Durrow aka The Brit Killing Sweater

Matt’s sweater is finally done.

I cast on for this in December of 2006.

The combo of the crazy detailed cables on the sleeves:

And completely reworking the construction to be a saddle shoulder sweater based on Matt’s measurements instead of the raglan stock sizes that came with the pattern:

Meant that there is an insane amount of work in this sweater. More than any other project I’ve ever knit.

The yarn is Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed – it is a cashmere/merino/silk blend and is absolutely the most delicious and luxurious yarn I’ve ever worked with.

So between the expensive yarn and the guy there was a lot of pressure for this to be the Best Sweater Ever. I didn’t want Matt to be stuck with a sweater that didn’t fit – or worse be stuck wearing a sweater that looked homemade and shoddy just to make me feel good.

Plus - He’s a designer. Knitter or no more than anyone else he would notice the details and if they were well executed or not. I understand that perspective all too well.

This sweater had to be perfect.

So it sat in pieces – I think fear of failure more than anything else kept me from finishing it. After all of that work it would have been crushing if it wasn’t beyond amazing and that’s a pretty high standard to live up to.

But this Christmas I wanted to do something extra special for Matt. Because, really? Having a spouse who was sick for months had to be no fun at all. But he’s taken incredibly good care of me and Gizmo without complaint.

And Dexter, too!


So I finished it. And you know what? I shouldn’t have been worried. It’s a fabulous sweater that fits him perfectly. All of the work I did redesigning it completely paid off and I’m not sure it would be possible to make something crappy with this wonderful yarn.

He totally deserves this sweater and all of the work that went into it.

Totally.

Ravelry link: Brit Killing Sweater
Pattern: Durrow from the now defunct MagKnits - available on Ravelry here.
Yarn: Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed
Modifications: The only thing I kept from the original pattern was the cable and the ribs. I used the Knitters Handy Book of Sweater Patterns to rework all of the construction and sizing so that the sweater has saddle shoulders and is sized to Matt. It was a giant pain in the butt but worth it in the end.
Verdict: SUCCESS!