I finally finished the Owl Sweater by Kate Davies Design! In fact, I actually finished this about a month ago. I’m liking that I’ve been blogging about things after I have had a chance to wear them a bit, because then I can talk about how they feel to wear.
Pattern- Owls by Katie Davies Design
Yarn- Berocco Ultra Alpaca Chunky from Seattle Yarn
Alterations and fit- I don’t know if this is the term knitters use, but since I come from a sewing background and I don’t know what the knitting equivalent is or if there is one, I’m going to stick with “alterations”.
Unlike my Miette Cardigan, which was knit from the top down, the Owl Sweater is knit from the bottom up. Since my Miette felt too tight at the waist and this is a pullover, I was super nervous about the waist being too tight. So I used my sewing knowledge and decided to knit the sweater based on my measurements. Again, I’m not sure if you call it grading in knitting too, but what I did was I cast on for a size 5 at the hips and then decreased to a size 4 at the waist. I then adjusted the waist increases, so that by the time I got to the side increases I was at size 3. It was a little confusing trying to figure that all out at first, but whatever I did worked, because I feel like the fit is perfect!
Total time to make- I started this in Feb. of 2015 and just finished this last month. I don’t tend to knit much in the warmer months, so this sweater sat for several months over the summer. Because I take so long to knit and like to knit on the couch while snuggling with my yellow lab, there may be a few dog hairs woven in. There’s dog hair sewn into the lining of my wedding dress, so why not in this sweater too?
For the buttons, I just bought some simple black buttons from Pacific Fabrics and used embroidery thread to sew them on. Since the pattern has you purl right where the eyes are supposed to be, placement was really easy. I think this style of buttons are actually called “cat’s eye” buttons, so I guess that would make them a good choice for eyes! I’ve seen some versions of this sweater where people left the buttons off, but I really like the way the black buttons contrast with the brown yarn, so I’m happy I decided to include them.
I picked this color because I was trying to knit with a color other than gray and thought brown would be a good color for an owl sweater. I never really wear brown (with the exception of brown shoes), so I knew I was getting outside my comfort level color-wise. I was also worried about the fit and that it would be too warm. I don’t know why I set my expectations so low, but I was super freakin’ excited when the fit, the buttons and the wearability all fell into place. I’ve been wearing this thing like crazy. It’s not too warm. It’s not itchy. I feel like the fit is great. I like the color. Hooray!
Right now I am knitting a pair of fingerless gloves for my co-worker, but as soon as I am done with them, it’s back to the Hetty Cardigan that I started last Fall. In the meantime, if you are on Ravelry, you should friend me! I’d love to see what you are working on as well!
Hello, your sweater is beautiful! Very Nice Job.
I am thinking about purchasing this pattern and was looking for some comments about the pattern and how hard it was to follow. I just made a shawl with the owl pattern but I am a little nervous about a sweater. I have made one sweater with a lot of help and I am happy with it being my first attempt. In your opinion, is the pattern written so a beginner would understand it or is it written for more of an advanced sweater knitter. Any comments you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Mary.
Hi Mary, sorry for the slow reply. I haven’t logged on for awhile! If you have made a shawl with the owl pattern, you can totally make this sweater. This was the second sweater I ever knit as well and think it was challenging enough, but not over my head. It’s knit in the round from the bottom up and is knit mostly in stockinette until you get to the owls. The most confusing part for me was attaching the sleeves (you knit them separately and then attach them right before you start the owls). I had to get help from my knitting group on that one. You just have to make sure you attach the sleeves in the right order (it says on the pattern what the order is). Hope that helps and let me know how it goes!
OMG, this is the coolest sweater I have seen in my life. Great post, as always!