The Clarke Pullover to My Emotional Rescue
Oh, Jane. How do you do it? Jane Richmond cannot knit a meh item, can she? I love everything that falls off of her needles, and I instantly want it onto mine.
The Clarke Pullover was no exception because Guys! it’s loose-fitted and striped and raglan, etc. As soon as I saw her post her first half finished version on instagram, I thought, ” Mmm, yes, you could be mine… You will be mine, you will be mine, all mine.” That’s right, I actually heard The Stones’ Emotional Rescue in my head each time I checked out her progress updates.
I’d like to knit all of Jane’s patterns, but the ones I’ve gotten to are Renfrew, Autumn hats here and here, Linden Mitts here and here, Rathtrevor Mitts, the Inland cardigan, the Arbutus cowl, Oatmeal pullovers in regular bulky and in thick and thin , a Georgia cardigan in Gynx Yarn, and a Jane hat. Looking at these is like looking at my knitting scrapbook. They span the entire time I’ve been making things. All of these balance practicality with interesting details like unexpected reverse stockinette, striping, or faux cables. They’re the kind of knit I could easily wear every day.
But I feel like the Clarke Pullover is more “me” than anything I’ve knit in a long while. It’s my new favorite striped t-shirt, only it’s not a tee. You can tell I like it because it’s already covered in pet hair.
Details: I used US needles sizes 3 and 4 for this, along with Wool of the Andes Sport in the Thirst Heather and Midnight Heather colors.
Because it’s sport weight, instead of the recommended dk, I knit up one size. So my size 38″ came out somewhere between a 36″ and 38″. I sweated the sizing out a little, especially because I messed up my stitch count and was knitting a size that might fit a small child. But after fixing and re-knitting, I felt a little more confident.
I also used the smaller needles for the hem, as well as the neckline and wrist ribbing. I’m not sure if the pattern directs to, but I have floppy ribbing syndrome, so…
I was so excited when I cast off and saw that this sweater would have just the amount of positive ease that I was looking for in a comfy knit. I’ve had so much trouble lately with fit. For the first time in my knitting life, I’m actually knitting a bit tighter and things are turning out too fitted, instead of ginormous. I’m glad that I might be normalizing my gauge, but it’s such a huge bummer to finish something and have it pull tight at the underarms or something. So, yes, my Clarke came to my emotional rescue by fitting exactly perfect.
I don’t think you can go wrong with this, even if you end up with a little more positive ease than expected. I would like to knit another one, making it wider and longer for wearing with leggings. Or knitting one up in a cotton or linen blend so that I can wear it more in a warm climate.
Since I’ve already included a bajillion links in this post, why not add a few more? These are some other knits from Jane that I plan to knit, and even have yarn for: the Spate mitts, with a matching Kathleen hat in Patons Classic, Climb socks (for my box o sox knit-along) in Stroll sock yarn, Strathcona in a colorway that is very nostalgic for me, and a 3/4 length sleeved Grace cardigan , in a succulent-inspired colorway.
