When I opened up issue no. 37 (Summer 2021) of Pom Pom Magazine, I saw so many gorgeous knitting and crochet patterns! The one in particular that caught my eye was the Lodestar, by Kjerstin Rovetta. It has such a gorgeous lace pattern at the top, with a stocking stitch body. The perfect balance of interest when you cast on a project, followed by the mindless comfort knitting of the body and arms.
(Image from Pom Pom Magazine no. 37)
I dyed up some yarn right away and cast it on. I've had a Pom Pom subscription for over 2 years now, and this was the first thing I've knit out of it. (I haven't renewed my subscription for that very reason!) I dyed up 6 skeins of Chromatic Yarns Sturdy DK (100% Superwash Bluefaced Leicester) in a gorgeous raspberry red, called Potion of Healing. I don't have a lot of red/pink jumpers in my collection, so thought this would be the perfect time to rectify that!
I cast on in June 2021, and finished it at the end of Sept 2021. Most of that was me knitting other things instead of working on my jumper. It's DK weight, so didn't actually take me that long!
I managed to get gauge with the recommended needle sizes - always swatch for garments - and I used just under 5 skeins of yarn for the size 4 that I knit.
Modifications:
I followed the pattern exactly for the most part. I didn't want a cropped jumper so lengthened the body. I also decided that instead of the 3/4 puffy sleeves, I wanted fitted, full length sleeves.
I knit 4cm of the sleeve straight, then decreased by 2 stitches every 6th row for a total of 17 decrease rows. I ended up with 50 stitches before starting the 1x1 (k1, p1) rib of the cuff.
Once I got passed the lace section, I started to alternate skeins using the Helical Knitting method. This stops indie dyed yarn from pooling as much, as well as preventing a sudden, noticeable change when you start a new skein of yarn.
I could not recommend this pattern enough. It's so fun to knit and I know I'm going to get a lot of wear out of it!