Gauge The Situation: Let's Talk about the Bettie...

When I was trying to decide which DK-weight sweater to make, I secretly bought all the patterns I was considering. (Note: This recent bout of illness has had crazy ramifications for my credit card. Talk about trying to feel alive...) I was curious to know the details behind the construction in order to help me make up my mind.

Without a doubt, Bettie's Pullover yielded the strangest, most complex pattern I have ever come across. I was transfixed by its complexity. In fact, a week after first review, I still haven't figured out what to do after I get to the yoke. I've spent hours considering it.

In what way is it complicated? Rather, we should ask, in what way isn't it? I have read that the pattern is flawless, even if incredibly challenging to suss out. It's a bottom up pattern - the second of this type I've ever constructed. Strangely, the last sweater I knit was also bottom up. This one is different in that it is knit in the round, unlike the Siivet.

Specifically, here are the elements I've encountered so far, which bring this sweater into the "advanced" (IMO) category:

• Instead of changing stitch numbers to shape the waist and other areas, because the feather and fan pattern is stitch-number dependent, you use 1 of 3 needle sizes (depending on the part of the sweater you're working) at any given time. That's not hard, of course, but it takes vigilance.

• There are short rows in the strangest spots, doing the strangest things, i.e. right above the hem ribbing, to scallop the first row of feather and fan pattern. Effectively, you work this weird short row riff 10 times (5 times on the sweater front, 5 times on the sweater back) to make little uluating divets that come out of the rib. It takes FOREVER.

• Because of the gauge and pattern, you really need to Japanese short row rather than regular wrap and turn. That's a more finicky version - though not hard. This free Craftsy course teaches it very well, btw... Despite spending 3 hours working, effectively, 2 rows (one of which was a very complicated short row), my end result is frankly mediocre. I really have to hope that either blocking will save the day or that no one will notice the crappy short row part I was learning on cuz they'll be so bamboozled by the crazy pattern. In orange. Let's just say, if I like the end result, I'll probably make the sweater again. If only to improve my technique.

• The font on the pattern is like 8 point?! And it's still 5 pages long.

• Again, I still haven't figured out how to attach the sleeves to the yoke - it's apparently genius and bizarre all at the same time - but I'm going to call it really complicated since my brain has not yet cracked the code after hours of consideration. Note: I'm not worried. I intend to figure it out.

I chose this pattern a) because I think it's very elegant, b) because it looks "advanced" (what, I want something showy!) and c) because it's going to give me a run for my money.

That Siivet pattern was so boring to knit it practically put me into a coma. And given that I was practically in a coma to begin with, the experience was not optimal - especially as I don't love the end result. (Note: Not dissing the sweater. It's an excellent beginner pattern that fairly easily yields a successful end result!)

Now that I'm feeling somewhat better - yeah, still exhausted, still sleep-deprived, still ulcerated, still mucous-y crappy but EMERGING from illness - I want to celebrate with concepts that hurt my brain a little bit.

I am so happy to be able to think. I want to indulge on the activity.