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!
Comments
Mazel Tov to you, it is unbelievable, what a major accomplishment!
Posted by: Heather | October 28, 2007 11:06 AM
It is GORGEOUS! Hope you have fun showing off your new sweater!
Posted by: yaiAnn | October 28, 2007 11:12 AM
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.
Posted by: Kiyomi | October 28, 2007 11:18 AM
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 :-).
Posted by: Jocelyn | October 28, 2007 11:34 AM
It's beautiful. Congratulations! It's even great sweater weather today--go enjoy it!
Posted by: naomi | October 28, 2007 11:37 AM
Bravo! It looks so good! Enjoy wearing it in this (finally) cool weather.
Posted by: Kristy | October 28, 2007 12:03 PM
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.
Posted by: Kelly | October 28, 2007 12:20 PM
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. =)
Posted by: Julia | October 28, 2007 12:28 PM
Wow, she's lovely. Absolutely lovely.
Posted by: Kat | October 28, 2007 12:28 PM
Absolutely GORGEOUS. Congrats!
Posted by: Bethe | October 28, 2007 12:48 PM
Outstanding, beautiful sweater! Great work by you, I'm looking forward to reading your other posts.
Posted by: Angie | October 28, 2007 12:49 PM
wow, WOW! it's just stunning! great job!
Posted by: cori w | October 28, 2007 12:53 PM
Fabulous job! I am so happy for you Jody. I can't wait to see it in person. :)
Posted by: Kathleen | October 28, 2007 12:55 PM
It is truly a masterpiece. I am in awe of your knitting skills!
Posted by: MaryLou | October 28, 2007 12:57 PM
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.
Posted by: Ashley | October 28, 2007 12:59 PM
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!
Posted by: connie | October 28, 2007 01:12 PM
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.
Posted by: michelle | October 28, 2007 01:26 PM
LOVE the color! Beautiful sweater!! Kudos to you for completing such a perfect sweater.
Posted by: Sharon | October 28, 2007 01:34 PM
It looks absolutely fabulous! Great job!!
Posted by: irishgirlieknits | October 28, 2007 02:18 PM
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.
Posted by: Marnie | October 28, 2007 02:33 PM
wow, it's totally gorgeous!! excellent job!
Posted by: gleek | October 28, 2007 02:37 PM
ooh, love it! love the mods too!
Posted by: Stephannie | October 28, 2007 02:46 PM
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!
Posted by: travelita | October 28, 2007 02:57 PM
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.
Posted by: Maud | October 28, 2007 02:57 PM
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?
Posted by: grumperina | October 28, 2007 03:03 PM
Congratulations! It's fantastic and a big achievement for sure!
Posted by: Kathy | October 28, 2007 04:10 PM
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!
Posted by: whitney | October 28, 2007 04:11 PM
Congrats on a job well done! It looks absolutely gorgeous on you - one of those perfect combinations of yarn, color and pattern. Enjoy it!
Posted by: anne | October 28, 2007 05:13 PM
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. :)
Posted by: Lynn | October 28, 2007 05:24 PM
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!
Posted by: ann | October 28, 2007 05:30 PM
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!
Posted by: Shannon | October 28, 2007 05:46 PM
It's perfect Jody! It looks great on too!
Posted by: Debi | October 28, 2007 05:50 PM
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.
Posted by: chris | October 28, 2007 05:55 PM
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....
Posted by: --Deb | October 28, 2007 06:31 PM
WOWZERS. So gorgeous! So covetable! i want one of my own someday! I would wear it everywhere if I were you this week ;)
Posted by: Glenna | October 28, 2007 06:34 PM
It looks awesome!!! Wish I'd caught up with ya on Sunday to see it in person!
Posted by: Eklectika | October 28, 2007 06:34 PM
Amazing. I'm speechless.
Congrats on a beautiful FO.
Posted by: Mari | October 28, 2007 07:05 PM
Wow. wow. wow! Absolutely stunning. You knit St Brigid!
Posted by: caro | October 28, 2007 07:43 PM
bravo! it's really fantastic! and what a gorgeous color.
Posted by: Allegra | October 28, 2007 07:51 PM
Simply beautiful...I am pea-green with envy. A gorgeous job.
Posted by: Rusty M. | October 28, 2007 08:09 PM
Great job. I so enjoyed watching this project evolve. It's a testament to your knitting skills. Perfect!
Posted by: Mary Beth | October 28, 2007 08:19 PM
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!
Posted by: Christy | October 28, 2007 08:23 PM
It's stunning!! Congrats on a beautiful sweater.
Posted by: kmbel | October 28, 2007 08:24 PM
Fantastic! St. Brigid is stunning, so impressive!
Posted by: Karma | October 28, 2007 08:49 PM
It's a really beautiful sweater and looks absolutely gorgeous on you.
Posted by: lyn | October 28, 2007 10:07 PM
Congratulations Jody, it's fantastic! It is great to see you hit a knitting milestone!
Posted by: Dani | October 28, 2007 10:07 PM
That is an AWESOME fo! Wow!
Posted by: Anne-Caroline | October 28, 2007 10:40 PM
That is GORGEOUS! Love the color and congrats on finishing it.
Posted by: Jocele | October 28, 2007 11:17 PM
That's a great sweater! Great, great job!!! :)
Posted by: cactusneedles | October 29, 2007 12:23 AM
The sweater is so beautiful! Even more so when worn & that's a difficult task in my house. So I'll stand in awe.
Posted by: lola | October 29, 2007 08:13 AM
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! :)
Posted by: Lolly | October 29, 2007 08:25 AM
beautiful!! it's truly stunning and what a great milestone. woo hoo!
Posted by: margaux | October 29, 2007 09:00 AM
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!
Posted by: Eyeknit | October 29, 2007 09:09 AM
It's perfect!
Posted by: kate | October 29, 2007 09:14 AM
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!!!
Posted by: heather | October 29, 2007 09:30 AM
This is so inspiring - your knitting is lovely, and the mods make the sweater very flattering. Congratulations!
Posted by: Donna | October 29, 2007 09:57 AM
wow wow wow wow....that is one work of art. amazing....
Posted by: stacey | October 29, 2007 10:10 AM
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.
Posted by: lekkercraft | October 29, 2007 12:03 PM
It was worth the wait. What a great winter sweater...the color and wool will keep you very warm. Nice work!
Posted by: margene | October 29, 2007 12:04 PM
It's beautiful and more importantly, it looks great on you!
Posted by: elizabeth | October 29, 2007 12:58 PM
It turned out so beautiful. You've inspired me to finally take the plunge and do it. Very very inspiring. Congratulations.
Posted by: Sharon | October 29, 2007 01:00 PM
Awesome!
Posted by: Jeanette | October 29, 2007 01:22 PM
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.
; )
Posted by: Vicki | October 29, 2007 01:28 PM
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!
Posted by: Judy | October 29, 2007 01:35 PM
I'm swooning....that one is on my to-do list so I'll read your redux very enthusiastically.
Posted by: Zeila | October 29, 2007 01:43 PM
Simply gorgeous! And I don't really think you complained very much at all. :)
Posted by: Jessica | October 29, 2007 03:05 PM
Wow! Just breathtaking!
Posted by: Knittypants | October 29, 2007 05:19 PM
Perfect, J. Absolutely perfect!
Posted by: pamela wynne | October 29, 2007 06:58 PM
Wow such a wonderful job. You are a cabling master now! Great job.
Posted by: Nubiancraftster | October 29, 2007 09:54 PM
That is so amazing! Well worth the wait!
Posted by: tiennie | October 29, 2007 10:10 PM
wow. I love it.
Posted by: theresa | October 29, 2007 10:58 PM
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!
Posted by: Heather | October 29, 2007 11:50 PM
Beautiful!
Posted by: Laritza | October 30, 2007 12:03 AM
Wow, I lovelovelove this.
Posted by: Joan | October 30, 2007 01:39 AM
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!
Posted by: Jo | October 30, 2007 08:49 AM
Absolutely stunning. Nice job.
Posted by: Nancy | October 30, 2007 11:27 AM
It is FANTASTIC!!!
Posted by: scout | October 30, 2007 12:42 PM
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.
Posted by: Michelle | October 30, 2007 01:09 PM
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.
Posted by: Kris | October 30, 2007 07:02 PM
Great job. I'd be ecstatic, too, if I were you.
Posted by: twig | October 30, 2007 07:58 PM
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.
Posted by: julia fc | October 30, 2007 09:40 PM
Amazing! Congratulations!
Posted by: diana | October 30, 2007 10:14 PM
It's lovely!
Posted by: Annie | October 31, 2007 06:32 AM
A true masterpiece. Well done!
Posted by: VickiW | October 31, 2007 07:33 AM
That sweater is a masterpiece! I bow at your feet, Magnificent!
Posted by: Angie | October 31, 2007 12:45 PM
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!
Posted by: not an artist | October 31, 2007 02:10 PM
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.
Posted by: Denise | October 31, 2007 03:49 PM
It's amazing Jody, honestly and truly it is. Wow. That's all I got. Wow.
Posted by: nova | November 1, 2007 02:07 AM
You have done such an incredible job on this sweater. I am in awe. Complete awe. Congratulations.
Posted by: Ann | November 1, 2007 12:29 PM
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!
Posted by: Amanda | November 1, 2007 04:25 PM
Gorgeous! I love the addition of the hood!
Posted by: Laura | November 2, 2007 02:55 AM
Congratulations!It s a beautiful sweater.Woow...
Posted by: Katya | November 2, 2007 06:02 AM
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. :)
Posted by: Jenn | November 2, 2007 09:37 AM
Wow, that's beautiful! I wish I had seen you at Rhinebeck to see it in person.
Posted by: Ellen | November 4, 2007 09:31 AM
What an amazing sweater! Congrats!
Posted by: Emma | November 4, 2007 05:33 PM
OMG Jody, It is absolutely freaking gorgeous! Well done!
Posted by: jacqueline | November 4, 2007 08:21 PM
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!
Posted by: nonaKnits | November 5, 2007 06:08 PM
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!
Posted by: Bernadette | November 6, 2007 11:24 AM
Oh. My. God. That is *exquisite*! :drool:
Posted by: Romi | November 6, 2007 11:49 AM
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!!!
Posted by: Mintyfresh | November 18, 2007 11:03 AM