#pigeon pullover

Pigeon Pullover #2

I decided to make a subtler pigeon pullover with a standard neck this time, and 3/4 length sleeves with wing bars.

This sweater came together surprisingly quickly: I started in April 2024, and finished in December! It also helps when the project is me-sized, and design choices were made to reduce complexity instead of increase them (like the original).

Pattern: modified from Done In Love Pullover by Katy Petersen

Yarns:

Berroco Vintage Sock in "Mistletoe" (green collar)

Cascade Heritage in "Passion Flower" (purple) and "Charcoal" (grey)

Cascade Heritage Wave in "Nightshade" (purple gradient)

Valley Yarns Huntington in "Dark Grey heather" (dark grey)

The front and back:

I liked the round shape of the purple contrast in the original sweater, so I wanted to do that again. It took a few tries to find a colour pattern I liked, while also balancing the amount of frogging back I was willing to do. But I'm quite pleased with the look overall.

Also? I really love how Cascade Heritage (and Wave) drapes in HDC--I didn't contour the sweater, this is the natural stretch of the fabric:

The merino is also lovely to wear next-to-skin, and doesn't itch at all!

After taking these photos, I also stitched on this label by Sarah Hearts ("Thanks I made it")

Pigeon Pullover, completed!

I am very pleased with how this turned out! It's very comfortable--I had worried about the mock neck getting in the way (which has been my experience with other garments), but this wasn't a problem! It's also just warm enough to keep off a chill, but cool enough I'm not overheating, even with a t-shirt underneath.

The self-striping sock yarn used to make the chequered wing pattern is toothier than the solid-coloured yarns. It's noticeable, but I don't think it's an issue.

Things I'd change next time:

figure out how to make a tighter mock neck

start the chequering sooner (higher)

round the purple yoke more; possibly start it sooner (end it higher)

Pigeon pullover update.

I decided to work sleeves first, in order to take advantage of a sale at my local yarn shop. I opted to use a self-striping sock yarn to imitate the  chequered wing plumage:

It's not perfect, but I think it gives the impression without requiring a lot of effort on my part. So I think that's a win.

The greys aren't an exact match, and the yarns feel very different from each other. I'm not yet sure how I feel about this.

I also decided to round out the purple area on the front of the sweater:

The raglan construction makes a very rectangular yoke, which I hoped to avoid on the front. But I left the colour transition straight on the back in order to minimise the number of active yarn balls I needed at once (ie: laziness). But again: I think it's a good solution.

I was inspired by this sweater by sliceofpearpie (because, seriously, LOOK AT THEM IN THAT SWEATER! GORGEOUS!) and so I'm setting out to make my own pigeon-coloured sweater!

I've been using Done In Love Pullover as the skeleton for all my sweaters lately, so I'm going to continue doing that.

I love asliceofpearpie's turtleneck, but I don't think it'd look as good on me, so mine will have a mock neck. I'm tempted by the idea of batwing sleeves (or is it dolman?) that are poofy at the armpit but then slim right down to hug the forearm. Or even a sleeve that starts out with a "normal" width, and slims down to hug the forearm.

Anyway.

Progress has begun:

Sometimes I make projects and completely forget about them. That was the case with this Terrazzo Cardigan (free/paid pattern by Tinna Thórudóttir), which all evidence suggests I started in mid-to-late 2022, but completely forgot to document.

The only reason I remembered it suddenly (in Jan 2024) is because I'm thinking about my Pigeon Pullover, and what's the best way to imitate the chequered wing plumage.

I thought about tapestry crochet, but I'm not fond of the bulk it would add (doubling the weight of the arms); plus the "hidden" yarn is often visible.

I thought about intarsia crochet, but cringed at the thought of dealing with bobbins and weaving in a bunch of ends.

I thought about modifying moss/linen stitch (DC 2, ch 2, sk 2; or something like that) with alternating colours to let the two colours interplay.

But then I remembered mosaic crochet. I know how to mosaic crochet--or, I did in 2022 at least! This would create a ridged texture that I'm not sure I'd like. But it could be the easiest method of making any pattern I desire.

So. I'm thinking about it.