FO: The 9 day sweater

This is probably one of the quickest sweaters I've ever knitted. It is the Twisted Cardigan by Sarah Punderson (ravelry link). It's really more of a fall/winter sweater, but I just HAD to knit it once I saw it because it's just so unique. I figured it wouldn't take very long at 11 stitches/4 inches and I could finally use up the Cascade Venezia bulky merino yarn that I had saved from an unsuccessful skirt I frogged some time ago.

I'm pretty happy with the end result. It does give me a linebacker look because of the extra bulkiness in the shoulders, and the front sort of looks like I'm wearing an armored breastplate or something. The Other Half says it looks like "a springtime female Klingon outfit". I'm actually okay with all of that because I think the overall look is artsy.

I did make some minor pattern modifications. I always make customizations because, gentle readers, that's just how I roll. I really liked the two top cables on the front, but I didn't like the bottom smaller cable, and I didn't like the rising front at the bottom. The pattern (smallest size) calls for casting on 20 stitches, doubling up the stitches after the ribbing, then distributing 4 M1 increases on the bottom. I cast on 30 stitches, doubled the stitches only on the top 14 stitches, and omitted the increases along with the bottom cable. In addition, I knitted the back for only 9 inches before casting on for the sleeves so the front and back sides are same length. The pattern calls for 11 inches and easing the back when seaming, but that seemed like too much extra material. Finally, I did a little short-row shaping in the front to make the bust area a little wider and the bottom narrower, and I narrowed the back bottom also.

The buttons are decorative only -- I did not bother with button holes.