Finally FO Friday – Rhyllis!

Remember last week when I mentioned I had exciting news? Well this is it! I can FINALLY share the test knit I made last year. I got the pattern for this on this day a year ago, and it’s finally being released in a few weeks. The designer and Brooklyn Tweed have said that we can start sharing details now, so here we go!

This is Rhyllis, an oversized, cabled pullover. It’s great for those cold winter days, or even as a coat in the late fall or early spring. The pattern is part of Brooklyn Tweed’s Homewear Collection, which launches March 16th.

• Pattern: Rhyllis by Cheryl Toy
• Yarn: Brooklyn Tweed Shelter, in the Iceberg Colorway
• Timeline: Cast on 3/6/21; cast off 5/12/21

So, should you knit this pattern? Well, to be honest, it sort of depends on the knitting you like to do. This sweater is a bit intense. Between the large recommended ease (my size finished bust measurement is 60″), the tight gauge (I needed to go to a US 4 to get gauge), and complexity (there are no true rest rows, you are always at least working K1/p1 for the moss stitch texture), knitting this took up a lot of time and energy. There were just about 100K total stitches, and so even with averaging 1.4 K stitches overall (1.8 K per day if you don’t count the 13 days I didn’t work on it), it took me more than 2 months to finish. Because of the complexity, those 1.8 K stitches took a lot longer than other projects, and so I couldn’t really even work on much else.

I also found Shelter to be pretty hard to work with. It was one for the fist times I’ve made a sweater with more wooly wool, and it sometimes annoyed me. Plus, I was always kind of worried about ripping it. I DEFINTLEY don’t recommend a tubular bind off (I think it will be optional on the final pattern) if you use Shelter, I had multiple breakages. Shelter is definitely a but cost prohibitive, especially hat larger sizes. I bought 750 g for this, and used up most of it, and the only reason I did so was because I got a pretty hefty discount for testing.

Even though knitting this was more intense that I usually like, I really do enjoy the final product. I think if I were to knit it again (which I won’t haha), I’d go down a size and make it a smidge longer. I do really love the cabling pattern, especially down the arms, and it was really fun to create that in such a seamless way. I love having such a stunning piece in my wardrobe, it makes me feel like a Knitter with a capital K.