knitting neels

I fell in love with this pattern as soon as I saw it, but a few things put me off casting on straight away. Firstly, the gauge is really tiny – 29 stitches to 10cm. I am a very loose knitter so I knew that 29 stitches would be difficult for me to achieve. However, to my surprise, I was able to get 28 stitches to 10cm on a 2.5mm needle. I was not prepared to go any smaller so, after a bit of calculation, I decided to cast on for the 32″ size, which I figured would give me something in the region of 33-34″, which it did.

The other aspect that put me off casting on immediately was the fact that, in the pattern, the neckline is very wide. Like, practically off the shoulder wide. What I did was this: I went back to my Ann Budd book (the Top Down Sweaters one) and got the numbers for my gauge for a size 32″ round yoke. I cast that number on, worked my neckline ribbing and short rows the way I usually do for the shape of my neck. (If you’re interested, I turned after every inch or so on either side of the centre back until I meet at the centre front) Then I worked increases to bring me up to what the starting cast on was from the pattern. From then on, I worked from the pattern. All of that only added an extra 3-4 rounds at the centre front and so, did not really affect the fit much at all.

Although I casted this on last March (almost a year ago! gasp!), I did not finish it until October. This was mostly because I was distracted by quicker knits! That said, once I separated for the body and sleeves, it really flew along. I have knit quite a few things from the Holst Supersoft and can recommend it as a quality, budget-friendly yarn. It is a bit rough to work with, but it blooms unbelievably when washed, and is extremely light and warm. It might not be everybody’s cup of tea but for me, we are having a moment right now.

I’m really happy with the colour. As you can see, it goes really well with cobalt blue, and blues of all kinds, so I have plenty of things to wear it with.