Finished: Tickles

 

I actually finished this last week just in time for one of Ana’s friend’s birthday.  This was a Drops pattern.  Meaning, the most hated of all free written patterns on the internet.

I don’t know if they’re Swedish, some other Nordic, or what, but none of that matters because whoever is writing up their patterns in English is doing a not so great job.  The sad thing is, the patterns are amazing, they come out perfectly every time, but unless you’ve been knitting for practically your whole life like I have, then you might not understand how certain things spring forth from one’s needles.

One of the biggest issues I’ve seen is the tendency to put the directions for decreasing or increasing at the top of the page and then you have to scroll up, find your size and remember to do what they say at a specific time.  It’s fucking irksome.  I know how a top down sweater is constructed, so I know what increases and decreases to do what way and which looks best.  Can they just write that out so I don’t have to think for myself?  Fuck no, they’re Drops and they don’t fucking roll that way.

Anyway.

For some strange reason I had like eight cakes of Mandala Sparkles in Draco.  Maybe I accidentally bought it twice or three times, I don’t know.  Maybe I over estimated how much I’d need.  I had enough to make Chloe’s birthday sweater, and enough to make this one for Kayleigh and it looks like I have plenty left over for yet another sweater for someone else.  Probably Ana because she refuses to wear the wool cardigan I knit her in September which happened to be another Drops design.

Yes, I enjoy torturing myself…

So much so, that I will be knitting this exact sweater in a size ten, twice more, one for Athena’s birthday and one for Ana cause of the aforementioned aversion to wool.  I’ve already ordered garish colors from Denmark.  Neon green for Athena and Hot Pink for Ana.  They’ll look like watermelons.

At least when I cast on this pattern for the second time I’ll know exactly what to do and where, but I shall still be cursing at the assbackwardsness of Drops and their inability to write an easy to comprehend pattern.

I haven’t heard from my friend, so I’m hoping her daughter loves the sweater.  I even added a little fairy to the bottom edge since it can’t be used as an actual button.

Such is the life of a knitter.

🧶