Lately I have been working on the Feleena sweater, a pattern by Patons & Baldwins from the 1940s. I fell in love with this design as soon as I saw it - I am such a sucker for a lace design and I especially loved the contrasting vertical columns of yarn-overs to break up the zig-zag lace pattern.
The yarn I am using is thrifted, and is a lovely peach tone fingering weight. I only have 300g (6 x 50g balls) and was so frightened I would run out of yarn. So, I put it to the experts on the VKP Instagram page and all but one person voted that I should live life on the edge, and go for it!
I am so glad I took the risk, because at this stage I am quietly confident that I will be able to pull it off. The original pattern for a bust 36-37" required 8 ozs (226 grams) and I am knitting mine with an additional pattern repeat to bring the total bust size up to 39.5 inches. I am hoping that my maths is correct, and if it works out I should have enough yarn.
I used just over two balls for the front, which is now complete (around 110g), and I think even though the back will take a little more than that, I should have enough for the neckband and sleeves. The sleeves may need to be a little shorter, but I don't mind doing that if I need to.
This pattern is very interesting because of the way it grows in shape. After the ribbing on the body is complete, and stitches are added to begin the pattern work, the stitch count remains the same up until the armhole shaping. As you can see in the photos however, the work definitely grows! This is achieved by going from a size 12 needle for the ribbing and first entire pattern repeat, to a size 11, to finally a size 10. There is a subtle change in the density of the fabric with the needle changes, but my tension is naturally quite tight so I don't think it is an issue.
I can't wait to knit up the back of the sweater, and see it all together. I have already bought a few buttons from my local thrift store for the back closure which match perfectly!
Stay tuned for the final photos of this piece, and feel free to follow along on Instagram where I have a highlight saved of all my progress photos.