Amber's Cormorant Lucinda Sweater

Meet my dream sweater-tee: Lucinda by Carrie Bostick Hoge + The Fibre Co Acadia in the darkest, almost black colorway, Cormorant. I've been wanting to make a basic black knitted top for a while, and when Jaime suggested a KAL for the Lucinda, I knew it could be just the thing.

Pattern: Lucinda by Carrie Bostick Hoge from Madder: Anthology II
Yarn: Acadia in Cormorant, 7 skeins
Size Made: 40 1/4"
Modifications: None

Even though I knew I wanted a black sweater, I wavered a little bit at the beginning. Acadia from the Fibre Co has the most beautiful hand-dyed palette, with tweedy silk nubbins nestled in a soft and drapey merino and baby alpaca blend base yarn. Most of the colors have this incredible depth and color contrast between the silk and the wool. Next to its more colorful friends, dark Cormorant looks less tweedy and more solid. Don't get me wrong, it is a beautiful and mesmerizing off-black, but the other colors are mighty tempting. It was difficult, but I decided to stick to my life goals and commit to this dark, mysterious yarn. I'm so happy I did.

The Lucinda Sweater uses reverse stockinette to accentuate the nubbiness of shiny Acadia. What is usually the "wrong side" of a hand-knitted garment gets the spotlight in this sweater. The soft yarn is easy to wear right against the skin, making it perfect for a fall tee, and the shape of Lucinda couldn't be more flattering. The fitted arms and deep v scoop neck give it a great silhouette, while the loose, easy fit of the body doesn't come anywhere close to being clingy. I want to wear this every day.

There is a deep scoop to the back of the neck, too. Love it.

Hmm, notice anything about that sleeve up there? Besides that it is really awesome? It's a teensy shade different than the rest of my sweater. Does that make me love this sweater more? Yes. These skeins are all from the same dye lot, but they are hand-dyed so you never quite know what to expect. You could stripe the two skeins together to have them fade into each other, or try to find a better match. I just kind of love that this is handmade, and you can see some of the process in it. Also I just think it looks kinda cool, like the most subtle colorblocking that ever happened.

Come on, cool weather!! I'm ready!