Begging for it

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Recipe:
1 bag of really nice fleece, beautifully processed
+
A sweater pattern I really liked.
+
Some actually careful sampling and spinning.
+
Enthusiasm, skill, experience and intelligence
=
Well. You would think it would be a sweater, but apparently, not so much.

Two weeks ago I went into Lettuce Knit on a knit night, and saw a pattern that I loved, and resolved to knit it up out of handspun, right that minute.
(Warning the first. Snap decisions are always high risk.)

I looked at the pattern, noted the yarn that it was knit from, turned around to the yarn shelf, and took a skein of the yarn it called for down, and examined it carefully.  It was chunky, two plies, cushy and gorgeous.  I took note of how thick it was, what it looked like… the whole thing. Then I replaced it, bought the pattern book and came home.
(Warning the second. I discussed this plan with no-one. Public plans are less likely to fail.)

Being someone who likes to get things done, I straightaway snagged the bag of fleece and started spinning, and for one of the first times in my spinning career, I was really careful and sampled the yarn out to get it to match.  I even looked at the pattern, then looked at the yarn online to remind myself what it looked like.  I tried a yarn, rejected it and tried again until I had one I thought was right.  Then I washed it, and tried again… I adjusted the wheel, checked resources to make sure I was doing it right.  Dudes, I did everything, and when I was finished, that was a badass yarn.  Bang on. It was perfect and light and smooshy and to the best of my recollection,  I had totally nailed the yarn in the store.  It was a proud spinning moment for me.  I kept going and spun up four more skeins, just short of what I needed for the sweater. I put the skeins out in the sunshine to dry after I washed them, and I took about 28376 pictures of them and gave them a smug pat and a loyal and proud squeeze of happiness every time that I went by. 

(Warning the third: Smug pride is almost always punished by the wool gods.)

Last Wednesday, when knit night rolled around again, I resisted the urge to take all of the new yarn to Lettuce Knit for the purposes of showing it off, and forced myself to just take a single skein, tucking it in my bag and cycling off.  When I got there, I showed it to anyone who would look. (Special thanks to Andrea for pretending to be really interested.)  I squeezed it some more and explained to anyone who would listen (thanks again Andrea) how I’d engineered it. I said a lot of things like "I love this yarn" and "This yarn couldn’t be more perfect" and "I can’t wait to cast this on."
(Warning the fourth:  Happiness. Enough said.)

With that public display of glee and satisfaction, I walked over to the original yarn to prove just how perfect it was. I took a skein of it off the shelf and held it next to my skein.  "Perfect!" I happily exclaimed to Dr. Steph, and she concurred. Everyone did.  My attempt to match a commercial yarn had been successful to the max.  It was a thrilling moment, and one that made me feel really good about myself as a spinner.  I stood there, holding the two yarns and feeling the warm glow of accomplishment flow over me, until Denny said….
(Warning the fifth. Denny has an opinion)

"That’s the wrong yarn." 

"What?" I said, not really understanding what she was saying. I mean, I’m holding the yarn I was trying to match… it matches… how is it wrong?
"The sweater" she says, "it’s knit out of Cuzco, not Peruvia Quick. That’s the wrong yarn."
"Where’s that yarn?" I managed to stammer out, the world starting to go a little acid green around the edges.
"There’s a skein in the bin" she said, and I staggered over to the bin, pulled the skein of Cuzco out, and just about collapsed.  Way different. Way. Like… not going to work sort of different, and I sat down hard.  Bugger. I know how it happened too.  The pattern book spotlights both yarns, and at the top of the pattern page it lists both – and I didn’t read far enough down to see which it was recommending while I was in the store.  I saw Peruvia Quick in the book and on the shelf, and I went for it.  By the time I was home and writing a blog entry about it days later, when I saw the pattern took Cuzco it didn’t register that I didn’t have that in my hand at the store… or maybe I thought they were interchangable or, well. Who knows.  It was a mistake.

I didn’t let on how shattered I was there, and I sort of held out hope that maybe it would work out anyway.. but I swatched it up yesterday and there’s no chance.

These two yarns are just too different.  I need 15 stitches to 10cm, and I’m getting 12.5 – and I toyed around with maybe knitting a smaller size and seeing if the sweater would just magically come out my size, but that sort of pattern voodoo seldom works, and I like this yarn too much to make something that isn’t awesome. So with that, I’m open to suggestions.

Anybody have a fantastic sweater idea for several skeins of a handspun that’s an awesome match for Peruvia Quick? (The frontrunner right now is the Drops 103-1 that Dr. Steph just finished, but I’m open.)

212 thoughts on “Begging for it”

  2. I love the Drops jacket Dr. Steph just finished, it’s been in my queue for a while. I say go for it!

  5. That is an awesome pattern!!! And your yarn is wonderful!! I think you should combine the two!!! You’d look wonderful/sexy/maahvelous/glorious/fibery/warm!! Just DO it!!

  8. These things are always a blow to the heart. But after the moment is over remember…
    this means *two* awesome sweaters!
    Good luck with your search!

  9. Oh man, that’s so lame!! I have no advice, only commiseration. That really sucks. Go have a glass of wine and some really good chocolate. You deserve it.

  10. You’ve just provided my belly laugh for the day! I thought I was the only knitter who did stuff like that LOL.
    Love the alternate pattern selection though.

  12. That’s a bummer! There is one free sweater pattern for Peruvia Quick on Berroco’s website. It’s a cropped cardigan, somewhat similar to the Drops one.
    Good luck with the new hunt. The pattern posse will come through for you, I’m sure.

  16. Aw, I’m so sorry. This sounds exactly like something I would do. I can feel your disappointment through the screen. I hope you find a killer pattern for your lovely yarn!

  18. Seconding (or maybe thirding by now) Owls. It might be worthwhile to go on Ravelry and see what people have made from Peruvia Quick…
    …and, if this isn’t too painful to contemplate: how close a match was the first sample you spun to Cuzco?

  19. Good pattern choice for YOUR yarn.
    Total bummer about the other problem.
    In your defense (and boy do you need one), you DID accomplish what you set out to do.
    Sigh.
    The Universe is a perverse and snarky b__tch from time to time isn’t it?

  20. I recently saw the Calluna Cardigan from Knitpicks and think it’s lovely. The Sweet Pea coat and Lorelei from Twist Collective also might match what you’re looking for. Oh, and there’s always the minimalist cardigan, which would be perfect for showing off a lofty, squishy, lovely handspun.

  23. I, too, have been known to run away with things without looking all the way through. Sometimes reading just gets in the way of imagining how wonderful the project will be when it’s done. I’m great at visualizing. And buying the yarn to match the visions.
    My point is: don’t feel bad. We’ll say no more about this.

  24. Drops 103-1, definitely. It’s in my queue. As soon as I saw the yarn you made and its description, and before you even mentioned that pattern, I thought “Oh that Drops jacket that I want to make – that would be perfect.”
    But I’m queueing that other Berroco pattern. That is adorable.

  25. Poor Steph! But Peruvia Quick is a great yarn, and there has to be some advantage to having figured out how to make it for yourself.

  27. Congratulate yourself on totally gorgeous hand spun and wait until the perfect pattern comes along… you know it will eventually! All that work was not in vain AND you accomplished something difficult – spinning to order for a particular pattern… even if it did turn out to be the wrong one. Many good things coming out of this experience, I’m thinking!

  28. Oh Steph –
    So sorry to hear this story! Looks like gorgeous yarn, though.
    As for the Cosima pattern… I tried a shop-model on last spring, made in the Cuzco yarn. It looked great on me (so said my mother…), but I just wasn’t sure that the design made sense… Warm alpaca/wool yarn, but really open at the neck. I’d be afraid my arms would roast while my chest froze!
    Best of luck!

  29. The pattern that is selling the Peruvia Quick is the Nimbus, free on the Berroco website, but I think given your recent blanket with endless garter, a sweater with endless stockinett is not a good idea. The Drops one would give you a bit of fun along the way.

  31. Sad. But your yarn is lovely!
    Like others have suggested, Owls by Kate Davies, I think would look great.
    But I also think that the Sweet Pea Coat by Kate Gilbert, would be awesome too.
    Maybe even Vivian by Ysolda Teague?
    Anyway, whatever you make will look awesome, because it’s fab yarn.

  34. I went out and found that Cosima pattern after the last time you blogged about it. Am now making a careful not to purchase the correct yarn for it when the time rolls around.
    I’m so sorry that your beautifully spun yarn won’t work for this sweater.

  37. That’s the sort of thing that would happen to me, Mr. Careful Planner. I am careful because I know I’m always forgetting SOMETHING.

  39. I’m so sorry for your loss. To be snatched apart like that, so quickly, before you’d had a chance to really get to know each other, well it’s just cruel isn’t it?
    Send the yarn to stash for a year or three until you’ve had chance to grieve.

  41. Well, you did want to reduce the stash a bit before the fall sheep shows, right? So you’ll spin some more yarn for the sweater you want, and use that yarn (and it really is gorgeous!) for another sweater. Not sure how much yarn you have, but all of the recommendations above would be divine.

  42. Oh you poor thing. But the yarn is really pretty. I like the drops jacket but I think you should just take a little rest and lick your wounds before you decide. It will all be there tomorrow and, I’m certain, has a very gorgeous future!

  43. Wing it. Make that sweater that you want with your yarn. Just look at the picture, measure and find your gauge and all that, and make it up. You can do it.

  44. This post is especially funny and ironic in light of today’s Calendar page: “…knitting looks totally humorless until somebody (who isn’t you) knits a sweater with sleeves that don’t match.” Or spins the wrong yarn.

  45. Yeah, that jacket is drool-worthy. I want to make one, too.
    But I also wonder if that lovely handspun is (just perhaps) crying for something with some cables…the hoodie vest from the latest Knitscene maybe?

  47. Noooooo!!! I hate it when that kind of thing happens – it always leaves me wondering to which knitting goddess I forgot to pour out a libation.
    I love the Drops sweater, and Owls is maybe my favorite thing ever.

  49. I knit the drops jacket and LOVE it. It’s probably one of my most worn knits. So I definitely support you knitting that. Good luck!

  50. I like the Drops pattern. I think it will be very warm for the Canadian winters. It has a similar shape to the Berroco pattern, though the neckline is very different and it’s a heavier sweater.
    I know it’s disappointing, but you can be proud of the work you did and how fantastic your handspun turned out. That is incredible skill. Misdirected, but amazing nonetheless.

  52. I’m so sorry. I know words of sympathy really can’t get you anywhere. But I audinly purred when I saw the Drops 103-1. I say go for it and if you don’t like it, I’ll take it! ;}

  53. September 23 – Today your calendar says “Knitting can be funny, if it isn’t happening to you”
    Well, my dear, spinning is totally funny today (since it isn’t me)!
    I feel your pain but I still can’t stop laughing. Please excuse me while I go wipe the laughing tears out of my eyes and settle myself down.

  55. What marvelous experience spinning bulky yarn! (Ducks and runs for cover lest I be shunned for undue cheerfulness in a public forum.)

  57. I’m surprised you even want to look at the stuff, let alone knit with it! If it were me it’d be hidden at the back of a cupboard, never to see the light of day for at least a few years!

  59. Ouch, that hurts. However, I’ve knitted the Drops pattern twice(duckicanuck on Ravelry) and would knit it again (and I just might for my sister). Gorgeous pattern, quick knit and very satisfying to wear. Can you tell I’m impatient for it to be cool enough to wear it again?

  61. aww man! and this coming off of the coffee stained mitten?!
    the yarn reminds me of cascade eco wool which i find to be rustic and lovely.
    i know you probably won’t like my suggestion, since it isn’t fancy or challenging, but a simple top down raglan would be a perfect match for your yarn.
    good luck to you!

  62. The one you like best is the one to make. Always. Even if that means sitting on it a bit for things to filter out and become clear. (Personally, I love the Drops.)

  63. First, I feel for you. However, you managed to match a commercial yarn. Wow! You should still be proud of yourself for that. Now, don’t give up on this pattern or this amazing yarn. Measure your gauge. Multiply the number of stitches per centimeter times the number of centimeters around you want the sweater to be. Take that number of total stitches and look at the pattern. Is there a size that uses that many stitches? Make that size. Best of luck. I know you can do it.

  64. Stephanie, once you recover from shock and anguish . . . maybe this is serendipity. Because that Drops 103-1 is just screaming your name!

  66. It may not be the “right” one, but it is still awesome yarn. I hope that you find just the right pattern to do it justice.

  67. What lovely yarn! Please don’t lose the sense of accomplishment that you matched the commercial yarn. That’s awesome. So what if that fleece wanted to be something different. The fleece knows. The fleece knows.

  68. Oh dear.
    Ironically, I just gave that Drops pattern with a superbulky yarn to a friend last week. I’ll give a quick looksie through my patterns and hope one jumps out.
    At least Denny pointed it out before you started the sweater…

  69. my condolences, but please don’t punish that lovely handspun by burying it in stash. for cooperating so nicely, it deserves to be made into something lovely and cozy. (if that will take more yarn, do you have more fleece?)
    and i concur on the calendar-related hilarity. the knitting goddess has smote me many times . . . to others’ amusement.

  70. Oh, too bad, that’s something that I would do. But personally I love the Drops 103-1. I’m putting it in my to do someday list. Take care.

  71. Oh Cr@p Steph…but the yarn you made IS perfect and you will find the perfect pattern I know you will.
    LOL at Lynne’s comment “Plied goeth before fall”

  73. Wow. Um. Wow. Maybe the gauge will change once you’re done crying hot salty tears all over that yarn?

  74. Do you have Sweater Wizard? You know the gauge and the needle size, you know the style you want and maybe even have a particular stitch pattern in mind. Why not just create your own sweater rather than relying on a pattern written by someone else. Handwoven is too special to trust to a commercial pattern.
    If you don’t have Sweater Wizard, I do. At least that will start you out with the basic pattern with shaping. Then add in your own special ideas and away you go. Make your minor adjustments to lengths and stitch pattern chosen.
    Since I started using Sweater Wizard, I have not made anything out of a commercial pattern, preferring to just create my own. So far, the two vests I have made are wonderful, I have a sweater they just needs blocked and assembled, I have another vest on the needles, this one in a feather and fan lace pattern, and I have a sweater in mind for some wonderful yarn I got at Stitches Midwest. And all free of other people’s ideas of what looks right.
    You’re creative – go for it and create your own pattern!

  75. You saw the yarn (you thought) you wanted, you went home and made it. That speaks to your perspicacity and your technique. You should be proud of yourself!
    OK. Now go touch some more yarn and do it again.

  76. Oh no! But it could have been worse – I was sure that this was going to be another episode in the continuing saga of Silver, the Yarn-Stealing Squirrel!

  77. I made Nimbus out of the PQ. It looks great and was quick to knit. It is a free pattern from Berroco website. I highly recomend it.

  79. I was a bit curious how you were going to mimic the other yarn as it has a lot of Alpaca in it. I’m sorry to hear how things turned out.
    I did a quick Rav search of the patterns people used the Peruva Quick for and the three I thought you’d like are Vivian from Twist Collective (I’m sure you can easily leave off the hood); Sylvi from Twist Collective (again with the hood) and Heron from Berrocco.

  80. Hey, you did something every spinner would be thrilled to show to Judith – our Goddess of spinning – keep the thrill going on that one! How often do we spinners accomplish that. As JMM says – anyone can spin fine – it’s going back up to make a larger strand and get the yarn you want that’s hard once you’ve become a spinner. So now you know you can do it – you could match the (cough, cough) “original” yarn if you wanted to, or just take everyone’s suggestions on a pattern. BUT YOU SHOULD BE PROUD – reaaaalllly proud. Heck, I’m proud for you and I’m nobody you know!

  81. It’s perfect for the Drops pattern. I like the way it wraps around the neck. I might have to fave that myself. Just tell yourself that you meant to do that one all along. Think how fast it will go and faster yet at your warp speed. Then you can spin for the other one. Problem solved.

  82. Oh, that Drops coat is so cute, you should do it. It is so cute that even though I can’t wear stuff without a waist, I was still considering making it.

  83. I’m not sure if it’s a perfect fit for the yarn but how about the Ardsley Jacket (pattern #90084A)FREE at LionBrand.com

  84. Ugh. That’s fairly sickening. I mean, yes, you have made incredible yarn – and uber-congrats for your efforts – but to not be able to knit what you’d planned… that’s harsh.

  86. The sweater you make out of THAT yarn, no matter what the pattern, will be wonderful because that yarn….that yarn??…that yarn is drop-dead, freakin’-awesome gorgeous.

  87. Love the Drops pattern but you’d look smashing in the Heron pattern by Nora Gaugan – done in peruvia quick, no less. It’s on Ravelry – searching ‘Heron’ in the patterns and it will pop right up. Also on Ravelry, you’ll find the #31 Leaf Motif Jacket, which, again, I think you’d look like a goddess in that sweater – though I’d, personally, skip the pink and make it in just the color you have spun:) Or a Vivian (twist collective Winter 2008 issue). You see? I’m a pattern/yarn matching geek so I could really go on and on. Fortunately for you, I have a hot cup of coffee and a sock to finish that will lure me away so I don’t fill up pages of sweaters that will match your yarn – LOL.

  88. Okay, i know, we both thought I was going away but I just have to say this:
    I just went and looked at the Owls pattern by Kate Davies that has already been suggested and, uhm, I now have a burning passion for this owl sweater. This CANNOT happen because I have three sweaters in my ‘to be knit’ mental basket already but, I’m telling you – the owls are ganging up against me and I’m already thinking about their button eyes…..HELP!

  90. I don’t have a pattern suggestion using Peruvia Quick, but that yarn is really beautiful. What about an Elizabeth Zimmerman pattern?

  91. Look at it this way: you accomplished exactly what you attempted to accomplish. Turns out it was the wrong thing, which is sad, but you did do exactly what you meant to.
    Maybe next time double check with smart-arse Denny before you start? After you smack her upside the head for being a know-it-all.
    Now download that gorgeous Drops pattern and get started; it is beautiful. Really, really beautiful. As is your handspun.

  92. I used 5 skeins of Peruvia Quick for a Cherish cropped shrug from Kim Hargreave’s Dark House collection for the 40″ size (used the 43″ pattern numbers for me because the yarn was a bit different than the recommended one…).
    http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cherish
    That may not be the sort of thing you’d wear, but could be something one of your daughters might like.

  96. The yarn is to die for, and I love the Drops pattern. I can see you wearing it as the house gets colder and colder, and colder as you move toward November. You might have to knit one for Megan as well as a scarf and hat for Joe. Keep spinning!

  98. Sorry, Stephanie–whatever you do with it now will be disappointing because it cannot match up to your initial dream.
    Therefore, you must give me the yarn so that you don’t feel bad every time you look at it.
    There–I’m a problem solver!

  99. Yes, I will also recommend the Owls sweater – it knits up really fast, and the owls are just so cute! It also has some great waist shaping. I only put eyes on three owls on mine – two in the back, one offset in the front.

  101. How disappointing and frustrating! Kudos for holding it together in the store. I probably would have sat down and wept right there.

  103. There’s a great, free pattern from Berroco called “Nimbus”. It’s shown as a cropped cardigan, but I think it would look much better falling at the waist (all that garter around anyone’s middle can’t be a good thing), with bracelet length sleeves.
    The original pattern calls for, wait for it, Peruvia Quick.

  104. P.S. Okay, so Nimbus has been mentioned a few (a lot) of times. *My* lesson for the day: read the comments before posting.

  105. In a perfect world all patterns would be written with ALL gauges worked out, so you can knit whatever pattern you love using whatever yarn and needles you love, but until then I like the eskimo one, it’s actually very pretty. I say go for it.

  107. Big bummer! But what an accomplishment to match yarn so well! I have yarn set aside for that Drops pattern. LOVE it, although living in Texas, I doubt if I’d wear it much. You, however, will get LOTS of wear out of it! Go for it. It will look GREAT on you!

  110. I am desperate to find the time to make that Drops sweater, as I have been eyeing it for years and I think I finally have the yarn that will work for it (haven’t had time to swatch), so it gets my vote!

  112. Much sympathy! Beautiful yarn, though. I’m sure whatever you knit from it will be great. btw, I can’t remember the status on Joe’s gansey…hope you take this as the gentle nagging it’s intended to be.

  113. I like the suggestion of Shalom — it’s reasonably like Cosima. How ’bout DROPS 116-32?

  115. Love the Drops pattern. Have had it in my queue for sometime. I would make it with full length sleeves. I just don’t like 3/4 length.

  116. I made that Drops sweater and it is my all-time favorite. You won’t be disappointed! (Can I be smug now that I am totally finished? Will Knit Gods take vengeance on next project just because???)

  117. I like it BETTER. I know you were in love with the Cosima, and I’m sure you can mimic the Cuzco and make it another time. But the Drops can be worn as a jacket all the way into November…well, maybe October in Toronto.
    In fact, now I have to track down the Garnestudio yarns (we have so few knitting stores here…sigh…) so I can see if anything in my stash is remotely similar, so I can make one.

  118. This one?
    http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/heather-hoodie-vest
    Or this one?
    http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/nimbus-2
    How about this one?
    http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/shalom-cardigan
    Do you have enough for this?
    http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sylvi
    And I seem to remember you don’t mind the odd cable or two:
    http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vivian
    Good chance to reduce your button stash at the same time:
    http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/anise
    Or this one, if you wanted a vest:
    http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/priya-2
    OK, I’m out (or rather, Ravelry’s out) of ideas 😀

  121. I would just like to state for the record that OMG I STARTED A SWEATER BEFORE YARN HARLOT MADE IT COOL!!! 🙂
    I started this sweater a month or two ago… in Cuzco. A pretty shade of Hunter Green called ..well, Hunter. The yarn is really nice to work with if you decide to buy it. I’m sorry your handspinning for the sweater didn’t work out, but it’s a lovely pattern. Well, the back is at least, because that’s all I’ve completed.

  122. Berroco patterns are usually simple enough that someone with knitting pattern software can usually re-write them for a new gauge. Ask me how I know.

  123. I third or fourth the suggestion for Shalom. It looks like it would actually be possible to add some sleeves (3/4 like on Cosima) without much problem. I like the yoke detail on it better than the drops pattern, and it’s a similar one-button-open-otherwise pattern.

  124. Love the Drops pattern, especially the front panel and the way the collar wraps around in front, beautiful places to showcase your handspun.

  125. Ooh, I like that sweater. Make that one. I’d do it, but I’m not that advanced. Yet. I’m only just finishing my first ever pair of socks.

  126. Oh noooooo, not another one of those! How about
    Drops:
    109.3
    116-38
    109-8
    79-8
    109-14
    0-439
    Or
    Cabled Cardigan by John Lachett
    Or
    Cabled Jacket in Kayla by Crystal Palace

  127. The Drops jacket is great — and very popular with spinners, it seems. I have one in my queue, too. Go for it! It will be fabulous!

  128. Oh, sad.
    Perhaps you could figure out your gauge for the stitch pattern, figure out how many stitches you would need to make a sweater that fits the way you like, and follow the directions for whatever size has the number closest to yours. It should work.
    I really like the stitch pattern in Cosima. That shape wouldn’t work for me, but maybe I’ll use the stitch pattern in something else.

  129. The “Owls” sweater by Kate Davies (Ravel it, ’tis a popular pattern) is super cute and calls for nearly your gauge…
    Gorgeous yarn, by the way.

  130. Oh Darling,
    If you want a yarn that looks like a commercial yarn, then buy the ddamned yarn. You have a beautiful yarn there, ti’s what it wanted to be. Knit something plain and show it off. WHat about a good old fashioned top down raglan pullover with one wide cable panel down the front. You always have to diced with any yarn whether you are showcasing the skill of the knitter or the spinner. SHow off the yarn, go simple. Sometimes less is more.
    Gillian

  132. shalom, and owls both are great. have made the former and really like it — warm, versatile, interesting…
    someone on ravelry has added sleeves as well, and looks great that way.

  134. How disappointing!
    Just wondering why you couldn’t just add a second yarn, a carry-along, to make up the difference, that way you could still use the yarn you’ve worked so hard to spin. Do you have something in your stash that would be in the same color family only a shade darker or lighter so you’d have a tweed-effect? It would be pretty.

  135. Oh I’ve made the Eskimo Drops pattern – it works up really quickly.
    That’s a shame that the yarn you have isn’t working out — I hate it when you can’t substitute yarns successfully. 🙁

  136. Oh, honey. That is so funny. And so sad. You have had a really bad knitting week! It can only get better from here, though, right?

  137. 103-1 would be BEAUTIFUL!
    but then again, I would also suggest anything large, cozy and cabled!
    the yarn is beautiful. I wish I were that talented (or dedicated) with my wheel!

  138. oh … {hugs} now what we should do is ask casey really nicely if he’ll make a voting feature (a la etsy) and after you get all these suggestions us mere mortals can vote on them for you and then you can choose to knit that winning pattern or ignore it as is your heart desires. (and maybe it’ll filter down as a feature for the rest of us and my rav friends can vote on what i should knit next from my ever expanding queue) but your handspun, she is a beautiful yarn.

  139. I don’t have a suggestion but I did know you’d like the Berrocco pattern when I saw it online.
    Thanks for proving me right!

  140. Um,I know you’re disappointed. But I am still in awe of the fact that you duplicated a yarn with such dedication and good results. For us non-spinners (so far!), try to feel at least a little good about your amazing (although unanticipated) results.
    And like someone else noted above, this recalls the day’s calendar entry – funny as long as it doesn’t happen to you.
    The drops one is nice, but have you considered: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sedum

  142. Here’s the silver lining: just think how proud both Maggie Casey and Judith MacKenzie-McCuin will be that you sampled and matched the yarn you (thought you) wanted!

  143. I’m thinking that there’s a gansey payback here. Five warnings, pretty clear to me. What do you think Presbytera?
    Yarn is still quite amazing however!

  144. Thank you for sharing your optimism and your mistakes. Sometimes knitting makes me feel stupid.(I barely “get” gauges, I don’t understand yarn, and things don’t “turn out.”) But by and large I love it. I admire your courage, with yarn and spinning and sharing.
    You’ll find the perfect or pretty darn good pattern for that amazing yarn. You always seem to.

  145. I should add: you duplicated commercial yarn! That is amazing! I can’t wait to see what it becomes. The possibilities are endless. Maybe you’ll have to do a, dare I say, Frankensweater.

  146. 2 little letters: EZ
    Design your own. Use the percentage system and throw in some shaping and your own details. Want a cardi? Steek it. Want a collar? Knit it on. EZ

  147. Find a copy of the book “Simple Sweaters from Elegant Yarn” and knit the simple funnel-neck sweater on the cover — it takes a chunky yarn and has a fabulously fast (but easy to screw up if you’re me) slip-stitch rib. But I’m of course mucking with this simple pattern in order to knit it out of Cuzco, which is the wrong weight, because I LOVE Cuzco so much and love slip-stitch rib. Believing, as you did, but without your skill, that love and yarn hunger will make it all come out ok…

  148. If you check the Berrocco website, under Peruvia Quick there is a free pattern called Nimbus which might fit the bill. It is very similar to the Drops pattern but is written specifically for Peruvia Quick and is shorter sleeved (I think you can figure out how to change this feature).

  154. Imagine, me giving the Yarn Harlot my sage knitting advice. 🙂 If I had spun up yarn as lovely as that, and then realized it wouldn’t work for what I wanted to make, I would let it percolate in the stash (after letting all my friends ooh and ahh over it, of course). I invariably find that the perfect pattern presents itself eventually for cherished yarn. Or knit the Drops sweater; you’re the boss!

  155. I, too, have been afflicted with The Curse of Speedreading while excited. Keeps life interesting. It is mighty darned impressive to have spun an exact yarn as you did.

  162. Lots of people have said it before, but I’m halfway through Berroco’s Nimbus which calls for Peruvia Quick (even though I’m using Sirdar Denim Ultra).
    It’s so quick to knit, and a very short cardigan – by that I mean it sits on or just above the waist – so you can make it longer if you want, and therefore use up more of the yarn, which is lovely, BTW.

  165. OMG!!! I’m so sorry, but I have to confess that as I read this post I was laughing my butt off!!! (In a horrified sort of way!) Mostly because I can’t believe that I’m not the only one who would do that sort of thing. Every time I get cocky, the Universe (and Murphy, I’m Irish so Murphy continually kicks my behind) seems to knock me down and thrust humility on me. Even when I’m happy over an accomplishment that I worked really hard on and deserve to feel the warm glow of self satisfaction, I end up with a schooling. My grandmother used to call it eating humble pie. The worse part is that I’m not even that egotistical! Honest, just ask my friends! Between humble pie and constantly sticking my foot in my mouth (because I only have 3 brain cells and they are seriously slow in the processing department.) I really don’t get a chance to think I’m “all that” LOL!
    Personally, I think your yarn is really lovely and even though it isn’t what you really needed, it’s definitely what you wanted to spin up. Congratulations!!! There are a lot of spinners who wouldn’t have tried it and certainly wouldn’t have made all those swatches! I’m sure that what ever you knit out of it will be beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

  166. What about Ysolda’s Vivian sweater from The Twist Collective? It’s lovely, cabled, looks good on small people, and calls for a chunky yarn.
    xe

  168. You could do the Urban Aran by Patons, which was modified by Jared Flood, of Brooklyn Tweed, which he then dubbed the “Urban Cardigan”. I am making it now with Elann Peruvian Highland Chunky (as he did)and that has similar gauge to your lovely spin.

  170. that sweater is magnificent! Make that one. I love it.
    I would love to have a whopper of a suggestion for you, but right now I’m struggling to find my next project, so I won’t be any help! I do love that Drops one though, I just added to my queue.

  172. Ouch! I think, as punishment, you should have to purchase enough of the recommended yarn to finish that sweater! Yeah, that’ll teach ya’! (wink, wink, nod, nod…)
    Ang

  175. I’m stubborn, I’d go to my closest online guage calculator, plug in the numbers (the stated pattern guage and yours) and simply re-figure the number of stitches and rows. Charge on!
    Hearty congrats on exactly matching the yarn you wanted to match, that is a truly amazing accomplishment. After that, tweaking the guage and numbers should be a snap.

  177. If its the just the guage and you love the pattern that much why not just re-do the math? Or are the yarn characteristics totally off too?
    Either way, spinning that much yarn consistently is worth celebrating.

  178. Sounds just like something I’d do! But the Drops sweater is beautiful, and the fact that you matched the yarn is still amazing!

  180. Having just smugly finished a pair of beautiful, long-cuffed, cabled mittens for my young niece just in the nick of time for her birthday….only to discover upon completion that I’d made two RIGHT-HANDED mittens, I was glad (in a sad way, of course) to read your post. Sigh. For the record, I love the Drops pattern.

  181. I’m sorry! I read the story and kept waiting for what was going to go wrong! LOL! Could the yarn be saved for something else? The sweater is cute, though!

  182. Not to burst your bubble, but to provide info that may prevent heartache, something terrible happened when I tried to knit that Drops jacket. The fronts turned out FABULOUS, but the back was HUGE on me. There are pics on Ravelry (phdknitter). For full disclosure, I was trying to knit it in one piece which may have been the problem. I ended up frogging it all and making the September sweater instead. Good luck! The yarn is beautiful and a GREAT match for Peruvia Quick 😉

  184. Sorry about your frustration but you really did a great job with the yarn. I’m envious. I’m sure you will end up with a sweater that you love.

  187. Not to twist the knife, but I gotta say, I like the drops pattern better than the Berrocco pattern. In my opinion, this seeming disappointment is a kindly shove from the goddess of wool-fate. She’s telling you to ditch the berrocco pattern in favor of something even better; something more fitting the perfect home-spun you created.
    Have a glass of wine and try to see this all as a blessing in disguise.

  188. What about “owls” by Kate Davies (look it up on Ravelry please)? It seems beautiful, and like your kind of sweater (it also seems a bit more flattering than the drop-s one, but that’s just my opinion). OOh, or what about the Vihervaara -huppari / GreenGable -hoodie (I don’t quite understand the name, but I haven’t seen the magazine yet) from the fall 2008 Vogue knitting? You would probably need to spin more, though. Cables and hood just take more yarn than lace. When I have yarn I don’t know what to do with, I usually look it up opn Ravelry, and click “Pattern Ideas” to see what other people have made with it.

  189. Cosima is so beautiful. What if you put away that yarn for future use, then spin new yarn for Cosima. You have no shortage of fleece, right? Brilliant! Or you could just work on the gansey.

  190. how i wish i was able to go to the lettuce knits knit night. it’s almost worth moving to toronto.

  191. I am so impressed at how you copied that yarn! I have thought it was possible to do, but probably even more difficult than you make it sound.
    Awesome yarn!
    Drops is a great pattern, and I’m not just saying that because Dr. Steph’s is blue, I really liked the other colors, too.

  194. I feel your pain. Sheesh. Oh well, sounds like a good excuse for wine and chocolate.
    I saw someone mentioned Nimbus. I understand about not wanting to do anymore garter for a while (I recall your blanket woes, and I’m working on Jared Flood’s Smokin’ with plenty o’ garter stitch). Why not change the garter into cabling along the neck and cuffs? Or, here’s something interesting from Vogue: http://store.vogueknitting.com/p-352-drop-collar-cable-jacket.aspx
    The Drops is cute, too!
    Good luck!

  196. You are not going to suck me in again with your pattern request. Lalala, I cannot hear you. I will stick with my cuff to cuff aran plan a la EZ that I cast on last night. I will be strong.
    Good luck on your search, by the way. If nothing else works, send the yarn to me.

  197. Also, I have a sweater in the DROPS pattern, and I love it. It’s great for freezy cold Wisconsin days so I imagine it’d work up north too.

  199. Sorry about your fiasco! I’m currently knitting cosima and loving it. Tweeked pattern to knit it flat instead of in 3 pieces. Hope you get a chance to knit it! 🙂

  201. Using Ravelry’s advanced search I put in 11.5 – 13 (i figured you might be able to get one of these if necessary) sts/10cm and cardigan as my criteria and there are 250 matches but I’m not sure the link will work if you copy it. On the first page alone I see a few that I think are comparable to your first choice.
    http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search?advanced=1&craft=#r=&gauge=11.5%7C12.5%7Ccardigan&query=&sort=best&view=thumblist&add_id=3&add=cardigan&apply=1&history=1

  202. Lemme see. Lemme see. How far are Washington and New Jersey from each other? AAARGH! Well, have a great time, you lucky ones.

  203. What about knitting it in a smaller size? I knit Cosima in a heavier yarn than indicated in order to upsize it…unless the smallest size is not smaller than you are, you could try that…it’s a fast knit even in the fat-girl size LOL

  204. Make lemonade–I’m knitting Harwood, am loving it and by accident I hear that “cardi-coats” are really “in” this year. Beautiful yarn so you can’t go too far wrong (famous last words).

  206. Why don’t you knit the Nimbus (but with longer sleeves) and jazz up the front ribbing using the cable from Queue bag in your pattern book?

  207. Sorry I missed you in California. While I was plugging away at my desk, a few days ago, you passed me on I-80, getting to the SFO airport. “Maybe next time….”

  209. Love the Drops pattern – do that one, it’s beautiful (and warm, and you live in Canada!)

  210. I actually like Drops 103-1 the best. Sorry for you though, that it can’t be the one you loved so much.

  211. there is a cardigan called “shalom cardigan” by Megahn Mc Farlane, you can find it for free on ravelry! the original has no sleeves but I saw people do it with sleeves and I think it looks great. One person has knit it with peruvian quick, so I guess it should work with your yarn (uh-oh, this might be a warning!) These are just my 2 cents, but I really think the pattern will look great in a heathery grey! Also I think the cardi fits a lot of different looking people on ravelry great, so chances are high it will fit you too! (another warning here, right?)

  212. Run, do not walk, to get Jacqueline Fee’s Sweater Workshop book and design whatever your little, no, BIG heart desires!
    Barb

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