Goth Sweater

Ahhhh, taste that instant gratification. Delicious, no?

Here I am in the Carie Cardigan from Fitted Knits, which I shall lovingly call my goth sweater.
The yarn is hand-dyed chunky merino, exclusively from the LYS. (Sorry, it will be tough for you to find.) Since Veronica, dyer-in-chief, generally tends to dye her own favorite colors, I was thrilled when this colorway came along. I had been eyeing the bulky for a while, mostly because I was feeling the need for some of that intoxicating instant gratification, but the colors weren't really screaming my name. Then this one showed up. I've been wanting a black cardigan for some time.

I had also been lusting over the patterns in Fitted Knits for quite some time. I'm an avid reader of the Glampyre blog, so I got the book as soon as it came out. This is the first thing I've actually made from it, though.
It's like the yarn and pattern were star-crossed lovers....or something else appropriately romantigoth. Anyway, here's a closeup of the sleeve. There are some pretty eyelets here that you can't really see, no matter how well I try to photograph it.

I played fast and loose with gauge here. The pattern called for 6 sts over 4", and I was repeatedly getting 8. And let's not even talk about row gauge. I liked the way the fabric looked though, so I made the XL size, when I would normally take small. There are much better ways to get the right size, including 1) actually getting gauge and 2) reworking all the math to match the new gauge, but I threw caution to the wind here, tried on frequently, and it worked out all right.
The pattern in the book shows it in a lovely purple with a gorgeous rose button at the clasp. I was worried about finding one, because I had the picture in my mind of exactly what I wanted. I wanted a gothic black rose.

And somehow, I found exactly that at Peggy's Strands of Heaven, which is a LYS. (Tertiary LYS? Moving up in the ranks to the new secondary LYS? Time will tell. Either way, we're knitting there on Sundays now.)
This was a quick knit that is pretty flattering, in the way most bulky sweaters aren't. I would recommend it. But get gauge first. Do as I say, not as I do.
In Summary:
Pattern: Carie Cardigan from Fitted Knits, by Stephanie Japel
Yarn: Hand dyed bulky merino, from the LYS, 120 yds, $12, 3 skeins
Needles: Size 15 circular (necessary, though it's obviously worked back and forth)
Notions: Black gothic rose button, $5.25, from the new secondary LYS
Time: About 3 evenings of light to intermittent knitting (you could maybe do it in a night if you got gauge right off the bat)
Cost: $41.25, plus tax