Jill Sweater

Remember this yarn I bought last week to knit a sweater for the silent auction?

I finished the sweater and took it to the concert/auction this evening. It turned out well, I think.

I knitted the pockets in basketweave stitch and sewed them on; then I embroidered the flowers.

Details of the flowers on the collar

I don't usually say much about patterns. I know that pattern writing is an art and also a science. There are standards for pattern writing. I should know: I spent the past year working on patterns for the certification. One would think a yarn company like Rowan would be careful to publish patterns that are easy to read. I found Jill to be vague in some of the instructions. I took out the button bands several times and reknitted them, mostly because the instructions were not specific about where to put the button holes. Rowan pattern books are expensive. I expect good instructions. From now on, I will read through any Rowan pattern I am going to knit and make sure all the instructions are understandable BEFORE I start knitting. Plan twice, knit once.

I asked someone at the yarn shop today about Rowan patterns. She stated what I had thought last night about 11pm when I was again ripping out stitches---sometimes Rowan is in such a rush to get a book to print that they sacrifice quality in pattern writing. In fairness to the company, I have to remember that British companies have a different set of expectations for the target market. Maybe the vagueness is due to expectations that knitters will know how to interpret the vague directions.

Whatever. The sweater is lovely and is already on its way home to its new owner.