Making it's debut:
Pattern: The Short and Sweet Cardigan from The Happy Hooker, size medium.
Yarn: Cascade Pima Tencel, black. Used a little less than five skeins.
Needles: Crochet hook "I" for body, "H" for sleeves.
Alterations: The sizing on the pattern is a little funky. The medium is actually for a finished bust size of 32.5" and a 3.5" gap in the front for a total of 36". I needed it to be just a smidge larger, and going up to the next size (45") was just too big. So, after swatching with a couple different hook sizes, I decided to go up one hook size to get a finished bust (with the gap) of 39". Perfect fit! This transition to a larger hook size was not a good idea for the sleeves (remember?), so using the original hook size specified in the pattern was used.
Impressions: This is my first crochet project ever, and I have to say I'm pretty happy with it. The Cascade Pima Tencel sheds like crazy! I guess that's the price to pay for such a soft hand. But I think I'm willing to put up with it - that's what a small purse-size lint roller is for, right? On a serious note, I think the shedding might be short lived, time will tell. I threw it in the dryer (gasp!), on the no-heat, air fluff setting to see if it would help with loosening the little bits. Afterwards, I took the lint roller to the inside and outside of the garment. Sure it's still shedding, but it is getting progressively less. We'll see if this kind of treatment does the trick.
So, now I think I'm 'hooked' - I'm now thinking about my next crochet project: What do you think of "Dream", maybe just a tad bit longer?