Now, I know how some people feel about bobbles. And I really can’t even verbalize why, but I love them - I just do. As a result, I fell in love with Bobble Blue within seconds of receiving my 2006 Spring edition of IK and began knitting it not long after. After a delay due to a mental block with the sleeves, it was completed in the Fall of that year - And then it sat for a few months because the ribbing was too loose and the buttons too heavy, which resulted in some unattractive droopiness after only a few minutes of wear. I finally frogged the button bands and neck edging and then proceeded to pull it out periodically and make half hearted attempts at a new edging, which I was never really happy with and would inevitably rip out. I was quite pleased with the sweater itself though - I think many of us get attached to our knitting firsts, and this had a few - First cables, First bobbles, First set-in sleeves, First knitting of anything in pieces and therefore, First seaming. I sort of defined this in my head as my first “real” sweater (whatever that means), and so I couldn’t bring myself to give up on the body of it and frog the whole thing.

Finally last week, inspired by the color and simplicity of the lavender Cotton Gima stitches, I pulled it out once more and a little while later a simple crab stitch edging had worked it’s way around the edges. Then, on a whim, I started adding hooks & eyes (the only thing I had on hand), First three, evenly spaced down the front, then two more in the gaps, then those gaps were subdivided once more and it began to look like it might work - all told, it took 18 closures to even out any gaping, but I think it was worth the effort.

Pattern: Bobble Blue, by Mari Lynn Patrick

Source: IK Spring 2006

Needles: I’ve forgotten, but US7’s ring a bell.

Yarn: Knitpicks Shine Worsted in Wisteria

I think I have relayed this before, but beware! Shine Worsted GROWS. I purchased the yarn at the same time in two colors for two separate sweaters - this and the Sandra Sweater, and though it has held up relatively ok to the wear I put Sandra through - I don’t see myself using this yarn again.  It fit my budget and my color choices, but if I had them to do again, I might have chosen a more durable cotton/linen blend for Sandra and a cotton/wool blend or other wool blend for the Bobble Sweater. When using Shine, I recommend making a sizeable gauge swatch (a sleeve, even) to test true gauge. On the Sandra sweater I had to take more extreme measures, but here it was sufficient to take in the sides a bit by moving the mattress stitch seam in an inch or so from the hem to the ribcage - luckily it does not add too much bulk.

Mods: Here’s the before taken in the Autumn of 2006 (carefully adjusted to hide the droopy-button issue - I wish I’d taken a true representation shot before frogging, but I was too frustrated at the time, you’ll have to take my word for it):

And the after:

The biggest visible modification was the change-up of the edging. The ribbed bands were removed completely and replaced with a simple crab stitch edging and hook & eye closures (which I will now have to be excessively careful with when washing, etc - perhaps not the most practical choice, but it works).

I also added short rows at the bust to prevent cardigan-ride-up in the front, and though not a planned modification, I also had to take in the sides a bit as mentioned above. Even with this modification, there is a good 4 inches of ease in the body.

Learning experiences: For some reason that I don’t recall, I made a conscious decision not to knit the ribbing with smaller needles as directed in the pattern - this went for both the bottom bands, and the button bands. I learned from this sweater and the aftermath of trying to finish it, that I might want to follow the instructions on that point next time! The tighter gauge = added durability for the edge, and also added body to ribbing that could be a bit loose due to the frequent change between knit and purl stitches. I was ok with the bottom bands, though I could certainly see the value in making them tighter, but the button bands just wouldn’t do, and the buttons, though lovely, were metal and were far too heavy for the yarn - you can’t see how pretty they are if they droop!

Time to Finish: Just over 2 years.

Verdict: Warm affection, but not passion. This sweater is not ideal for my shape - My ribcage and hips are on the petite side, but my shoulders and bust are broad in relation to my body.  Added to that, I have a very short torso - so I need to be a little careful about shaping. Without good waist shaping I tend to look very square in the torso. I think this sweater does add some unneccessary bulk on top, but strangely, I’m ok with it here. Maybe that just means that I’m growing more comfortable with my shape as I get older. I DO have broad shoulders - not much I can do about it. So, not my favorite FO, but finishing this one and feeling comfortable wearing it - even a bit pretty - made me happy nonetheless, and removing a long-standing WIP from the list made me quite pleased!

This was not my longest-standing WIP, but nearly so. I think there’s only one that outdates it. What are your longest running projects or longest hiatus before finishing? Was it worth the wait? Did you learn anything in the interim that you wish you knew when you started the project?

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