My Coraline

Finally, a post about my favorite FO ever, my Coraline sweater!

As soon as Ysolda published her pattern, I knew I wanted to make this sweater for myself. I bought the pattern right away, but then had to search for the perfect yarn. I ran across Debbie Bliss Prima online early last year and for some reason I needed to make this sweater with that yarn. But being in grad school, I wasn't about to pay full price for anything so I had to wait. And wait. And wait. Finally, in August, I sold my car and decided to use some of the money to buy the yarn and just my luck, I found it on clearance online!

Actually, more in keeping with the kind of luck I tend to have, I ended up waiting several weeks for the yarn to get to me because the online shop (run by one woman) did NOT send it out within 24 hours, as the website claims, did NOT send me tracking information, when I called and finally got through to the woman (who did NOT answer the shop phones when her website said she would be available) I was told that it should be arriving any day. Really, she had mislabeled the package and it got sent back to her, then re-sent to me. Frustrating? You bet!

After finishing off a couple of other WIPs, I finally started my Coraline at the very end of October. Let me just say that I looooooove this pattern. Everything is finished as you go, including hems for the bottom, attached i-cord for the sleeves, etc. Because it is just straight stockinette all the way up with no waist shaping or increases for the sleeves, this should have been a quick knit. Instead, I started getting bored with it and frustrated with the yarn so it took much longer to finish than it should have.

A word about Debbie Bliss Prima: this yarn is 80% bamboo, 20% wool. The end product is very soft and drapey, and surprisingly warm. However, I was completely disgusted with the number of knots in every skein. Each skein (of the 13 I used) had at least two knots, if not more. Some of them even had random lengths of yarn that were no more than a couple of yards long. Imagine my confusion when I was searching for the end to start a ball and ended up holding onto five. Five ends?!? In one ball?!? To make matters worse, I was worried about running out of yarn and I had to waste precious inches and time weaving in ends as I went. Plus, since the sweater is solid stockinette, those ends aren't easy to hide! I have to admit that my care paid off because they are not visible unless you're looking for them (the black color also helps), but man, what a pain! This is only my second experience with Debbie Bliss yarns, but I can guarantee that I will not be wasting my money on them again. For something with a premium price, I expect a better product. My apartment is now officially a Debbie-Bliss-Free Zone!

Sorry for the rant. I just want you to be warned. ;-) Maybe this will help y'all with your "mindful stashing" or "slow stashing" or whatever the proper term is for how everyone is treating their yarn purchases this year.

I finished the sweater up on December 12 and had just enough time to block it and let it dry (which took days) before I headed up to Minnesota for Christmas. I'm so happy I had it with me because it looks and fits just perfectly and goes with so many dressy or casual things. :)

Bottom line: LOVE the pattern. LOVE the sweater. My favorite FO yet!

Details (and more pics) on Ravelry
Pattern: Coraline by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Prima (blech!)
Mods: Lengthened arms and body, no buttons