Well, the Big Lebowski sweater is finally finished. It was one of those projects that seemed to drag on forever, though it only took 3 and a half months to finish. The only reason I finished it so quickly was because it was for my dad's 65th birthday. It was also my first sweater project: yes, I have knitted boleros, but nothing of this size.

First, my self-critiques: The pattern used Fair Isle for the color charts, but WITHOUT stranding to avoid the opposite color poking through the purls. Well, I decided to strand to avoid pulling or puckering. I also chose to do that so when my dad put the sweater on, he wouldn't pull the strands on the wrong side. On the back side, I stranded every other stitch. However, when I got to the front pieces, I realized that not only would that take forever, but more stitches would poke through. I realized that I could do it every fifth stitch or so and no puckering would happen. I also would have altered the front sides to start the decrease for the shawl collar sooner. I have never altered a pattern before. I didn't really know how. Now I know that I would simply start the decreases a few rows sooner and make them a little deeper. The shawl collar was also a little tight, so I would have used one or two sizes larger to knit the collar and I would have cast off more loosely. Lastly, the sweater is a little larger, especially the length of the arms. Again, I would have altered the pattern to shorten the sleeves. Lastly, the sweater was a bit large, so I should have made one size smaller. On the bright side, he can layer and still have room to zip up the sweater.

Now it sounds like the sweater turned out terribly. It actually turned out very nicely. It looks like the Big Lebowski sweater. One thing I'm really proud of is the zipper. I was terrified of sewing it in because everyone says it's complicated. I found it a bit awkward, but my finishing book gave me many good tips.

Of course, I could not have finished this project without help from many people. First, to Andrea Rangel for creating the pattern. Kiwi Knitting Company also provided me with a knitting space, taught me Fair Isle, and helped me finish the sweater. zipperstop.com is a great website and they helped me order the perfect zipper with a ring pull, which is quite hard to find.

Thus ends the Big Lebowski project. Onto new knits!

This dudette abides!

Happy knitting!