The Seamless Saddle-Shouldered Big Sack Sweater

I'm trying to get this posted on the Zimmermania blog but not having much progress on that today so here it is.

Crappy photo on a cloudy day but here is my contribution to the lot of seamless EZ sweaters. I had completed the Big Sack sweater from S&B years ago when I was just learning the continental method of knitting. I, like many other beginners, wrapped the yarn the wrong way round on the purl rows and ended up with a very heavy sweater full of row of crossed stitches. That sweater didn't get much wear.

I decided to knit this seamless sweater with the Big Sack Sweater's cable down the front. I think it is a good match for the pattern. I also knit this sweater a few needle sizes down from the recommended gauge for the yarn I used: Ambiance by Markoma (I can't find a site for this Norwegian yarn). This made for a really slow knit, huffing all those tight stitches around the needles, but resulted in a very thick and warm fabric. Just what is needed for the damp cool springs we have here in Vancouver.

I really like EZ's patterns but her 'recipes' occasionally get to me. She comes up with a really neat solution to sweater design but then doesn't follow through all the way. For instance she spells out the pattern so you can knit the sweater in the yarn you choose, for a size that fits just you, all in percentages, which is great. But then you come across a line in her recipe that says "Now knit 10 more rounds." Who's 10 rounds? Your 10 rounds? My 10 rounds? If anyone else was irked by this I figured out that these 10 rounds equal out to knitting up (ssk's and k2tog's at the shoulder decreases as before) 20% of the stitches you cast on for the body. At least I think that is correct, it worked for me. This equaled only 6 rounds for me at my gauge/wool combo.

Also, I would definitely do this sweater from the top down if there is a next time. I had to back track and knit 3 more inches to the body after being nearly completed the first time or I would have ended up with a belly sweater. Yuck. Its not so easy to guess how long the body should be before hand.

Anyways, I digress. I am pretty happy with the sweater, and once I have finished seaming up the other arm pit and sewing down the inside collar, it will be ready for Spring!