Can a sweater knit itself?

Sometimes a sweater emerges from your needles with its own intentions.  A few weeks back when arranging my new craft space I was looking at  the best of knitscene, a book I have had for a while.  I saw this beautiful top down raglan sweater and thought I might give it a go.  It is the Equinox Raglan by Debbie O'Neill.  The funny thing is I do not look good in raglan sweaters, my shoulders are much too broad.  The neck to this sweater is very wide, I also do not look good in that style because once again my shoulders are much to broad.

This yarn jumped into my basket while I was making a quick trip to the yarn store.  I went for some roving for needle felting, not yarn.  But what was I supposed to do when the correct amount of yarn found its way into my basket.  I love gray, but you see this isn't really the gray for me.  This gray has undertones of beige in it, the gray that looks better on me has blue undertones.  

 I grabbed my needles and cast on.  I never checked the gauge, really what was I thinking?  I just cast on and got moving.  I knit and knit, I altered here and there, but I wasn't altering for my shape.  This sweater had different intentions.  I made it longer than the pattern, but not long enough for me.  I am 5' 10" tall, I have a long trunk and long legs, this would have had to be a couple inches longer for me.  I kept knitting away, stitch after stitch, row after row. 

This pattern was easy to understand and was a good knit for watching TV.  Do you watch The Voice?  I am addicted.  I love the bantering between the judges much more than I like the talent on the show. After hearing everyone's story I want every single contestant to be picked.

After I got done with the sweater I tried it on, of course it didn't fit.  I looked ridiculous.  It is not my size, style, shape, or color.  I had to laugh because it wasn't for me, and I knew that all along. 

  

I knew when I didn't check the gauge, I knew when I picked almost the right color for me, but not quite.  I knew when I realized in some weird universe that it was a raglan not a cardigan, sadly that took me a while to figure out.  I knew when I was knitting the 3/4 inch sleeves, another no no for my body type.  I knew all along but you see it just had to be knit.  So I sent the sweater on its way to the rightful owner this week.  I think she really likes it and it fits her like a glove.  Now if I could just get my blue Malabrigo sweater to start behaving.

This is finished project number 13 for me in 2013.  Along with this sweater, the scarves, the crochet flower wreath and Easter eggs I am now up to a whopping 5,694 yards of yarn used to crochet or knit this year. How are your projects coming along?