January 6, 2009

Durrow aka The Brit Killing Sweater

Matt’s sweater is finally done.
Durrow Sweater
I cast on for this in December of 2006.

The combo of the crazy detailed cables on the sleeves:
Durrow Sweater
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:
Durrow Sweater
Meant that there is an insane amount of work in this sweater. More than any other project I’ve ever knit.
Durrow Sweater
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.
Durrow Sweater
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.
Durrow Sweater
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.
Durrow Sweater
And Dexter, too!

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

26 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:00 PM

    Wow, wow, wow! That sweater is gorgeous. You did a fantastic job and it looks terrific on him. Good husbands definitely deserve perfect sweaters. :)

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  2. freakin' phenomenal! Where's the Brit killing pose though? tee hee

    Seriously, great job. I can tell that he was thrilled with it.

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  3. Yes I knew Indiana Jones would be bad, I just didn't think it could be THAT bad. I was wrong. Fail indeed
    And the sweater looks great, by the way.

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  4. It fits him beautifully and the sweater and yarn are gorgeous! I'm going to look for that book...

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  5. WOW! Love the sweater. The cables on the arms are so intricate! Just the right touch of detail on a great sweater. You SHOULD be proud of it! You done good!

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  6. Anonymous8:31 AM

    That is a gorgeous sweater! I love the cables,yarn,ribbing. Could you make one for my husband?
    :)

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  7. Oh my goodness, that sweater is absolutely perfect!!! After knitting that, you must feel like you could successfully knit ANYTHING (and you'd be right). Your hubby's a cutie too. :)

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  8. Anonymous10:44 AM

    Fabulous job! Congratulations!! It looks great on him too. Good Job!! Dexy is thinkin to himself.. "where's my sweater?"

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  9. Jeanne... that sweater looks asbolutely amazing!!!! WOW!!!! I wish I could knit like that... make Andy an awesome sweater like that... WOW!

    You ROCKED IT! :)

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  10. Wow Jeanne that is amazing! You did a fabulous job!

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  11. Anonymous7:23 PM

    That is an absolutely gorgeous sweater! You did a wonderful job and it looks great on him...

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  12. Beautiful sweater and the fit is perfect. You should be very proud!!!

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  13. Anonymous11:15 PM

    That sweater is AMAZING!!! Absolutely perfect in every way. I love it. BTW, was that your "Manly Gift Along" project?

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  14. unbelievably amazing sweater, jeanne! you did a fantastic job and the pics of matt are awesome and fun! wtg on the FO!

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  15. Wow. That is perfect in every way. The sweater is beautiful and the yarn is beautiful, and the fit is impeccable.

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  16. Yeah THIS project so deserved its on post. When I saw it in the fam Xmas pic I thought nice sweater...but gurl it is an AWESOME sweater! Fits him perfectly!! And the cables on the arm...ROCKS!!

    Your hard work was very successful!! FAB gift to your deserving hubby!

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  17. WOW, that is freaking fanTAStic! Seriously gorgeous (in a macho manly sort of way, of course) and totally worth the effort!

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  18. It's stunning, Jeanne. Fabulously done.

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  19. Awesome, Jeanne! Matt seems to enjoy being a model. The sweater is amazing! I can't wait to see what you knit for Gizmo!

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  20. Anonymous10:18 PM

    This is just amazing! Happy 2009 to you!

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