theraineysisters knitting and so much more

My Breathing Space is finally D O N E !!  It seemed to take forever.  It didn’t help that I started it a couple of times with different contrasting colors (always with the denim blue, but I tried several other stripe colors!!).  My denim is Sun Valley Fibers MCS Fingering (75% Wool – Merino, 15% Goat – Cashmere goat, 10% Silk; 400 yds/115 grams).  The yarn is amazing!!!

Last year at knitting camp I dragged my peeps over and made them vote on a contrast color.  We chose Sun Fibers MCS in a silver gray (quick silver?) to go with the denim.  I like the combination!!  It has a beautiful drape and gorgeous tonality.  You cannot go wrong with this yarn!!

So, you KNOW I did something different with this pattern!  It is in my nature and cannot be avoided!! 😉  I did not want to change the colors along the longer edge, which is what the pattern instructed.  As you may remember, I did not have a good technique at that point for jogless stripes (see this post).

Veera Välimäki has you start and change the color stripes along the “seam line” on the long edge (shown as original method below).  I wondered if you could avoid that 🙂 .

Basically, I started the first stripe where the stripe was supposed to end, knit across the BOR marker to the turning spot.  I did a short row turn, purled back to my start point.  Then I knit the extra sts you were supposed to knit and carried the yarn for the next stripe for those few sts so it was in position.  I then knit the second stripe across all the required sts, turned and purled back, and carried the first color for a few sts to be in position for the next stripe…and so on.

Below you see the details.  The long side without stripe jogs on the left (the little blips are the increases that you do).  The top right is a close up of the short rows on the front, where the yarns were being carried across.  And then the two inside shots — one of the back of the sweater where I did not carry the yarn, and the front side where I did.  From the right side you cannot see any difference.

All the while I was increasing, etc., per the pattern instructions.  The two sides finally met at the “seam” at the short side of the skirt.

At that point I had to deal with the jog, which I described in the same post linked above.

The sweater fits great, but I don’t think it’s all that flattering!  I was hoping that the style would be slimming, but I think it has the opposite effect.  I still wear it frequently because it is a great top to wear in transitional, springtime weather!!