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Sweater Love

I was quite taken with Joji Locatelli's Lemongrass when I first saw it. I liked the split sides, the simple cable down the front and the turtleneck. The heavier gauge appealed to me also - faster to knit and a warm, cozy sweater in the end.

Lemongrass sweater

I went with one of the yarns recommended in the pattern; Malabrigo Yarn Twist in black. I loved this yarn and would like to knit another sweater with it. It is soft and squishy and not at all itchy. Sometimes even soft wool yarns in a scarf or turtleneck start to really bother my neck by the end of the day, but this one doesn't bother me at all. So good.

Lemongrass sweater

The only modifications I made to the pattern were very simple ones. Length was added to the front and back, but not equally - the back is longer than the front. Since I think loose sleeves on a sweater easily look sloppy, I went down a needle size for the sleeves. I like a substantial turtleneck and I have a long neck, so I added a whole lot to the neck, knitting the first half on a smaller needle so that it would stay close to my neck rather than bagging out.

Lemongrass sweater

The front and back are two separate pieces, but I did not work buttonholes in the ribbing at the sides. It didn't seem at all necessary and buttonholes in a large gauge rarely look good. The buttons are stitched on through both layers.

Lemongrass sweater

The pants are the Style Arc Elle Pant in olive marle stretch bengaline, ordered from Style Arc. The only alteration I made was adding length and I am very happy with the fit. This isn't the greatest photo of them, but they are pretty basic pants - easy to make, easy to wear. They are actually more green and less brown than they appear here. I expect I will use this pattern again and will try other Style Arc pants patterns.

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