Tourist Sweater!

Pattern: Tourist Sweater
Designer: Joji Locatelli
Size: 40/42

Yarn: Mary Maxim  Natural Alpaca
          80% acrylic, 20% alpaca
          hand wash cold, lay flat to dry
          *I found this yarn marked down at a shop during yarn crawl.  It is the colors I've decided to                    use for a capsule style mix n match for winter/cool travel.  So I bought it all.  2000 yds.

This is a tunic length sweater with a cowl neck, kangaroo pocket and long sleeves.  I am hoping it is as perfect for a travel sweater as I envision it in my head.  The pattern so far is very well written.  I was nervous about a cowl neckline because I don't like turtlenecks or necks that I feel might be trying to kill me.  This one is perfect so far. 

Provisional caston uses scrap yarn and crochet hook to get the pattern started.  It is supposed to "unzip" to release live stitches to then continue, in this case to bind of with the other end creating a loop.  Mine never unzips as easily as I think it should....but the job is done anyway

 

I started adding sitch markers when it hit the quarter, half, and 3/4 mark of the cowl.  It made picking up stitches along the edge to start the sweater body much easier to keep even.  

Finished cowl neck! ready for 3 needle bind off.

The cowl neck is neither too tall nor too tight which means I don't feel like it is trying to strangle me.  

I've pick up the body stitches and done the short rows to shape the back.  I'm starting the raglan sleeve increases and am ready to just keep knitting! 

Since this sweater is worsted weight yarn and knitted on size 9 needles, it should be a fairly quick knit as far as sweaters go.  While knitting the cowl, I got a little concerned about the way the colors are going to pool in the sweater body/sleeves.  I am still a bit concerned (the sleeves and cowl are going to look striped while the body doesn't look so striped)...but I'm just gonna keep on trucking and see what happens.  I can't wait to see how it all comes together!  :D