I finished the linen sweater. Here it is, a little shapeless, a little crunchy with all kinds of wonky stitches.
A lot of unevenness going on. Some people don’t like to knit with unwashed linen, they say it hurts their hands. Some cotton can do that to me, linen – never, even if it stays stiff as I knit, it warms up in my hands.
After the washer,dryer and steam blocking, look how even the stitches are. They have bloomed a little and have relaxed into place, no more jagged look, as if I had knit with twine.
The ends have softened considerably. You can see how the ends are soft and crinkled, I find it easier to weave in the ends after the wash. I had tied a knot when I added the new color, so I wasn’t worried about any unraveling.
This artistic image is the dryer lint – that is a lot of lint from one sweater. I will wash it again soon, to soften it further, I doubt I’ll get this much fuzz.
The color blocking worked beautifully.
Yes, the bottom edge is jagged, I cast off very loosely. Seeing these pictures made me realize how unprofessional it looks. Although I didn’t take another picture, I did remove and re-cast off. Much nicer now.
I LOVE linen. Much more than cotton. Sure cotton breathes and is a good warm weather fiber, but it is heavy – especially when spun into yarn and knit into a sweater. Linen is also plant based, it is made from cellulose – but for some reason, it doesn’t have the weight of cotton. 
These days I can hardly wear synthetics, I’m not allergic in that I don’t get a rash. But synthetics rob me of my body heat. A linen sweater like this will retain my body heat and keep me warm. Not like wool of course, but for those times when I’m a little chilly, like summer nights – linen will keep me warm. If I wear something like this on a hot day, it will breathe and not suffocate me like synthetics do.
I knew when I started knitting this that I’d probably need a camisole, I was right. The elongated stitches are very transparent, but to be honest, the whole sweater is. I tend to run cold these days, even in summer, so I don’t mind a camisole, and once it gets chillier, even a long sleeve t-shirt will be nice.
The only yarn that has any real yardage left is pink. I am so happy that I finally put this linen to good use! I find that as I get older I want my garments to be simpler. Gone are the days of everything but the kitchen sink.
Like this linen sweater I made 8 years ago. The cables, the peplum, the bell sleeves. I love the color, I love the feel of the fabric, but it’s just too much. I guess that is a product of getting older. Works for me, I’m enjoying the journey.