FO: Starsky

Here's my first finished sweater of 2008: Starsky.

Pattern: Starsky, by Jordana Paige. Knitty Winter 2005 issue. Size small (40.5").
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Classic AL, Color 002, just under 12 balls.
Modifications:
1) I knit the back and fronts as written, except I added some waist shaping. Some other finished projects of this I've seen on Ravelry have looked on the large side so I wanted to make sure it had some shaping, even if it came out big (which it didn't).
2) I knit the sleeves as directed, but when it came time to sew them into the caps, they didn't fit. My row gauge must have been off (didn't check), so I ripped back the sleeve caps and did decreases every 4 rows instead of every other row. This worked well and the sleeve fits nicely.
3) For the collar, I knew ahead of time that I wanted buttons instead of the belt. I did short rows, but I did more of them and wrapped/turned in intervals of 6 stitches instead of 8. I also knit the collar until it was about 5.5" wide at the bottom instead of 3.5".

Verdict: Wonderful! As much as I loved Juno, Starsky is a much more practical knit. The collar fits under a coat easily and I like that it's wide enough that I can button it all the way up and wrap the collar around my neck (as demonstrated, above right). The Classic AL is one of my favorite yarns EVER. It's soft but really warm and hasn't shown signs of pilling. I am usually very sensitive to itchy knits, but I wore just a cami underneath this one.

I received another award! Monica at Rubys N Purls gave me the You Make My Day award. Thanks, Monica! [ETA: Jillian over at sknitty also gave me this award. You all know what a big fan I am of Jillian's work.]

Here’s how it works:
Give the award to up to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel so happy about Blogland! Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so that they can pass it on. Beware! You may get the award several times!

This is tough. I subscribe to 113 blogs, so how can I pick just 10? Well, here goes.
1) Lynne at I was knit together in my mother's womb. This is one funny gal who knits great stuff and is currently designing her own sweater.
2) Claudia at Mr Puffy. Claudia makes beautiful knits, my favorite lately being the Pufflet.
3) Wanda at WandaWomanKnits. She is always making something beautiful and always reflects on her knitting.
4) Silvia at silverknits. Silvia knocks out projects quickly and always keep me inspired with her marathon training and home remodeling.
5) Ginnie at Windy Knitty. She always makes beautiful stuff - check out her Buttony sweater.
6) She beat me to it, but Emily from MLE Knits. I just went over to her blog and saw that she gave me the same award. Great minds, I guess! Emily knits really great stuff - check out her Buttony sweater.
7) Anna at Anna's Flying Needles. This gal is the best darn wrap/lace/scarf knitter I've seen. She has tons of them - go check them out!
8) Faith at No More Sweaters!. She is truly hilarious. If she weren't into knitting, I would tell Faith to do stand-up.
9) Rachael at Catty Wampus. I always have a new post of hers to read and besides knitting, she always has yarn porn or something else to show you.
10) Kara at knitting lemonade. She is freakin' hilarious and knits fabulous stuff, too!