St Brigid: FO
alternatively entitled, the post that took 3 years to write
It's finally done, and I find myself at a loss for words. I've been done for a full week now, and I still can't quite believe that it's true.
I knit St. Brigid
There were many false starts (including one I never documented). I'm not quite sure why this time did the trick. The color? Maybe. The deadline? Maybe. The encouraging comments? Most definitely.
I have so many people to thank, and I'm positive I'm going to forget some of them. Thanks to Katy for hosting the KAL, Vicki for finishing hers almost 3 years ago and being an awesome cheerleader for my own, Marnie for encouraging me to consider retaining the saddle shoulder, Christy for knowing the right amount of good-natured ribbing to keep me on course (because she knows how fickle I can be!), Jessica and Kristy for enduring our Thursday night get togethers with endless whining about my boredom, EZ because without her I may not have had the courage to consider modifying this sweater as much as I did, and to Maggie Righetti
I knit this sweater in under 10 weeks, and I don't recommend it. My hands hurt. I was bored. I was hyper-focused every weekend and I was up until 2am the Sunday of Rhinebeck just so I could wear it in 75° heat. In my ideal world I would have taken a break after the body was done, but maybe in my ideal world I never would have finished at all.
specs
pattern St. Brigid by Alice Starmore from Aran Knitting
yarn Cascade 220 Aporto. 9.5 skeins
needles Knit Picks options size 6
mods tons, read my archive for a full list
sleeves and hood
The sleeves came out rather nicely and pretty much as planned (thankyouverymuch Maggie Righetti
The hood worked out pretty well too. I knit 4 repeats of the chart up each side and then grafted the 2 sides together (they're mirror images of each other so they grafted together perfectly). My grafting is a bit tight in a couple places so I may go back and loosen that up a tad.
thoughts on the sweater
I never expected this to be a shapely sweater. Having said that, it's still a bit more bulk-adding than I expected. I probably could have gone down an inch or two more in the body and still have been OK, but I wasn't sure because bulkier sweaters need more circumference to fit right.
I love wearing it and love the fact that I finally made it. I've hit a milestone in my knitting that I thought I might never hit, and in doing so I've learned a few new things about why I knit and what it means to me. It's going to take some time to gather my thoughts, so I'll leave that to my next post.
For now, will you excuse me while I pop around town in my new sweater!
Mazel Tov to you, it is unbelievable, what a major accomplishment!
It is GORGEOUS! Hope you have fun showing off your new sweater!
You're a genius! The sleeves mods look great and the hood is a work of art! At least it's finally cooling off in NJ so you can enjoy wearing it.
Congrats! The sweater is spectacular and the color is divine. My DD is looking over my shoulder, and she says "wow." If you can inspire a 10 yo knitter, you've accomplished something great :-).
It's beautiful. Congratulations! It's even great sweater weather today--go enjoy it!
Bravo! It looks so good! Enjoy wearing it in this (finally) cool weather.
Beautiful! I have half of a Brigid somewhere in storage. Yours *almost* makes me want to dig it up and give it a second (or third) chance.
Wooooo! It is sOoOo pretty! I love the hoopd, love the color, love the texture of the cables, and the blue looks stunning with your hair color. Total success. =)
Wow, she's lovely. Absolutely lovely.
Absolutely GORGEOUS. Congrats!
Outstanding, beautiful sweater! Great work by you, I'm looking forward to reading your other posts.
wow, WOW! it's just stunning! great job!
Fabulous job! I am so happy for you Jody. I can't wait to see it in person. :)
It is truly a masterpiece. I am in awe of your knitting skills!
It is absolutely fantastic--something to be really really proud of, not just in terms of the actual sweater, but also the perseverance and design skills needed to pull off a modified version in under 10 weeks! So, so great.
Congrats, Jody. It's an awesome (and awe inspiring) sweater and it looks great on you. I think the extra ease is nice because it makes it cozy. And look at all those beautiful cables!
Well done! I can't wait to hear more about how you did the sleeves. That sweater is absolutely gorgeous and today is the perfect sweater day - I hope your enjoying it.
LOVE the color! Beautiful sweater!! Kudos to you for completing such a perfect sweater.
It looks absolutely fabulous! Great job!!
Wow, it came out just stunning and while I can see why you might want a little less ease, I still think it is quite flattering as is.
Really really beautiful I'm inspired.
wow, it's totally gorgeous!! excellent job!
ooh, love it! love the mods too!
Congratulations. I've been waiting all these years for you to finally finish it...ahem...now, maybe I'll consider working on mine. The color really works for yah!
Fabulous!Congratulations, this is one of the most lovely St Brigids I've ever seen. And it scores pretty high on cabled sweaters I've seen too. Really, really lovely.
It's a gorgeous color on you... A.S. has a way with balancing cables, and this sweater is a prime example. Gorgeous! Did you ever consider having the cables emerge from ribbed cuffs/hem?
Congratulations! It's fantastic and a big achievement for sure!
It looks so amazing on you! The sleeves look spectacular, and the hood, too...wow. And the color! I'm making a sweater for my husband in that color of Cascade right now, and it's just so gorgeous.
Beautiful work, congratulations!
Congrats on a job well done! It looks absolutely gorgeous on you - one of those perfect combinations of yarn, color and pattern. Enjoy it!
Holy Sh!t. Seriously strut your stuff! I finally finished my Perfect Sweater, which took me 1 year and it's just miles and miles of SS!
It is gorgeous and there is no better color for you. Wear it with major pride. :)
So proud of you! And really glad I got to see it in person. It looks AMAZING. You should definitely feel like a rock star!
It's gorgeous. I don't think I have anything in my sights right now that is my St Brigid, but I know I will some day and I hope I can conquer it as well as you've conquered St Brigid!
It's perfect Jody! It looks great on too!
It's spectacular. And congratulations for all that hard work and the changes you made. You've inspired me to at least make an effort to tackle a design I've got in my head.
It looks absolutely fabulous! You should be so proud of yourself.
And--not that it compares because it was so much a simpler sweater--I finished my sweater with Cascade 220 in Aporto today. Man, I loved that color....
WOWZERS. So gorgeous! So covetable! i want one of my own someday! I would wear it everywhere if I were you this week ;)
It looks awesome!!! Wish I'd caught up with ya on Sunday to see it in person!
Amazing. I'm speechless.
Congrats on a beautiful FO.
Wow. wow. wow! Absolutely stunning. You knit St Brigid!
bravo! it's really fantastic! and what a gorgeous color.
Simply beautiful...I am pea-green with envy. A gorgeous job.
Great job. I so enjoyed watching this project evolve. It's a testament to your knitting skills. Perfect!
Hooray for you!
You did an amazing job. I'm so glad I got to see the process from start to finish.
You should be so proud!
It's stunning!! Congrats on a beautiful sweater.
Fantastic! St. Brigid is stunning, so impressive!
It's a really beautiful sweater and looks absolutely gorgeous on you.
Congratulations Jody, it's fantastic! It is great to see you hit a knitting milestone!
That is an AWESOME fo! Wow!
That is GORGEOUS! Love the color and congrats on finishing it.
That's a great sweater! Great, great job!!! :)
The sweater is so beautiful! Even more so when worn & that's a difficult task in my house. So I'll stand in awe.
You should be dancing on the rooftops, girl! this is *amazing* Congratulations on such a great garment - a true heirloom. And what a nice color for you too! :)
beautiful!! it's truly stunning and what a great milestone. woo hoo!
You've metamorphosed the baggiest, fringiest sweater (with the best cables ever) into a lovely, shapely garment. Yours retains the best of Alice's, yet fixes all of my complaints about the original. I dearly hope you're willing to share some mods for the rest of us! The front split for the hood turned out perfectly! Congratulations!
It's perfect!
so happy you got it done and that you LOVE it. it's a beautiful sweater and i'm not-so-secretly pleased that i got to see it in-progress.
an inspiration to be a more patient knitter for me--none of my sweaters so far are as gorgeously knit as this and i know it's because i get too excited to be done.
well done!!!
This is so inspiring - your knitting is lovely, and the mods make the sweater very flattering. Congratulations!
wow wow wow wow....that is one work of art. amazing....
yay, congrats on finishing -- looks like a TON of work, but worth it! I don't think it looks too bulky. The color looks great on you too.
It was worth the wait. What a great winter sweater...the color and wool will keep you very warm. Nice work!
It's beautiful and more importantly, it looks great on you!
It turned out so beautiful. You've inspired me to finally take the plunge and do it. Very very inspiring. Congratulations.
Awesome!
JODY! YOU ARE A ROCK STAR!! ALL CABLED & HOODED UP IN BLUE, YOU ARE!!
It is absolutely gorgeous. I know how proud you must be, and how empowering this is, knowing what you're capable of -- and you, especially YOU, with all the mods. It's just terrific! Well worth the wait. Congratulations.
I wear mine at least once a week in the winter... I wonder what kind of mileage you'll get.
; )
Beautiful sweater. I wish I could knit like you, and that the weather here was cold enough to wear one. The pattern is lovely and the color looks great on you. Congratulations!
I'm swooning....that one is on my to-do list so I'll read your redux very enthusiastically.
Simply gorgeous! And I don't really think you complained very much at all. :)
Wow! Just breathtaking!
Perfect, J. Absolutely perfect!
Wow such a wonderful job. You are a cabling master now! Great job.
That is so amazing! Well worth the wait!
wow. I love it.
Oh my goodness! I've been checking in almost daily, waiting for this post! You have done a beautiful job. I love the color, the hood, the fit...everything is just fabulous! Congratulations!
Beautiful!
Wow, I lovelovelove this.
This is so beautiful - and it looks lovely on you. You and I are similiarly sized and I like finding sweaters that look great on curvier people. And, I happen to have this book... Thank you for the inspiration!
Absolutely stunning. Nice job.
It is FANTASTIC!!!
Wow, I echo everyone else's comments. It is beautiful, it looks great on you, it's a work of art and an achievement. Congrats.
AMAZING!
The sweater itself is totally fantabulous. The color is beautiful and it looks lovely on you. It is a work of art. I think it is the prettiest FO I've ever seen on any blog.
Truly amazing!
Congratulations. I am awestruck with envy.
Great job. I'd be ecstatic, too, if I were you.
Fabulous! Love it, totally understand the head down through the cables pain of it, and yeah man, look what you have to show for it all. that's awesome.
Amazing! Congratulations!
It's lovely!
A true masterpiece. Well done!
That sweater is a masterpiece! I bow at your feet, Magnificent!
This is one amazing piece of work. I love the finished product and I will definitely be reviewing your mods for tips when I finally get around to starting my own. I think you look fantastic in it, too!
AMAZING!!!!!! I can't even believe how gorgeous your sweater is... it's just beautiful and your modifications are amazing...so much talent. I can only imagine how proud you must be and how tired and I'm sure there's the post project sadness that's it over. I've started and ripped and started and ripped St. Brigid twice now, but after seeing your version I may have to try again. Thank you so much for the inpspiration....really thank you.
It's amazing Jody, honestly and truly it is. Wow. That's all I got. Wow.
You have done such an incredible job on this sweater. I am in awe. Complete awe. Congratulations.
WOW! What a gorgeous sweater! The color! The cables! Love it - it's very flattering!
One day, I hope to tackle the cabley goodness that is St. Brigid!
Gorgeous! I love the addition of the hood!
Congratulations!It s a beautiful sweater.Woow...
Gorgeous! You should be sooo proud! If I could ever pull that off, I would wear it every day and tell everyone I came in contact with I made it. :)
Wow, that's beautiful! I wish I had seen you at Rhinebeck to see it in person.
What an amazing sweater! Congrats!
OMG Jody, It is absolutely freaking gorgeous! Well done!
Wow, oh wow, oh wow! Your St. Brigid is truly amazing. I love your modifications and think they "hip it up". Your beautiful creation was certainly worth the years of effort!
WOW! Fantastic job! WARMEST congratulations!! (Pun intended, also, lol!) This is such a beautiful pattern, and you chose a lovely color to make it in. Wear it in the best of health!
Oh. My. God. That is *exquisite*! :drool:
I'm sorry it took me so long to comment--but it's really never too late to tell you how incredibly amazing your sweater is!!!
Wow, and you look great in it too! I think St. Brigid has the best cables in the book. You did a great job in making it modern. That fringe... yuck!