Last summer I took Joji Locatelli's "Approach to sweater design" class in Jyväskylä. As "homework" she gave us her Worsted Boxy pattern so we could take a closer look at how grading is handled in the pattern. Well, I thought that I would learn more if I knitted the sweater, so here we are!

There are two options in the pattern: seamless or seamed. As there's rarely an opportunity to knit in pieces and for all the other reasons why seamed is better I opted for the seamed version. It's a nice piece to knit while reading: as the name suggests it's basically a big box with neck opening and sleeves, so there's plenty of plain stockinette stitch to keep your hands busy while reading the newspaper. However, I have to say that I'm not used to knitting with such big needles, so it took a while for my hands to get used to it. Surprisingly I found a set of ugly plastic DPNs in size 5,5 mm from my needle storage, so I didn't even have to buy tools for this project. I have no idea where these needles originate from, though!


I'm really happy with the way the sweater turned out, and I can see why the pattern has been so hugely popular. However, it might not be the best pattern to learn about grading, as there is not much difference between sizes due to the boxy shape. Well, you get the idea, and you get a lovely garment as a result, so all good. Except the yarn. It was a disappointment: after two weeks of wear, it was all pilled. Good thing is that I opted for black, so the pilling is not that visible. There's also a lot of static electricity building up charges around this sweater, but I don't know whether it's the amount of fabric to rub against itself or the material or just the cold winter weather. I still wear it, because I like the look!




It's RUMS day.