I actually finished this sweater months ago. Yep, months. It's been waiting for buttons all this time. I have been wanting to make my own homemade buttons from found driftwood. Likely it would take very little time to do it, but I just haven't had the chance to set up my miter saw since I moved. So finally, I gave up on waiting and bought these rustic looking buttons instead. Within 20 minutes I went from a project-in-waiting to an actual wearable piece. (I also found the striped boot cuffs I knit months ago that are just waiting for the fleece boot socks to be cut and sewn...another 20 minute project that is just waiting to be finished)
This wasn't a difficult sweater by any means, it's just a series of rectangles, five to be exact. I like asymmetry in a sweater, so that was the first detail I designed. Next I decided that I was going to use much bigger needles on the bottom and smaller on the top so that you get this ethereal fairy look to the piece. I echoed the shape of the sweater in the sleeves making romantic bell sleeves.
I used 100% cotton yarn for this, making it my first project completed in all cotton. I love the feel of a natural fiber; linen and cotton are my favorite. (I haven't tried bamboo yet, but I suspect it's similar) The only thing I would warn about is that cotton isn't as strong as other fibers, and tore relatively easy when I accidentally tripped on it. Though, I don't think it's normal to trip over your yarn, so I wouldn't take it too seriously.
