Original Pattern: Garri Sweater

Knitter Extraordinaire: Jimi (Ravelry ID, blog)

Mods: The pattern was originally a bottom-up pullover, but Jimi re-engineered it to be a top-down cardigan. She knit it in the round and steeked, adjusting gauge and shortening the waist to suit her frame. Project page with more details can be found here.

What Makes This Awesome: Even if there were no modifications, this sweater is spectacular. I love the colour choice of the grey, gold, and white; and this looks like the coziest sweater ever. I’m particularly impressed by her decision to reverse the direction of the sweater, as knitting it top-down and in the round allowed her to try it on as she went, which was extra important as she adjust the fit and length to suit her. If you are looking at a stranded sweater design and it is bottom-up try knitting it top-down, especially if the yoke is the round – that much easier! Turning the charts upside down can help with figuring out the new direction, and Jimi mentions in her notes that it was easier than she thought it would be.  Steeking and installing a zipper aside (both not for the faint of heart!), I love the proportions of the ribbing on the zipper band in particular. it seems like a small thing to note, but it is very easy for button bands and zipper bands to be either a bit narrow or a bit wide for the overall sweater, and Jimi absolutely nailed it.