My Birkin Sweater
If you follow me on IG, you know I’ve recently completed my Birkin sweater, by Caitlin Hunter of Boyland Knitworks. Caitlin Hunter is a prolific and beloved designer, currently in vogue among hand knitters. I’m not the hugest fan of her designs, but then, I often don’t jump on the bandwagon at the first pass. It often takes me awhile to warm up to a designer’s aesthetic. I tend to see whether it grows on me and sometimes it does, but often it doesn’t. However, I loved the Birkin right away. I’m a sucker for flowers so that’s probably why.
Before I get into talking about the Birkin specifically, I want to talk about the issues I have generally with Caitlin’s sweater designs. She often incorporates colourwork and I appreciate her modern take on stranded knitting, but unfortunately, it’s not always pleasing to my eye. There are a couple I would love to knit, though, (The Zweig leaps to mind) and they are in the back of my mind. Her designs are not really complicated other than the yokes, because she doesn’t go in for a lot of shaping, but prefers an over-sized look. That’s where she and I part ways. I’m a large woman, (i.e. I’m tall and not petite), and I think the oversized look can make taller and heavier women look even bigger and it’s not what I’m going for. That’s not to say I love things that are form-fitting, but a little shaping can be flattering and still comfortable. People adore her so much that I don’t usually express my issues with her designs but I secretly think she may have started designing knitwear before she really understood all the ins and outs (pardon the pun) of shaping, etc., so this was her way of avoiding it. Anyway, she has lots of great ideas and they are very popular, so enough said.
The Birkin
I had plenty of issues during the knitting of my Birkin, but, finally, I’m very pleased with the results. When I look back at all the hemming and hawing I did about needle size, stitch count, the amount of ease I wanted and the way the neck looked, I’m ultimately very glad I went through those decision trees, because they resulted in a very wearable garment. If I’d simply picked a size and knitted it without giving it a second thought, trusing the designer every step of the way, I doubt it would have turned out the way I wanted. Especially given my gauge was way looser than the pattern called for from the get-go. Yes, I *think* I got gauge when I swatched (it’s a bit hazy, since that was in September!), but as soon as I got a bit past the neck ribbing, I knew I wasn’t on gauge. I had 24 stitches instead of 26 over four inches. Sure, I could have pulled it out and restarted, but where’s the fun in that??
If gauge isn’t something you’ve worried about much in your life— for instance, if you’re not a knitter, or you’ve only knitted scarves and shawls— you may not think a difference of 24 vs 26 stitches over four inches would make much of a difference. It’s important to actually do the calculation to bring home exactly how important gauge is. The Birkin pattern calls for a large increase immediately after the neck ribbing, to 168 stitches. The difference in size between a 24 stitch gauge and a 26 stitch gauge in that case, would be two inches, so you see, it was important for me to know I was knitting at the wrong gauge, and make adjustments. The stitch count was going up from there and the size differential would continue to rise. The main reasons I didn’t frog the whole thing and start again, were because the neck seemed to fit fine at that point, and the knitting gurus at Espace Tricot advised me that knitting Brooklyn Tweed Loft at a looser gauge was actually preferable, as it made a nicer fabric. I was happy to have a reason not to frog, I’m not going to lie. So, for the next increase, I went up to only the size Medium number of stitches instead of the size Large if my memory serves.
The next issue came when I started the colourwork and noticed that my gauge was now much tighter. This is a common occurrence when knitting stranded colourwork, and this pattern had the added challenge of carrying three strands in some rows instead of two. I think I tinked a few rows of colourwork and reknit them up at least one needle size. Plus at some point early on (after the first green leaves, I think!) I went back up to the size Large stitch count. The many projects on Ravelry were almost unanimous in saying that the yoke was too tight across the shoulders as written, so I was determined mine would not suffer that fate.
Side note: I make a point of trying on my sweaters frequently to keep track of how the fit is working out. One trick I’ve found to make this easier, is to use another needle of the same size and knit half the stitches onto it, then try it on, because at that point there is enough room to get the sweater on without the stitches all falling off the needle. If you don’t have another needle the same size, but have an interchangeable set, you can exchange only the business ends of the needles for the correct size and have a smaller one on the non-business ends of each needle. This works really well, because you’re still knitting, not going through the laborious process of putting stitches on waste yarn and then picking them up again.
After the main colourwork there is another large increase and then the last green leafy section begins, right before you split for the sleeves. At that point, I realized I needed to go back down to a smaller needle, and ended up on a 3.25 mm for the rest of the body and I reduced the stitch count down to the size Medium again. If you’re confused, I understand!
This pattern calls for shaping by increasing needle sizes a couple of times, to make a gentle A-line shape. I didn’t want an A-line shape, so I kept the same needle size and actually decreased a few stitches after splitting for the sleeves so the body wouldn’t be completely straight down and too baggy.
Halfway down the body, I got bored of knitting that part, so I decided to knit one of the sleeves for a change of pace. (I often do that sort of thing, it helps me stay interested in the project.) I finished the sleeve on a 2.75mm for the ribbing (that seemed to take forever and it was only a 3/4 sleeve—dang fingering weight sweaters!!) but when I went back to knitting the body it took me an inch or so to realize I was still using the 2.75mm needle. Oops! However, the difference wasn’t so great and it was positioned right at the waist, so I just did another inch and then switched to a 3.25 needle! Easy body shaping!
I’m getting comfortable enough with knitting that I’m always checking with myself when I see something in a pattern. Is that something I want, or could I do it differently? A lot of things, like ribbing, are completely a matter of taste, and make no real difference to the end result, so they can easily be changed to suit your own taste. In fact, because I wasn’t paying attention to the pattern when I started the ribbing on the sleeve, I did 1 x1 rib instead of 2 x 2 and ended up copying it for the body. It looks fine and it wasn’t worth going back.
Shaping is also fairly easily changed. It sometimes requires a little math, but it’s often worth it. It’s fun to adapt a pattern to your own body and your own taste. I know I knitted this pattern because of the yoke, it is stunning and I love it, but from the get-go I knew there were things I liked less about it. The roominess of the body and even the sleeve length I wasn’t sure about. If I hadn’t been sick of knitting such a small gauge, I might have made the sleeves longer, but in the end I didn’t bother. I’m happy with it the way it is. Next sweater project will be in a heavier weight yarn. I’m thinking of Timber by Shannon Cook. A lovely cardigan with some ribbing details that are nice and easy. I’m planning to pick yarn that will make a mostly mindless knit enjoyable.
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Happy knitting!
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