FO Friday | Rose Granite Quill.

Woot! It's Friday and I finished a sweater and I got Katie to take photos! This is Rose Granite Quill (named after the yarn - the pattern is Lori Versaci's Tails).

The pattern was great (Lori's patterns always are). I like that it has side seams and shoulder seams to help it hold its shape. Also, knitting the pieces flat made the project not so bulky.

The construction is really simple - it's two T-shaped pieces with a hole for the neck. Lori suggests a lot of positive ease (10"+) and I was a little worried about all that fabric on my small frame. To help compensate, I cast on four fewer stitches for each piece and shaped the neck according to the smallest size. The finished piece gives me 9-1/2" of positive ease and I think it works! It also stays on my shoulders.

There's a little bit of broken rib along all the edges

and of course there are tails!

My only little bit of disappointment with the project is the yarn. and it's really only a very little bit.

I bought the yarn at Purl Soho when Sara and I visited the shop back in April. It's their Linen Quill, a fingering weight wool/alpaca/linen blend and pretty much perfect for fall/winter/spring sweaters around here. It was great to work with and the blocked fabric is next-to-skin soft. But it biases. I was surprised that the small amount of linen (just 15%) would do that. It was obvious even in my swatch, though, so I knew to expect it in the finished piece.

It's noticeable for sure, but it really doesn't bother me. Part of the charm of linen, I guess.

p.s. Thank you for all your good thoughts and concerns for my mom and brother (on the edges of Hurricane Matthew). They still have power, but the worst is yet to come - heavy winds and more rain today. And it still looks really bad for the coasts of north Florida, Georgia and South Carolina this weekend. ...continued prayers...