Handknit: Benton Sweater

Project Details: (view on Ravelry)
Pattern: Benton by Julie Hoover for Brooklyn Tweed
Size: 2nd smallest
Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Tweed in Lost Lake Heather and Down Heather

It's been a while since I've done a finished project post but I'm getting back on the horse and today we have my finished Benton Sweater! I started this sweater in mid April when I needed a road trip knitting project. Stonecutter seemed a little intense for taking on the road so a quick Ravelry searching revealed this gem, designed by Julie Hoover for Brooklyn Tweed Winter '14, which I thought would be a relatively mindless knit.

The sweater calls for Brooklyn Tweed Loft yarn but since I was on short notice and had already spent a small fortune on the Shelter for my Stonecutter I pulled some Knit Picks Stroll Tweed from my stash and went with that. The yarn is a pretty alright sub, the green had these little teal fluffs in it which I didn't think looked that great so every time one came out of the ball I plucked it off. I am glad I used a superwash yarn though because after one complete day of owning the finished sweater I can tell it's going to get a lot of wear.

I made the second smallest size which maybe corresponds to a small, I don't really know, and you can see it's a pretty roomy sweater. This photo totally cracks me up because between the shape and stripes it reminds me a little bit of a trilobite. It's going to be great for layering though, the sleeves are slim but not too slim that you can't put a shirt on underneath.

I really enjoyed knitting this pattern, it was the perfect mix of stockinette stitch for taking on the go combined with a lot of great techniques that I either needed to brush up on or learn. The hems are done with the tubular cast on which I hadn't done in probably at least 3 years, besides the Stonecutter, and I really enjoyed the Brooklyn Tweed directions. At first they seemed a little confusing but reading through a few times cleared things up. The shoulders are shaped with clever short rows which are executed differently than the short rows I've done on socks so it was fun to learn another method on that. The one time I wanted to freak out was doing the tubular cast off, phew that took a few reads through the instructions! Once I realized it was basically just the kitchener stitch, which I had just mastered while sewing the shoulders together, I was okay though and I'm definitely glad I figured it out and didn't cheat out with a regular cast off. It really does look super nice.

I totally love this sweater, I'm so glad I came across the Summer Sweater Knit Along hosted by Shannon. It really gave me the kick I needed to get back on the knitting bandwagon. That combined with semi-free nights combined perfectly to make this sweater happen. On to the next one!