The Saturn Sweater

This is the final (for now) version of the sweater I knit from the beautiful yarn that Amy King dyed and spun for me almost 2 years ago. For almost a year it languished in my closet as an ill-proportioned cardigan, which came close enough to fitting that I kept putting off the work necessary to make it just right.

While Spencer and Lisa were visiting, I pulled it out and started removing the buttons and digging out the woven-in ends. (I am all in favour of ripping, I do it frequently, but man, I hate that part!!) After they left, I removed the bound-off edge and lengthened the sweater body by an inch or two. This bit of length made the sweater look much better, but I had to be frank with myself and admit that I still wasn't happy with the overall fit.

The upper sleeves were more close-fitting than I prefer, and as a result the yoke felt too snug through the shoulders. I like more ease in the upper arm and shoulder areas than I usually find in commercial patterns (I have quite wide shoulders), which is one reason I usually don't knit sweaters from patterns. This makes it even more frustrating when a sweater I have designed and knit for myself is too tight in the shoulders. (Having said that, I've learned a lot about how I want a sweater to fit, since the I first knit this sweater.)



I ripped the yoke, added length and width to the sleeves, and reknit the yoke. I added a wide, cozy collar, and reknit the expletive deleted button bands. Ta-da! I have a well-fitting, very warm, easy-to-wear cardigan which I adore.

Possibly the best thing about this sweater is that the combination of reds and pinks has almost preternatural powers of flattery for me. My crappy skin looks almost clear, it suits my colouring so perfectly.

I can't complain at all about spending more time with this delicious yarn. It's so varied, from meter to meter and skein to skein, that it's never boring. It's the kind of yarn that I will likely rip and re-knit over and over in coming decades as each sweater I make from it slowly wears out. It's hardy, I think it could handle it... and it would be worth it.



The striping and colours on the back yoke of the sweater kept reminding me of alluring, brightly coloured illustrations of the planet Saturn, which intrigued me so much when I was a kid. Hence the name. (I suppose there's an obvious joke to be made about the size of the planet Saturn, and how I may look in this sweater. If you feel inclined to make this joke in the comments... don't.)