Is that…? Could it be…?

Yes, I’ve finally finished Serrano!

Pattern: Serrano, by Laura Chau (Knitty, Fall 2006)
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Mill End from ebay (color close to Loden)
Please excuse the pictures, it was getting dark but I really wanted to get it in for Finish or Frog Friday. After two years in sweater purgatory, it is finally finished!

Good God, what a saga this has been. I started it in April 2007, when we were still living in Boston. In September 2007 I declared that we were in the home stretch. Ha! I had intended to finish it in 2008, but I didn’t. So here we are, nearing the end of 2009.
I’ve had two main problems, the first of which was the sleeve caps. They just aren’t as rounded as most sleeve caps, they’re pointy. As a result, the shoulder area did not fit well at all. I’ve re-blocked it, and while it still isn’t perfect, it is much better than it was and certainly good enough.
In March I declared an intention to actually finish this. Later that month, I noted that I was having a hard time figuring out how to close it. And indeed, it took me another seven months to figure it out. The original Serrano was made from Schaefer Anne, which is just not as stretchy or “sproingy” as Cherry Tree Hill Supersock. CTH is very stretchy, so the whole hook-and-eye tape thing was not working out. It just didn’t hang right with a non-stretchy closure along the whole front opening.
I finally found the right closure at Sit-n-Knit.

I’m really happy with the way the closure works with the finished sweater.
It took so long to do the pattern that I don’t really remember what, if any, mods I did. I do know, however, that I did a more cropped shape without the waste shaping. My gauge with the CTH was coming in smaller than the pattern was written for, so I basically followed the directions for a larger size and the gauge made it my size. That would have messed up the waist shaping, of course, so I just omitted it. I think it worked out.

I love the lace pattern, and I am very happy that it is finally finished. I met the designer Laura/Cosmicpluto at Rhinebeck, which reminded me that I really ought to finish Serrano. The best part is, I finished it just in time to wear it to Stitches East which is hitting my hometown THIS WEEKEND! I’m sure I’ll have many more FO pictures after this weekend.
Let me know if you’ll be there. I would love to meet you!