Pattern: Pamplemousse by Thea Colman

Yarn: De Rerum Natura Gilliatt in Forest

Needles: US10 (6.0mm)

Size: 48

Ravelry Link: here

Started: December 26, 2019

Completed: February 23, 2020

Is Pamplemousse my 5th cabled sweater with an oversized neck? Yes, it is. I know what I like and when this pattern from Thea Colman popped up it fell right into the Venn diagram of my favorite elements in a knitted garment. I was amazed to knock it out in under 2 months, as lately I have been finishing one sweater per year, but I just couldn’t put this project down! I am now treating it like my favorite sweatshirt and putting it on anytime I’m a little bit chilly.

I spent a lot of time trying to find a substitute for the recommended yarn, Taiga by Bleu Pousserie, which is a rustic yarn without a lot of elasticity. I am really thrilled at how it came out with the yarn I ended up with, Natura by De Rerum Natura. It is a squishy worsted weight that is 100% merino, but still has a more rustic hand. The cables look lovely in this yarn and while my slipped stitch pattern gauge was slightly different than the suggested, I did the math and realized it didn’t make a difference in my sweater circumference so I didn’t adjust for it at all.

I love how you can see the arm shaping in this shot! I did end up making a few modifications to the sweater. I picked up 2 extra stitches for the sleeve and did the same number of decreases so mine would be slightly roomier. I tend to have problems with sleeves being too tight in the biceps so this accommodated that. I also made the sleeves 2″ shorter before starting the ribbing, because I have the arms of a 5’2″ lady. Finally, I worked my cowl slightly differently than the patten – as suggested I went up a needle size after knitting 1″, but after that I kept bumping up to a larger needle size every 4″ per advice I’ve heard in the past from Amy Herzog. It makes the fabric looser as the cowl grows and allows it to get a bit bigger and lay nicely.

I am absolutely thrilled to have knit this sweater that fits in so well with many others in my closet. This one is different with the full cowl as well as the cropped length, and really, there is nothing wrong with having similar pieces if clothing you wear and love. Do you have any recurring features in the clothing you make? Tell me about it in the comments below!

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