Dathan Pully

Last year there was a call for test knitters in the Kate Davies group on Ravelry which I greedily added my name to because I love her work. It was a really interesting process, part of a block of striped knits from the Knitting Season club, the test knitting to show variations on the stripe idea with the constraints set (no colour to be used for more than 3-4 rounds).
So, the process went: add name, wait, got chosen (lucky), pack of beautiful jewel-toned Milarrochy Tweed arrives, pattern + images/instructions made available, cast on. The deadline was a little tricky for me, something I need to remember if I ever offer to do test knitting again, I'm awful with knitting deadlines.

I spent ages fannying about with the colours, it was fun to see how they worked alongside each other, finding pairings and deciding on my favourite shades. I LOVE Cranachan, Hare and the pale blue which I believe is called Smirr. I'd love to see a Moder dy knit using Milarrochy Tweed, probably on 4mm needles, so it'd come out smaller but still be a good usable size. My Moder dy is in constant use, it's the best thing I've ever made (apart from the second one I made for James).

So what happened next? Like anyone would ever ask that! Well, I knit and I knit, stitch by stitch till I realised I'd not read the instructions thoroughly... Story of my life, that is.

Above, this was not what the instructions wanted me to do! This was a week's work and was ripped out (much to my dismay). But see below, ooh! Much better (photo of the inside of the jumper).

The rows got longer and longer, I beavered away and the deadline loomed, other people's finished jumpers began appearing in the communal Dropbox. Meanwhile I was stewing over essays, work experience and my university interview, as well as the Dathan pullover. I liked having my Dathan WIP with me while all this was going on, knitting is such a comfort, a reminder of home and an instant 'happy maker'.

Dathan blowing in the breeze. And me wearing it, action shots of the jumper, well, maybe not action shots! I'm really coming round to this cropped style of pully.

HAPPY LADY.