All sewn up: The Jane Deep V sweater

My latest finished project is a sweater that I designed to replace a worn-out but favourite item of clothing

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I recently put the final stitches in my Jane Deep V sweater. This is a sweater design based on Jane Norman piece I bought secondhand. The original was starting to fall apart and really needed replacing, so I took some measurements, bought some gorgeous alpaca yarn and started knitting.

I’ve changed a couple of things. The Jane Norman sweater has this thing at the front that I can only describe as an insert. I don’t really know what it’s there for – I guess it’s so that you can wear the sweater without something underneath, but why design a top with a deep V neck and then chicken out and put in that insert? It’s surely much better to keep the V and then use a different range of tops underneath to vary the look?

The Jane Deep V Sweater. It's very pink, and I'm not sure about the shoulder shaping, but overall, I'm
pleased with how it's turned out.

I also wanted more contrast between the collar, cuffs and hem and the main body of the piece, so I went for a pale pink for the latter and much brighter shade for the former.

It’s taken ages to finish this piece. It really has. Knitting the sweater was simple enough; it’s just a 2x2 rib for the edges and stocking stitch for the main body. But working out the maths to get that V right was complicated. Then I made a few mistakes as I went along and had to undo it several times. I forgot how to shape the sleeves at the shoulder, too, and had to redo those three times. I’m still not entirely happy with how they’ve come out. They look a bit puffy to me, but they’re close enough.

Can anything really be too pink?

I’m not sure about the colour either. I never thought I’d say this, but maybe it’s too pink? Can anything really be too pink? I’m not sure. The size and shaping are pretty spot on, though. It fits really well and I love the way I can change the look just by changing what I layer underneath. A plain black polo neck with jeans and I’ve got a work outfit; a lower-cut lace-fringed strappy top and I’m set for going out.

I’d quite like to make this again in different colours. I think white with black trimming would work well and allow for some really bright colours to be worn underneath.

Overall I’m happy with the result. I think it looks better than the Jane Norman sweater it’s based on. What do you think?

My take (left) on the Jane Norman sweater (right). I think I prefer my version, although I might be biased.