Start Wearing Purple.

Several months ago, I piled my yarn stash in a giant heap in the middle of the room, binged on Netflix and started matching yarn to projects concentrating on sweaters.

 I bagged 13 sweater projects and sorted the rest of the yarn by weight before tucking it away into my cubbies. 

Thanks to the wonders of Ravelry filters, I was able to find patterns for a lot of the yarn I've had hiding in the depths of my stash. It's been a lot easier to start projects now that I can grab a bag and cast-on. There's no dumping or digging and far less casting projects to the side now that there's a plan. 

Not so surprisingly, I was really excited to start knitting after all that planning. One of the first projects on my radar was Maude from the Autumn 2015 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly. 

Maude is a worsted weight sweater designed to be worn with negative ease. I knit size 1, which has a finished bust measurement of 34". The pattern intends three quarter sleeves and a 'mock turtle' neckline. I chose to knit full length sleeves and a crew neck instead. 

This is not the style sweater I typically wear or am drawn to. My philosophy with yarn weight and sweaters is usually a direct correlation. little yarn= little sweater, big yarn=big sweater, because I tend to think fitted sweaters knit in yarn gagued above DK add the appearance of additional bulk to the body of the wearer.  But, I only had eight balls of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino on hand, and I loved the texture of those rope-y cables, so I decided to try something new. 

Ultimately, I do think this style sweater would be more flattering in a sport weight yarn, but I don't mind it terribly and think I'll wear it occasionally (if I can block those sleeves a bit wider through the upper arm...). Also, it was fun to knit. The cables are easy to memorize but keep things entertaining.  

I have a few 2015 projects that are going to get carried in to 2016. I tried to get caught-up, but I was better at producing than I was at blogging this year.  C'est la vie. I hope to see you all in 2016! I wish you a happy , healthy and productive new year! CHEERS!