Finally, here are some much delayed shots of my Obsidian. Sorry for the delay all!
It was caused by a combination of lack of daylight for decent shots in this dreary London winter and the fact that I am not 100% satisfied on this one.
This weekend was finally bright, so I threw this on really quickly and got the man to take a few quick snaps before we went out into the light to try to catch some Vitamin D.
(Apologies for the slight blurring – the light was still a bit too low, and I was also anxious to get out in the sun while it lasted!)
The neckline with this pattern is still an issue for me, as no matter what I tried the edge is a bit too scrappy looking for my taste. Using a larger needle to grow the cowl as the pattern suggests is just too noticeable and even though I increased stitches it still looks uneven. (For the life of me I could not figure out how people managed to get 100sts at that gauge to fit over their shoulders! I tried various needle sizes but it just wouldn’t give a satisfying result.)
Also, I was running out of yarn so in order to get the length of the cowl long enough to do this with –
I had to take length from the sleeves and finish the body a bit too short.
(To top it all off, I will never wear it over the shoulder, as I discovered it is uncomfortable and feels silly! ;-? )
Next time I will also increase the rate of decrease on the arms, as the garter stretches so much that they are quite loose. I hope to go back and fix these things one day soon…and take the extra length from the cowl for the hem.
On the plus side the top pattern itself (minus cowl) forms a nicely fitted, light gauge top. The top down construction is much easier, especially for fitting the arm diameter, and that garter slip stitch is just genuis. I was so lazy I even used it on the underside of the arms!
I will definitely use this pattern again with mods!
The Habu N-80 creates a very nice fabric and I have gotten a lot of compliments on this sweater.
Just a note, though, that it took much more yarn than expected – 6 balls!
From the Purl Side 
It’s just lovely! Will you wear it without something underneath or are you intending it to be a layering piece? I’m still thinking about making this one but I agree, the over the shoulder cowl is tricky to wear if you care to move your arms.
Thank you!
Yeah, that whole ‘moving your arms’ thing…such a hassle! Hah! Maybe if it was a more elastic yarn and you worked the sizing out right (up your alley!) it might be ok, though. I just couldn’t figure it out.
I think the least I could get away with wearing underneath (at my age!) it would be a tank top in the summer – it is pretty holey..and I went down on the gauge, as well!
It is a really well fitting pattern. I think you’d like that about it. I am going to make it again (or remake this one) into either a normal cowl or crew neck one day.
Very nice! I like it all bunched up rather than over the shoulders… I think it looks great! 🙂
Thanks Jo!