Golden Hour Pullover

Golden Hour Pullover

10.20.18

KNITTING

Handmade

I’m so happy to be back after a lovely fall break vacation! It was a much needed break to replenish my creative energy and I am very excited about all I have on deck to share. I’m so grateful to everyone for the kind feedback on my post about learning to knit and I have some plans for future knitting-related feedback based on your requests and questions.

One thing I plan to post more about is yarn selection, project planning, and how they relate to each other. In this vein, I should say that I almost never buy yarn without a project in mind. I like buying the correct amount needed for whichever project it is intended. This project, however, was an exception. Last fall I attended an fantastic workshop about natural fabric and yarn dyeing taught by Kristine of A Verb for Keeping Warm. The workshop was a dream, as were the incredible hand dyed yarns and fabrics that she creates. She had a special selection of limited edition yarns available for sale to workshop attendees and I was beyond thrilled to score four skeins of this beautiful yellow flecked alpaca, silk, and cashmere blend.

I didn’t have exact plans for what I would do with it but given that yellow is my favorite color, I was aiming for a sweater for myself. Thanks to the brilliant search capabilities of Ravelry, I was able to do some pattern searching and settle on this So Faded pullover pattern to make a cropped sleeve top. As it turns out, I still have two skeins left over so now I’m thinking I’ll make the pint-sized version for Caroline and my sweet little niece Luisa. I don’t want this gorgeous yarn to go to waste.

Read on below for more project details and a photo gallery!

My Notes

Fit

I was very nervous about how this was going to fit. The yarn is fingering weight but seems finer than yarns recommended for the pattern. Like the bad knitter that I am, I almost never make a gauge swatch, and I didn’t make one for this project either. Ain’t nobody got time for that! Instead, I dropped down a needle size and then went up a size from what I would normally make. Instead of making the 34″ bust, I followed the pattern for the 38″ option. With the smaller yarn and smaller needles, this theoretically would create a smaller gauge overall and hopefully still turn out a garment about the size I was going for.

Thankfully, my rationale was correct and I was very happy with the fit and the fabric of the finished garment. I did make sure to check it after the neck and raglan shaping before proceeding with the sleeves and the body. I put the entire project on waste yarn so that I could try on the yoke portion and get a feel for if it was way too big or way too small. It seemed correct so I went ahead and kept knitting. I’m so glad it worked out!

Pattern

I love this pattern! I often feel a bit averse to garter stitch and considered leaving that shoulder detailing out of my version. However, now having made it this way, I have to say I LOVE that addition. This is such a great basic pullover with just a little extra love thanks to the fun shoulders. I’m sure I’ll make it again in solids as well.

As far as instructions and clarity, the pattern is beautifully written and very easy to follow. No complaints there. The pattern can be made with full length or cropped sleeves and full length or cropped bodice. I went with full length bodice and cropped sleeves.

Difficulty

This would be a good sweater for a relatively new knitter. Raglan shaping, top-down construction are important skills to learn and pretty easy once you give it a try. This would be a good option to experiment with.

Golden Hour Pullover - front view
Golden Hour Pullover - side view
Golden Hour Pullover - back view
Golden Hour Pullover - shoulder detail
01/04
Golden Hour Pullover - front view
Golden Hour Pullover - side view
Golden Hour Pullover - back view
Golden Hour Pullover - shoulder detail
View as a List
  • Golden Hour Pullover - front view
    Golden Hour Pullover - front view
  • Golden Hour Pullover - side view
    Golden Hour Pullover - side view
  • Golden Hour Pullover - back view
    Golden Hour Pullover - back view
  • Golden Hour Pullover - shoulder detail
    Golden Hour Pullover - shoulder detail
View as a Slideshow