Bloomin’ Cactus

This is what I woke up to this morning:
     

Yes, the above colors are true. Alas, these cactus blooms only last for about a day and a half. But when they open up, they rule the garden.

Back to knitting. I still can’t go near the needles because of arm pain (and I shouldn’t be using the computer mouse either), but I’m finally getting around to sharing photos of a sweater I completed a couple of months ago. Meet Britannia, a free pattern by Berroco:

Back view (fold marks and all) . . . and side:
  

The yarn is Filatura di Crosa “Zara” extra-fine 100% merino wool, color #1466. This is wonderful yarn to work with and comfortable to wear. And it’s superwash.

A couple notes on this sweater:  The pattern calls for ribbing that includes knitting and purling through the back loop. These stitches are easy for me now, but when I knit this sweater, I was a little overwhelmed by the whole pattern. So for the ribbing, I did a simple knit or purl instead of going through the back loops of the stitches. If I were to use this pattern again, I would do the ribbing as written.

This was a pretty simple knit. Lots of finishing, but I used to sew a lot, so I’m okay with that.

Oh yes, I blocked this sweater twice. The first time I blocked the individual pieces and sprayed them until very wet. The result was that the bottom of the ribbing, when the sweater was assembled, only went to an inch below my waist. The pattern seems to be designed more for short-waisted people, which I am not. So when I wore it, it seemed like a box of red, right in the middle of my chest.

When I realized I was avoiding wearing it because it was so short and clunky-looking, I figured I didn’t have much to lose by blocking it again. This time I submerged it for about 20 minutes. After rolling the sweater in a towel, I pulled the body down lengthwise, and put the sweater back on the blocking board for a good dry.

Surprisingly, the stitches don’t look elongated, although of course they are, and I’m much happier with the sweater now. If I had been more experienced when I knit it, I would have consulted the schematic and realized the problem before I even began knitting. Still, I’m comfortable in this sweater and feel good wearing it.