Michelle, ma belle... tres bien ensemble
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Michelle ma belle, sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble,

Tres bien ensemble

Wee Bit Irish.

3/18/2013

23 Comments

 
I am the realization of the American melting pot. A dash of Italian, a handful of Polish, a generous portion of German, toss in some Austrian, (There are probably a few secret ingredients, because what family doesn't have those? Am I right?) Top with a pinch of Irish. Indeed, my second great maternal grandparents were Katie  and Cornelius O'Leary. A very interesting discovery, because until a couple years ago, my mother would have sworn to you that we weren't of ANY Irish decent. 
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Regardless of heritage, everyone in Chicago is Irish, just ask them. This is especially true on St. Patrick's Day, wherein many thousands of college-aged persons and peoples experiencing midlife crisis dress like the Lucky Charms mascot and behave in belligerent displays of drunkenness down the middle of Clark Street. 
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I've indulged in my fair share of green beer and Irish Car Bombs, but I'm now at the interim age for St. Patrick's festivities and prefer a lower-key approach. I saw a recipe for baked eggs inside twice baked potatoes last week, which seemed appropriate for a St. Patty's Day brunch, and we busted out the distillery reserve we got last year while we were in Dublin.  
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I also managed to block the Fargo sweater I knit using the Studio Donegal I bought during the same trip. How's that for authentic? 
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It was a good day to be wearing an Aran sweater. It was COLD. 
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Now, about the sweater. First the pattern. Beautifully written. Very easy to follow. I wanted a roomy pullover, so I knit to the instructions for the "36, and I got exactly what I set out for.  I love the semi-seamed construction in this design.  A set-in sleeve and shoulder seam provide a great element of stability to the garment. 
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Now the yarn. Like I mentioned above. I bought this yarn in Dublin. From what I can tell, it's not for sale stateside. The perfect storm for a yarn shortage, right? 
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By the Time I'd finished the body, I was starting to sweat. I had less than two hanks remaining to get through both sleeves and the collar. 
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Knowing the collar was a critical feature of the design, I decided to pick-up and knit it before starting on my sleeves. Worst case, scenario, I thought, I can knit short sleeves.  I knit EXACTLY the "3 the pattern instructs, and bound off.  
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Then, using my digital food scale, I divided my remaining yarn into twp equal balls. You wouldn't believe how handy that food scale is for weighing yarn! I highly recommend having one around. 
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Then, I had to get a little bit MacGyver. Instead of knitting the sleeves from the cuff as written, I reversed engineered them. Starting from the shoulder-cap, I worked backward down the sleeve to the cuff. I wasn't sure how long I was going to be able to knit my sleeves, but since I'd already divided my yarn, I knew they would be even, no matter the length. 
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As you can tell, my fears were for naught. The sleeve length is kinda perfect and very proportional to the rest of the sweater.  I would have liked to go back to add an inch to the collar, but no joke, this is how much yarn I have left. 
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Luck of the Irish, no? 
23 Comments
Elisabeth Andrée link
3/18/2013 03:15:17 am

LOVE your sweater! :)

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kristieinbc link
3/18/2013 03:26:23 am

Wow! Just wow! That sweater is stunning. It is a beautiful pattern, and looks absolutely gorgeous on you. And yes, you must have at least a trace of the Irish in you to have had barely enough yarn to finish the sleeves. :-)

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Meg the Grand link
3/18/2013 03:40:51 am

Totally luck of the Irish! The sweater is beautiful, and especially perfect for this wet, chilly weather we've been having. I love the flecks of color in the yarn - it's so lovely in this pattern!

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kirsti(k)nits link
3/18/2013 03:57:42 am

Gorgeous sweater! What a lovely color!

This was a post of "me too!"s for me, since I (a) was born an O'Leary, (b) was at a party where Jameson's distillerary reserve was on tap, and (c) bought Studio Donegal yarn in Ireland (Galway, though) that doesn't seem to be for sale stateside. Sadly I did not (d) finish my aran in progress.

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stephanie link
3/18/2013 04:27:48 am

this sweater is gorgeous! I had admired it from your twitter post also. Really lovely. I have some studio donegal in red I must use up. I was thinking this pattern http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/levenwick but the one you used is tempting me now too!
By the way... I know in America you say Patty's day but just a small comment that in Ireland we say Paddy's day :) must have gotten lost in translation when everyone emigrated!

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Jenn link
3/18/2013 05:36:01 am

Lovely sweater! Those eggs and potatoes look amazing!

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joelle link
3/18/2013 05:46:11 am

i love your sweater! i somehow managed to buy waaayyy more than enough for all of the 3 sweaters i have knitter so far. it's nice not to have to worry, though. lycky it worked out for you!

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valerie link
3/18/2013 06:23:26 am

Your sweater is perfect. I like your reverse engineering approach to the sleeves and lucky! You must be a wee bit Irish, to be sure ..

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katie metzroth link
3/18/2013 06:31:16 am

clapping! Good job on the sweater! I'm glad you had enough yarn. :) It is beautiful! No sweater wearing for me yesterday. It was in the upper 80's here.

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Meghan
3/18/2013 06:49:58 am

I LOVE the sweater. It is beautiful on you and looks very cozy and comfy. That sounds like a brilliant answer to every knitter's nightmare. Very clever of you.

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Evie link
3/18/2013 09:11:12 am

That is a beautiful sweater! I love the pattern, and that yarn is gorgeous. Wonderful job!

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Chris
3/18/2013 09:39:08 am

Love it. It is gorgeous. It should get me going on my aran project in Donegal Tweed from Tahki, but I doubt it will. Pullovers and my stage in life do not mix. LOL!

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Alicia link
3/18/2013 11:41:45 am

I like your way of celebrating better! That sweater is beyond amazing, in such fantastic yarn, too! I completely have a crush on it.

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Pumpkin Spins link
3/18/2013 12:47:46 pm

That sweater should never be knit in any yarn other than tweed, it is just too perfect. I like the nice gray colorway too, it will work with so many different outfits, I'll bet it is super warm too! Yeah you Chicago people definitely know how to celebrate St. Paddy's!

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Lynn link
3/18/2013 10:18:10 pm

WOW! Like... WOW! That sweater is absolutely STUNNING. Good for you for getting through it with so little yarn to spare! It's amazing! I have been wanting to knit myself a cozy cabled sweater for what feels like forever, and this may just have been the kick in the pants I needed to get started! Thanks so much for the inspiration!

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Lisa link
3/18/2013 10:25:38 pm

That sweater is PERFECTION! Absolutely beautiful. Not sure if my drooling is over the sweater or over the picture of the yummy-looking egg and potato... ;-)

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Pam link
3/19/2013 05:04:18 am

Wow! Beautiful sweater (and now I have to try a baked-in-a-potato egg)! I just saw your blog for the first time today, and I am looking forward to going back to read through some of what I've missed. :)

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Lynn
3/19/2013 05:23:56 am

Wow - that's cutting it close! Beautiful sweater! And that dish is making me hungry...

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MArie link
3/19/2013 11:21:27 pm

I have serious sweater envy right about now. To combat this, I'm going to try the recipe.

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Mom
3/21/2013 09:55:52 pm

You are brilliant and talented. When are we going to read that first book?

At least now we have an idea of your height issues and that beautiful curly hair. ;-)

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Wanett link
3/31/2013 07:11:53 am

CRIPES!! This is amazing!!! All of you knitting (that I've looked at so far) is great, but THIS is AMAZING!!

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Joolz
5/3/2013 10:49:07 am

Saw this on MMM, and I love it! Looks like an Aran sweater my mom brought me from Ireland, except it wasn't handmade. Kudos to you!

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Susan link
3/31/2014 02:43:20 pm

Love your blog. We must be kindred spirits. I knit exactly the same way, with scale at the ready to ensure I have enough yarn. Sometimes I end up with 3/4 sleeves, and sometimes full length.

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