - and not a speck of snow - it has been cold enough for layers, and I have worn it weekly this fall and winter. But wait, there’s more! Check out those jeans! JEANS, people! I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that I made my own jeans. There is a reason why jeans are considered a “holy grail” sewing project (oh boy the topstitching...so. much. topstitching) but the end result and effort is beyond worth it. The experience of making them at Camp Workroom Social was amazing, and the Claryville Jeans pattern was perfect. Lauren Taylor was the instructor for the class, assisted by Kelli from True Bias and Gabriela from Chalk and Notch, and they were the perfect balance of encouraging, patient, and supportive. (Don’t tell Lauren, but I definitely ripped out and re-did some of my topstitching, even though we had very clear instructions not to, considering the limited hours we had.) The pattern fits great, and I’ve since made a black pair that also get a ton of use, and am thrilled to know I never have to buy RTW jeans ever again!