A photo of this sweater in action shall be forthcoming: i.e. Over the wetsuit!I love when things work out how I planned, and since this is a rare occurrence...
This winter it was very cold in the water, and I found I was not warming up between dives. During the summer we have sun. Winter is a combination of cold water, clouds, and not-thick-enough wetsuits. I moved up to a 7mm suit (the same thickness I used in California 15 years ago- bleah!) and began shifting through many sweatshirts and fleeces for in-between dives. Wouldn't a sweater be better? Of course it would. So I Ravelry-ed shrugs and found the Aran Cabled Shrug by Crystal Palace Yarns, which calls for a Bulky yarn. I am a bulky girl, and therefore avoid bulky yarns. I found some Cascade 220 Superwash (Worsted) at a local store, in a rust color unusual for me, but I love none the less.
My original requirements, as blogged here:
Requirements for surface interval shrug:
Wool (exothermic in salt water)
Warm (the water is 71 degrees in winter and we have had rain, clouds, and crazy wind for the past 2 months)
Long sleeves, closely fitting, can be shoved up while bending over rinse tank or boat lines.
Short enough to not get wet from folded down wetsuit.
Long enough to keep torso warm.
Fold-up shawl collar for back of neck warmth, can be folded down if remaining in hooded vest.
Color: Nice with black wetsuit, swimsuit colors, and sunburn.
Washable: Not only from salt water but the microbes present in salt water.
These requirements have been met. Because of the relative thinness of the yarn, I ended up doing more repeats of the cabled portion, which was narrower than the pattern suggested. This made the sleeves tighter, which I wanted. It also required longer ribbed sections (which turned out to be boring, and thus a month-long hiatus ensued) which I did in the round, trying on as I went until I thought I had enough length. It is now just long enough to meet the top of a folded down wetsuit. The collar is thick and warm if flipped up. Unfortunately it is a shrug and my chest is large, so the side flaps don't come close to meting in the middle, thus assuring a cold tummy, and negating the winter-time wearing of this shrug (hmmm... it's whole inspiration and purpose).
Which just means I need a winter-time surface interval cardigan... right?
