sideKick

My sideKick

Pattern:  sideKick
Yarn:  Louet Gems Sportweight

Here's one of the hair colors that has been since my last post.  And this photo was taken in my new condo!  The chair I'm sitting in was purchased specifically for the place.  I love it!  :oD

Now, on to the pattern.  This, as many of my knits are, was a test knit.  It was clearly written, and the designer was very open to suggestions and advice; I liked working with her a lot.  The pattern came out lovely.  I knit the 38" bust which gives me a little bit of positive ease, which I've been liking lately.  Easy and relaxed style.

While I had no troubles with the knitting of the project, I did have some issues with the final fit.  For instance, take a look at this:

Ok, so, maybe this isn't the best picture to illustrate my problem... but if you would take a look at the underarms:  there is a LOT of extra fabric there.  I feel like it all bunches up in the underarm area.  Definitely a tank top underneath ONLY sweater.  I don't like feeling a lot of bulk with my clothing, so wearing a t-shirt or anything will not work for me.  The other issue I had with this pattern is that there is no shaping done on the body of the sweater at all.  If I were to do it again, I probably would add a bit of shaping at the waist to help with the feminine feel of the overall appearance.  Since this was a test, I did not do so.

Despite these issues, I do really like the way it turned out, and look forward to wearing it when the weather starts to cool off a bit more here.  (I'm still in Texas, it won't be cool until November at the earliest.)  My boyfriend stated that this is probably his favorite sweater I've ever made myself, and with that kind of compliment, I do recommend this pattern to anyone who is trying to decide.  I would just recommend either adding shaping at the waist, or a bit of negative ease to help with the fit, and possibly pick up a few less sts for the underarms.  :o)