Sweatshirt Complete

My cozy grey sweatshirt is off the needles.  It's perfect.

I tried to resist casting on for this, but the allure of the cozy organic yarn, simple pattern, and pockets finally pushed me over the edge.  I'm so glad I gave in.

The pattern is Agnes by Melissa LaBarre from Quince & Co (available as a download).  It's a very simple raglan sweater with a nice swingy shape and side seam pockets.  The pattern was designed with a single ply wool, but I chose Classic Elite Sprout in the perfect shade of gray.  The color is called Summer Rain, which seems so very appropriate today.

I tried knitting the pockets with Sprout, but the effect was less than flattering.  I sewed up a few little squares out of fabric and hand stitched them in place.  In hindsight, I could have used Seedling, Sprout's little sister yarn, to create a knitted pocket with less bulk.

The boatneck-ish neckline on this is so comfortable for me.  I like to think that it adds a little bit of femininity to what is otherwise a boxy bulky pullover.  I knitted most of the sweater on a US10.5, but I switched to a US9 for the ribbing on the sleeves and the hem.

Back in April, I wrote about this lovely organic cotton yarn, and I stand by my review.  My hands did not get sore and cramped while knitting with this cotton, and the finished texture is casual and cozy.  I used every last bit five skeins of Sprout for the sweater, although I would have needed another for the pockets.  I made the 37.5", but I added a few more underarm increases and made the sleeves 3/4 length.

I have already washed this a few times, and it seems to do just fine.  I turned it inside-out, washed it on cold, air-fluffed it in the dryer, and laid it flat to dry the rest of the way.  As with any pure cotton garment, it shrunk up a tiny bit in length and the stitches tightened up again, which was just fine with me.  It stretched out a bit the last time I fell asleep wearing it.  Yup, it's that perfect.