Anke published the new NAiMA Pullover DK pattern (Ravelry link) over the weekend. She’s one of my favorite designers, and testing the pattern was a dream come true. My fellow testers were kind, supportive, and inspiring. Anke addressed the few issues we found promptly and cheerfully. She’s a favorite designer because I love her designs; and knowing that she’s also the kind of knitter I’d want to be friends with makes me love her more!

I started my sweater on October 27 (the day before the photo at the top of this post), barely three weeks after bringing Lucy home. It was my first sweater since my summer injury. It felt weird and comforting to be knitting like that again. The sweater is knit at an easy 5-1/4 stitch gauge and a few testers finished in days (ha! like I might’ve … last year!) Anke gave us a November 24-ish deadline and I finished on November 18. I was hugely motivated to finish then because Katie was coming over on the 19th (for my birthday party) and I wanted her to take photos. She obliged and those are the photos I posted on Ravelry.

Anke encouraged us to post our work on Instagram … and I held back. I thought it would be a short wait til the pattern came out; but it took a little longer than planned. And I really loved the way I shared my projects … starting with a closely cropped selfie, and y’all … the weather and my schedule just did not cooperate. Today I said good enough and decided to go for it. and maybe my new FO project look will be a not-so-closely cropped selfie with Lucy.

The outtakes are certainly gonna be more fun!

Anke designed this to have an oversized fit. I knit mine with a closer fit, and a shorter body and sleeves. It’s perfect for me. I loved using favorite Holst Coast held double to get the DK gauge. The yarn is pretty “sticky” so it wasn’t hard to keep the strands together, and the resulting fabric is good for three seasons here in Georgia. The eyelet detail and the lovely twisted rib crew neck also make this a great sweater to wear without a shirt underneath. I wore it with a camisole today and I know many folks have layered a long-sleeved crew-neck tee underneath.

There’s an aran weight version, too (Ravelry link) that’s probably too heavy for my climate, but might work for you. I can promise the knitting will be quick and fun. and while you might not have a wiggly four month old puppy to show off your FO, you will certainly have smiles!

the end.