The Kollabora Sweater

Pattern: Shibui Knits's Mix No. 1
Yarn: Lamana's Como Wool in Pine
Cost: free!



This is the sweater that was made from the yarn that was won from the contest that was made from the pattern that Kollabora gave me. And let's just say it's been a long time coming...

It all started several years ago when the online crafting community Kollabora was brand new and sent me a couple of knitting patterns to try out. I am a slow knitter, and so unfortunately not much came of it. Then, last year, I entered a photo featuring a certain bulldog in a hand-knit sweater into Kollabora's Christmas contest and won some yarn. Finally, this past year I combined said pattern and said yarn into the sweater you see before you today. Whew! It wasn't fast, but I finally have a finished garment to show off!



The pattern is a top-down raglan pullover. Pretty basic, but fun to try a new-to-me technique. About halfway through I panicked that I had picked such a basic stitch such as stockinette to make my rather plain sweater, but I ended up finishing it as-is because it made for an easy classroom knitting project. Don't worry, I am quenching my thirst for all things cable and color in my next sweater.

I like the top-down style because you get all the annoying shaping out of the way before you start, but as a knit-as-you-go type person it was a bit challenging to cast on without really knowing whether it was going to fit me or not. In the end my gauge was good and it all worked out well, although it's definitely quite fitted.



I love the look of Kollabora's website. It is clean and fresh and so much easier to use than some of my other favorite web haunts. However, it doesn't seem to have as much user engagement. While there are plenty of people posting projects, there's not as much comments or discussion as on other sites. I have this weird theory that the clunkier the website (I'm looking at you Pattern Review and GOMI), the more active the community. This could be because those sites are older (and thus more outdated looking but with more users), but I also think there is something to be said for a site that isn't overly polished. It's the rough edges that almost gives people permission to jump in and make it their own, like a cozy cottage where you can spread out your stuff rather than a new mansion where everything is too nice to touch. That said, I think sites like Instagram achieve both, so who knows.

Rambling aside, these photos were taken during our pre-Christmas vacation to Joshua Tree. We found ourselves in this beautiful little dried up river bed one afternoon - perfect for a hike and a photo-op.



I just started on the sleeves of another sweater, which I will hopefully finish up in lecture this semester. The more I knit, the more I realize that quality yarn and a good pattern are the key to knitting beautiful sweaters. This one is definitely a winner!

3 comments:

  1. really nice - I wish I could knit sweaters like that!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is great! Love the color, and it's a simple staple that will last you a long time.

    ReplyDelete

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