knitting a thneed

Can you see the stitches on this sweater?  They are very small and thin, which is what happens when one knits with yarn that is designed for socks.  Because I am an intermediate knitter, I did not understand when purchasing this pattern or even after buying the yarn what this meant.  Not until I started knitting the first few inches did I realize I would be knitting a LOT of teeny tiny stitches for a LONG time.  I showed up with this project in hand to my knitting circle and one of my dear friends who is a tad bit more knowledgeable about knitting a knitting genius said,

"Oh, wow.  You're knitting an entire sweater in sock weight yarn, huh?"  

She said it without judgement.  She seemed surprised and that's when I knew I might be in trouble.  It is a bit nuts to knit an entire adult sweater in sock weight yarn, however; the results are totally worth it. 

I fretted about my Antler, which is the name of the pattern, the entire time I was knitting it.   I worried it would't fit, I worried the size small would be too tight.  I studied the following post by Christine (my inspiration who found the pattern) hoping there was some chance that mine would fit as well as hers.  When she said, "I fiercely love this sweater.  It’s slouchy yet fitted, stylish and sexy- which is not easy to achieve with hand knits!", I carefully eyed the fit and size of her sweater and thought, "Nevermind, I'll have to give mine away to someone else.  Mine will never fit like that." Woe is me. 

But behold the power of blocking!  After I soaked it and then laid it out to dry, the yarn completely changed.  Although while it was still wet, it sure as heck gave me a scare.  It looked like a thneed from the Lorax, its body was all dangling down to my knees with sleeves that were never-ending.  Once it dried, I put it on and could not have been happier.  So here I stand in my new hand knit with plans to knit another one in a different color scheme because now I want two!