first sweater (kind of)

Shawl Collar on Ravelry

Well, I'll come back in with a bang after that month long unintentional blogging break: I finally finished my (kind of) first sweater!  I want to call it a labor of love but there's really no reason to.  Miles and miles of stockinette takes time, but is not taxing at all.

This is how I felt about the sweater at first.  It definitely has its issues: the gauge is wonky (which I only started adjusting for part way through the sweater), and THE YARN.  It's Valley Yarns Sheffield and this stuff sheds!  I bought a Gleener on the suggestion of the folks at Webs and it pulled this much extra fluff just from the outside of the sweater:

Here I am playing with tufts of fluff before using the Gleener on the sweater.

In the end I'm pretty sure I can call the sweater a success.  The yarn may shed but it's incredibly cozy and warm.  Should shed less when I use the Gleener on the inside too.  And it looks nice!  So hey!  I knit a sweater!

If anyone is curious my belt, shirt, skirt, and shoes (not pictured) are all thrifted.  Go me!