Anna and I really did finish knitting our Tag Team Sweater Project sweaters — what seems like ages ago — but it took us until we were together in Indianapolis to finally take some finished photos. So a project that started in such a frenzy has come to a rather languid conclusion.
Once again, we found ourselves posing for photos at the end of two very long and tiring days, not exactly looking our freshest. But Bristol Ivy generously and patiently manned the iPhone for us and snapped these photos as we goofed around awkwardly outside the state capitol building (I think?) before collapsing into some chairs in the Hyatt lounge for the evening. Thanks again, Bristol!
I know everyone has been wondering since we first announced this project whether Anna was getting the short end of the stick. As you’ll recall, the arrangement was that I would knit all four sleeves; Anna would knit the two bodies; and then we’d swap parts, join our respective sleeves to bodies, and knit our own yokes. (Through no one’s fault but my own, I wound up knitting five and a half sleeves but let’s just pretend that didn’t happen.) Out of my own curiosity, though, I gathered a little data along the way:
Anna’s Lila was knitted in Swans Island Pure Blends, a worsted-spun alpaca blend (71 yards/oz), while my Trillium is in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter, a loftier woolen-spun wool (79 yards/oz). So even though her sweater is smaller than mine (a smaller size and a more abbreviated shape, plus a looser gauge), the two sweaters wound up being almost identical in finished weight: Lila is 13.6 oz and Trillium is 13.7 oz. I find that poetic. Lila’s sleeves weighed 4.75 oz, so I knitted 338 yards or 34% of Anna’s sweater. Trillium’s body weighed 5.85 oz, so she knitted 462 yards or 43% of mine. So yes, in that sense, she got the short end of the stick.
That said, the idea was never to knit equivalent parts of each other’s sweaters — it was to save each other from bogging down in the parts we each find tedious. And we succeeded! But the thing is, had I followed my own best practices and studied the schematic before we began, I most likely would have decided to make this sweater a couple of inches shorter than it is, which would have meant less knitting for Anna — to the point that it might have been a fairly even trade after all. <insert pained-face emoji> Sorry, Anna!
All that really matters (hopefully!) is this: We had fun; we cemented a beautiful friendship; and we ended up with two great sweaters. Win/win!
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For the complete backstory, see my collected Tag Team posts, Anna’s blog, and/or the #tagteamsweaterproject hashtag in Instagram. Thanks for all the cheering as we knitted our way through!
Finished,Yay! And you both have great sweaters!
I love the finished articles! What wonderful memories and stories you have to share whenever you someone comments on your new sweaters!
Hooray for a lovely result! I for one think it was a very fun idea, kind of daring & adventurous too.
The Trillium is lovely — they both are lovely — and it looks like a sweater you’ll be able to wear for years.
Congratulations on a successful project that was quite challenging! You both look great in your sweaters.
They look fantastic!
Congratulations on the finished projects.
They’re done! And as beautiful as expected. Yahoo!
Bristol might be one of the coolest people ever. I’m a little jealous of those who get to do photo shoots with her. :) The sweaters look fantastic!
That’s awesome!
So great! They both turned out wonderfully and the photos are so fun :)
Y’all are so stinkin’ cute! The sweaters are gorgeous, and as long as the parts you knit weren’t a slog for you, then it was equitable distribution of effort. (When I document sweater progress on Ravelry, I consider the body 1/3, both sleeves 1/3, and the yoke 1/3.)
Same here.
Congratulations! The sweaters look terrific and you’ve made me think outside the box as far as sweater construction is concerned!!
Me too!
Beautiful!! So happy you’re liking your Trillium, and they both are amazing. xoxo
Thank you, Michele. I’m looking forward to next winter — this is one warm sweater!
They are both gorgeous! And I am super pleased to see no evidence of your flipped around construction (that is, that it worked out so seamlessly). Beauties, both you!
It worked out beautifully — I’m totally sold on that method. Only reason I’m not doing Bob’s sweater that way is the sleeves were good travel knitting.
Congratulations! The sweaters looks amazing ! Such a great experience to share :)
Congratulations ladies!
It was such a nice idea to start a project like this, and it was so entertaining to follow you step-by-step on your instagrams accounts :)
What a fabulous idea! And your sweaters are gorgeous on you both! :)
Great job, and a great project!
These are the most adorable pictures!!!
So fun – and gorgeous projects! Wish I had not needed to leave Indianapolis early, so I could have witnessed these photos being taken! It was so lovely meeting & spending time with you two. xo
You too, Julie! Hope to do it again soon.
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