Rebecca lace jumper

Pattern: Model number 40, from Rebecca knitting magazine no. 40.

Yarn: The original is knitted in pink cashmere, and I calculated that to use the yarn required would work out at about 220 euros.

220! I might JUST pay that for a jumper hand-knitted by Vivienne Westwood, but certainly NOT one cobbled together by me. So it's knitted in a discontinued Prestige yarn that I scored on eBay, hence the slightly unexpected bright orange colour: Bluefaced Leicester Hog DK, it says, 70% wool 30% silk.

Modifications: I also only had 550 grammes of this, and it turns out that it's a really heavy yarn: I didn't want to knit the jumper with flared sleeves anyway, because they annoy me, but I had to shorten them considerably to make the yarn last. But I think it looks pretty damn nice with short sleeves too - which also means I can wear it right away even though it's May already.

Time sucked: About a month, on and off

The pattern and lace chart was very easy to follow, and I think the lace is gorgeous. The only quibbles I have is a slight problem understanding how to increase on the sleeves - are you supposed to increase in pattern, or have a section of plain stocking stitch growing on each side of the sleeve as you increase? and the fact that the pattern only comes in one size, 38/40 (10/12 Irish/UK size). I was slightly worried that it wouldn't stretch to fit me, but blocked, it did. However, it fits pretty snugly, so I'm not sure how large a range of sizes it would fit.

Overall, a MUCH more fun knit than any plain stocking stitch jumper I've knitted, AND it turned out really flattering. This is the first thing that I've knitted that feels as though it is more fabulous than anything I could buy in the shops. I'm delighted.