Pattern: Zara from The Bigger Picture by Rowan
Yarn: Rowan Big Wool
Size: 34 inch
Yardage: 5 skeins
Needles: 8 mm and 12 mm wooden straights

This yarn is so cozy. The big needles can be a bit cumbersome but the yarn is so fat and squashy it totally makes up for it. This pattern was easy to follow and quick to do. The seaming up takes a bit of time but I think it gives the sweater some much needed stability; the thick, bulky yarn produces a rather heavy sweater that I think would quickly stretch out of shape if done in the round.

My sweater is also very cozy. Even with my neck and shoulders completely bare I feel nice and warm. Like most off-the-shoulder sweaters this one wants to ride-up but it isn't too bad and I expect it will relax a bit after a few more wears. Unfortunately the collar (my favourite feature of the sweater) means that it doesn't fit under a coat very well so I probably wont be wearing it out until it is warm enough to get away with not wearing my coat.

I'm making Zara from The Bigger Picture by Rowan. I've had everything to make this sweater since last summer. This project uses the same yarn (different colour) and needles as Rob's sweater , which was finished just in time for his birthday. I thought it would be fun if my sweater was finished in time for my birthday too.

I could have started it in November after I'd finished Rob's sweater but somehow didn't get around to it until last month ... and then I ... er, kind of ignored it in favour of my current pair of socks. Right now I have the front and about two thirds of the back finished. I'm hoping that the combination of small sweater, fat yarn, large needles and minimal attention to housework will result in a finished sweater by next Sunday.

Reusing seems to be the easiest of the "Three R's" but the least advocated. When was the last time the City suggested you donate your old clothes or make new pyjamas out of an old sheet or save your yoghurt containers? Fortunately thrifting is pretty popular anyway. I was over at my sister's on Friday and she sent me home with a few things that she no longer wears that I liked the look of.

One of them was this sweater. Jane said there used to be a button but it had gone missing somewhere. I threaded a ribbon through the button hole to hold the sweater closed under my coat when we went out on Saturday (because even though it was March is was really cold outside and I wanted the extra layer). As soon as I had the ribbon on I loved this sweater - it was comfy to begin with but now it was super cute too. I wore it for the rest of the day and all of Sunday too. Cute, cozy sweater are essential for cold weather.