Red, upside down

Now let's see... New year, new intentions, new everything... or not, as I start blogging again with something, I started two years ago. 

This was my "New year Luck" sweater in 2021. Never really posted much about it, and even though I tried to look for pictures of making it, not much luck there either, even though two years ago I was blogging pretty regurarly. 

Anyhow :-) I bumped into this pattern either on Ravelry or on Instagram (probably the latter, but I really don't remember where exactly).However, when I tried to buy it, I run into a problem, because it was published on the Knit Pick's site, and being from Hungary, I could not buy even the digital pattern. Which is stupid. I mean it is bad enough that they only ship into a selected few European countries (and not mine), but a digitally downloadable pattern? Come on. I've talked about it with my friend, Angela, who sent me the pattern for my birthday. 

I dragged down all my boxes that contains red shaded sock yarns, picked out what more-or less suited the list.

...and then sat down to think, because the original design was knit from the bottom up, but somehow I was not up to that... I mean I like to say that I have nothing against sewing up a knitted sweater, but when you have a certain amount of yarn (and no way of getting more- which is often the case when you knit from your stash and / or second hand yarn), top down constructions (or toe up for socks) easier to handle, to change the length for example, if necessary. 

So I took the original pattern, looked up and noted the stitchnumbers at strategic points: the number of stitches cast on (for the body and the sleeves as well), the number of stitches when they've put together the sleeves and the body, the number of stitches where the pattern finished off, and the number of stitches cast off at the neckline. Took the list and basically turned it upside down, and that were my baseline for knitting, and I also took and turned the chart upside down. 

I finished it much later than I usually do with the new year's stuff, but it seems that it takes me longer and longer each year. After finishing it, took me months to actully sew up the yarn ends.

And took me more months to actually block it up and make pictures.

There is not much explanation for that, except that I am really not happy with my weight, or my figure and the 2020-2021 quaranteen years did not helped that a bit... quite the opposite and though the sweater did fit me, it was on the thight side. 

Back a few years ago, when I did my Joyride and my Ingrid sweaters I grew to like the contrast colored cuff (in addition to the longer than usual cuffs that kind of became my trademark), and worked that into this sweater as well (also to make sure I will have enough of the red color).

To echo that I added a similar dark red band to the waistline, and also increased it more agressively, which resulted in those pointy edges on the side that are reminding me the lines of some lagenlook style. I am still working on combinging handknitted stuff and that style, and you will see the results if I get anywhere with it. 

We finally photographed the sweater last february, and do not ask me why I have not posted them. But this time of the year I am once again working on a good luck sweater, which reminded me that I need to sew up the one I've knitted last year, and that maybe it is time to show this one as well. 

Sweater is based on the pattern Happily, which is -according to Ravelry- unfortunately not available anymore.

Yarns are various sockyarns, the white one was Fabel from DROPS.

Pictures: Norbert Varga @Bodeszphoto