I can’t believe it was this close! Between CRAFT, my blog and Flickr, the sleeve preferences have been neck and neck (arm and arm?) all week! For a couple days, flutter edged ahead, but as of Tuesday morning, when I’d finished everything but the last sleeve, caps were ahead by one vote. I went with the consensus.
I love cap sleeves in theory, but normally feel my arms are too plump for them, especially if they’re fitted. But these caps are looser than usual, and I think I can just pull them off. Plus, it’s motivation to keep up with my arm weights, right?
(If you’re interested in my dress, check back on Monday for an easy how-to! It’s made from two standard pillow cases.)
People seem to have very strong feelings about both sleeves, although I liked them equally well and am already contemplating making one more so I can have a flutter sleeve, too. I I’ve found this yarn surprisingly easy on the hands–my hands usually get a little crampy with the vegetable fibers, but I think the loose easy gauge really makes a difference.
I have three skeins of Louet MerLin (60% linen, 40% merino) in pewter (grayish brown) in my stash, and I’m thinking of trying the original collar and a flutter sleeve. It’s kind of a stiff yarn that blooms a little with washing, so I may wash the skeins first so they’ll be nicer to knit and truer to gauge right off the bat.
I’m kind of stunned how completely different this garment is from the original, when the instructions are essentially the same. I’ve always loved top-down raglans for their flexibility, but the math of the puff sleeve ads a whole extra dimension of possibilities!
This pattern was definitely one of my favorites and certainly not my last That Girl! sweater. Besides the MerLin flutter-sleeve, I’m also picturing the original design in a lightweight merino or alpaca/silk blend with a matching shell as part of a sweet early winter sweater set. Maybe with a little crocheted flower off center, for a bit of an Emma Pillsbury vibe?
Download the Pattern PDF | Subscribe in iTunes
(Right click to save the PDF to your desktop. Having problems? See directions on downloading PDFs.)
If you’re participating in the KAL, use the code below to display this badge on your blog!
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/thatgirl_summerjacket/"><img src="https://cdn.makezine.com/uploads/2010/07/badge_summerjacket_kal.gif" width="150" height="150" border="0" alt="That Girl! Summer Jacket KAL" /></a>
ADVERTISEMENT
