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Zeme (Earth) Sweater

While I was away on vacation I finished a project I was working on for myself, the Zeme (Earth) Sweater by Linda Skuja! I’m sorry it took me so long, I don’t seem to be fast these days, but I got it done and I’m enjoying wearing it in the store.

Observations

I’m really happy with this sweater. It’s pretty and light and interesting. The instructions were clear and the pattern well written. It is not a beginner crochet sweater, but it’s a good intermediate place. I used a summer yarn, Berroco Remix Light, but it would be just as lovely in a merino wool like Sandnes Garn Double Sunday.

Modifications

I made some modifications as I’ve gone along, and I included everything in my Ravelry notes.

• I used a smaller hook than the pattern calls for because the finished sweater is pretty oversized (and make it harder for myself) – so CAVEAT, my tension is NOT matching the pattern and I played around with the pattern a little (see my Ravelry notes). I used Berroco Remix Light, which is super light and delicate, and it worked up beautifully with a little bit of texture. I’ll only used 2.5 balls for the smallest size. If you DO NOT want to jump through the hoops of screwing with around with the tension I suggest using the 5mm crochet hook recommended in the pattern. You can also use a slightly thicker yarn like Sandnes Garn Line.
• I’m used a thinner yarn and hook, so my size has came out smaller. This is fine through the body since the style is oversized, but the arms were a bit too tight for me. I followed the Size 1 instructions for the body, but I adapted the sleeve instructions for Size 2.
• I made the body shorter to a slightly cropped length since I’ll be wearing it with my little summer pants and skirts. I skipped a few rows on the bottom section and went straight to the ribbing. It is VERY easy to make it longer or shorter, there are instructions in the pattern and you can try it on as you go.

Hacks

I learned to count my stitches at the end of each round. When the count is off it make a big difference moving forward, and I’d rather rip out one round than several. Locking stitch markers have always been my friend, but became especially close on this project. I used them to count my stitches, and the two colours helped me keep track of which stitches are which.

Before I started the sleeves I tried it on and I gotta say, if you like to knit or crochet tees it works perfectly without the sleeves, you could skip them completely.

When I started I was feeling a little overwhelmed by the techniques in the pattern, but they really weren’t a problem. I initially made a youtube playlist for the skills I was a bit iffy on, but the pattern has good written instructions and the only video I’ve ended up using was the first, the foundation single crochet (which I’ve honestly always needed a video to do, I can never remember how to do it without instructions). If you feel like you want to make something similar but need more video support, the designer has a different sweater she teaches in her online Madara Domestika Sweater course.