Box-The-Compass

Someday I want to make a totally perfect sweater; one that is the right size and style for me, faultlessly crafted, and unquestionably beautiful. I finished my Box-The-Compass Sweater yesterday. It isn't perfectly perfect, but it's perfect enough for now. I made a few mistakes, I dithered over the yoke, I was impatient with the finishing. But in the end, I'm quite happy with it.


I am also agog anew over the brilliance of Elizabeth Zimmerman and Meg Swansen. This pattern is actually from Meg's book, but she writes "The Box-The-Compass design is the result of a collaboration between Ma and me." You can not work one of these wonderful recipes without learning an enormous amount and feeling hugely accomplished when finished. I'm a believer. I want to go knocking on doors, handing out copies of Knitting Without Tears and spreading the word about EPS. Amen.

I knit the sweater in sportweight because I wanted a lightish weight wear alone sweater and not a heavier outer layer sort of sweater. I was determined not to make it into a boxy shapeless schmata reminiscent of most of the items in my closet. Because I planned this to be a wear next to your skin sweater, I worried/obsessed/fretted a lot about what yarn to use. I finally settled on Morehouse Farm Merino, after first ordering their sample notebook. This yarn is luscious. It was wonderful to knit with. It is absolutely soft enough to wear against your skin. You'd never know from the palette I chose, but it comes in a huge array of gorgeous colors. I'm starting to dream about a colorful stranded/steeked/cardigan ala EZ.

Box-The-Compass

Pattern: Box-The-Compass Yoke Sweater from Meg Swansen's Knitting
Yarn: Morehouse Farm Merino 2-strand sport weight
Needles: US size 4 (mostly) I used US size 3 for the hems (I also inadvertently used US Size 6 for a time. I'm not proud of this, but I didn't rip it out when I discovered it.)
My Favorite Parts: The hems. The faux seams. The fact that it fits like it's supposed to. The yarn.