Fluffy Knits

It is currently a very gloomy evening, and the rain is threatening to start at any moment.  There has been a fair amount of precipitation around these parts lately, which means it is ideal knitting weather, or at least, it feels that way.  This sweater was blocked last week, and since I am doing my best to post in a more timely manner, here is the finished sweater.  I can't promise to have finished pictures posted any time soon, but baby steps . . .

I began this project in late November and finished it before the new year, which is a quick turnaround for me when it comes to knitting sweaters.

I previously made this design many, many years ago, and I tend to wear it when the weather is bad and I have no clue what to wear; it turned out slightly more oversized than anticipated, but it's easy to wear and extremely comfy.  So I figured it would be nice to have another version on hand.

Well, I finally got around to it.  And this Wonderfluff from KnitPicks seemed like an excellent pairing with the slouchy feel of the design.  

I decided to substitute a bit of texture for the stockinette stitch and used a double moss pattern for the body of the sweater, leaving the double rib as is for the hemline and collar.

This was a very easy knit, and just what I needed to keep my hands busy while watching silly television shows with a warm chihuahua on my lap and a cup of tea beside me on cold and dreary Winter days.

Most of the time I just have Tino on my lap, but Blue was visiting on the day that I began this project, and he was very excited to help (although he probably would rather I had both hands available to rub his belly).

The pattern calls for the the collar piece to be knit separately from the sweater.  It is slightly shaped and split at the front; the pattern suggests applying two buttons at the join.  I was planning to use circular needles to pick up my stitches and to create a seamless join for the collar, but then I remembered the green buttons that I recently acquired at an estate sale, and I thought they might make a good match.  It turns out, they are just perfect!  So I stuck with the pattern for the collar.

My least favorite part of this was applying the collar to the neckline.  Perhaps my subconscious remembered this from the last time around which would explain my reluctance to make the collar as specified in the pattern.  But I got through it in the end.

A quick dunk in the sink, and the sweater was finished.

Well, after it dried . . . which took a couple of days.

But now I have a second "Magnolia" sweater to add to the collection.

I am hoping that it will be as comfy as the first.  I suspect it may be even more cozy considering my fiber choice this time around.

The only real question is, what shall I wear with it?

And perhaps even more intriguing . . . will this be the year that I finally make myself a pair of trousers?