Amanda's Sweater - complete!

I'm really happy with the way Amanda's sweater came out.  It's luxuriously soft and the pattern worked lovely with the Dream In Color yarn.

This is meant to be a casual 'wear anywhere' type of sweater, because that's what Amanda wanted.  Something to throw over her shoulders before marketing or taking the kids to and from school or soccer practice.  It's being modeled here by Alexis, who is the same size as Amanda, and it looks great on both of them. 

The fit is very nice, and since Amanda chose the color herself, she's very happy that it can be worn with everything from jeans to nicer, dressier pants, or even over a little dress.  Please disregard the bits of yarn I neglected to trim...grrrr.

Details:  Pattern:  Whisk Cardigan, in the fall issue of Knitscene
             Yarn:  Dream In Color Classy - November Muse
             Needles:  Size 10, straight needles

Notes:  I wasn't getting gauge, but for fear that using even larger needles would make the sweater far too loose and 'holey', I opted for changing the size of the pattern to a medium.  When it was measured during blocking, it was a perfect size small.  If I were to make it again, I would even use smaller needles and use the large size pattern.  I don't know if this would work for every pattern, but it did for this one.

I changed the cuff of the sweater to a k1, p1 rib, and I made them more of a quarter length sleeve.  My model has them stretched toward her wrist, but it actually falls about 3 inches shorter. 

Good enough to eat!

This delicious cardigan is well on its way to becoming wearable, really! 

The chocolaty goodness and sweet confection comparison is purely accidental. 

The yarn is Dream In Color Classy, in the color November Muse.  Now, come on...who in the heck names these yummy wool incarnations?  It's CHOCOLATE, I tell you, CHOCOLATE!

Madelinetosh sweater...whatever

My long suffering sweater is complete. 

Stats:  Madelinetosh DK 100% merino wool, 225 yards, size 5 circulars and straight needles
          Color:  Moss

I'm not happy with the final result, sad to say.  The pattern was easy enough, and I believe I did a very good job knitting it up, without any real problems.  I can even say, it was a very enjoyable knit.

This color representation is a bit more accurate, and I do like the color. 

What's the problem, you ask?

First of all, I didn't realize that Madelinetosh's DK is decidedly more like worsted, and not even a very soft worsted.  It's more like ... well, knitting with twine.  If I were knitting a hammock, this would have been the perfect choice.

The pattern was fairly straightforward, with the added 'delicate' knit edging around the sleeves and front.
The pattern also described the bolero type sweater as waist length, with three-quarter length sleeves.

Let me just tell you, there's nothing 'delicate' about this edging.  It's heavy and not at all flattering.  The yarn was obviously the wrong choice for this project.  I don't entirely blame the yarn, because the pattern's sizing is a bit off.  I swatched and got perfect gauge with number 5 needles, I thought it would be smooth sailing. 

I had no trouble seaming, but the size of the sweater was all wrong.  It's at least 2 sizes too big, sigh.  It's the right size up and down, but it's about 3 inches too big around.  This doesn't compute, since the sleeves knitted up perfectly around, but are about 3 inches too long. 

After doing the math, I ordered 7 hanks of Madelinetosh.  I only used 5.  I re-checked my math, according to the pattern requirements, and I was spot on....so?

I blocked the pieces before seaming.  I did try using steam after seaming...hoping the sweater would shrink a bit.  No luck there.

Lessons learned:  Don't always believe the hype about a certain brand of yarn

Check the sizing as you go, and make adjustments in the pattern ( I was afraid to stray  from the instructions)

 If the yarn doesn't feel right from the start, it probably won't feel any better later on

 Don't be afraid to frog, if you believe you made a poor pattern/yarn choice

Maybe, I should stick to socks

Blocking, at last!

I thought this day would never come!  This little cardi has taken so much longer to knit up than I thought it would.  My daughter's visit from Mississippi, along with Thanksgiving and Christmas, and bits of Christmas knitting are my excuses.  Now, my hope is to complete it before our short winter season is over, otherwise, I'll have to wait until next November to wear it. 

I did try to stay within the limits of the finished measurements, according to the pattern, but this MadelineTosh is forgiving, and seems to give me a little more width than expected.

After it's seamed, there is still a knitted edging to add.  You might notice this piece is laying with the right side down.  I decided to lay the sides on top of each other and did the same with the sleeves. This may take longer to dry, but they should be sized correctly.

Something new on the needles, coming soon!

Fall Sweater on the Needles

I'm loving this very fall-like colorway of MadelineTosh.  It's called 'Moss", and I couldn't have thought of a better name, myself.  The browns and greens, as well as the lights and the darks are a delight to the eye.  How Madelinetosh creates these strands without a hint of stripes is a mystery. 

I've completed the back portion, and started the sides.  The yarn is pure joy to work, but I do question the idea that it's a DK weight.  It surely works up more like a worsted. 

What's this?  Well, it's the lower edge of the left side of a cardigan, of course.  This stockinette refuses to lie flat, and I'm thinking that I might have to block the individual pieces before joining. 

Christmas knitting and a few surprises are in hiding.  They might make a few appearances as the holidays draw near.

Castlegar Cardigan Final

Designer, Laura Chau, came up with a fingering weight gauge cardigan that really piqued my interest. 

   Yarn:  Knitpicks Stroll
   231 yards per skein
   Color:  Burgundy
   Needles:  Size 3 US circular needles and size 2 dpns

This cute little cardi took considerable time, but I'm not a very speedy knitter, and I do believe I could have made it a little shorter, probably 2-3 inches.  I always forget I'm not 5'5"....crap.

Do you notice the puckering?  Yeah, me too.  I could have made a size smaller, but there's nothing more uncomfortable than a tight sweater.  Well, I guess having to go to the bathroom while standing in line for tickets at the movies is a bit more uncomfortable, but I digress.

Ignore the fold line down the back of the cardi.  It was waiting patiently for a photographer.  Thanks, Alexis.

This was truly a breeze to knit, and I highly recommend the pattern.  Just make sure you have enough yarn.  The neck area could have been about an inch higher, if I hadn't been living on the edge, with less than half a skein of yarn and no button bands. 

See what I mean about the buttons?  They do seem to be a bit heavy, but I love them with this pattern, so I think I'll leave them as is.  I will definitely take that into consideration when I make another lightweight sweater again.  By the way, those are freckles, not age spots!  Don't judge me.

The Button Hunt

The task of finding the perfect button for a hand knit sweater is daunting.  I've made my choice, but I'm having second thoughts.  The nickel buttons I've chosen might be too heavy for the lightweight sweater front.  I'll sew them on first - decide later.  I might have to choose some kind of lightweight plastic button.  Finished pictures coming soon.

A story and some progress

What a crazy week! 

First, our computer crashed.  Bummer.  It was down for 2 whole days, and I have no other computer resource, so those 2 days seemed like 2 long weeks.

 The following day, I had an overflow of sticky, sugary batter in my oven.  When the cake directions say to use a certain size pan, I suppose they mean it.  My pan was too small....way too small.  I wasn't too worried, because I have a  BRAND NEW oven,  and it has a 'self-clean'  feature.  Ever since we moved, I've been using a, what shall I say.... economical oven... yes,  that's what you call an oven that doesn't have any bells or whistles.  Understand, I love to cook, and spending time using  Easy-Off  on crusty, greasy bits is not a good way to spend an afternoon.  After a lengthy discussion on the benefits of my cooking versus going out to eat every night, my husband agreed.  Back to the story.  The spill was truly nasty.  After removing the disgusting cake pan  from the oven, I was eager to try this miracle of technology - an oven that cleans itself!  Did I wipe up the spill first?  Of course not.  Did I read the directions first?  No way!  I just pushed the cleaning pad, and heard the oven door lock.  Did I mention it was 10 o'clock at night?  Smoke began billowing out of the oven vent faster and thicker than one could imagine.  All four smoke alarms were blaring while Ruby began barking and running around the house like it was on fire...ahem, yeah, weird.   I began opening all the windows, yelling at my husband (who was soundly sleeping at the time) to help me.  Long story short -  the smoke cleared, but the smell lingered on.  We've spent several days cleaning drapes, washing every fabric that was possible, and yesterday, we finally shampooed the carpet. 

Today, it seems we won't have to call professionals, after all.  The smell is about 95% gone.  We are somewhat back to normal, and I can get back to really important matters, like knitting.

The Castelgar cardigan is winding down, finally.  I'm nearly finished with the collar portion, then come the button bands.

My biggest problem is YARN.  Do I have enough?  I'm on the last skein, and it's going fast.  When I bought the yarn, I thought I would make the sleeves quarter length, but I changed my mind when I began the project.  Can I say "Houston, we have a problem"?

The directions say to graft the underarm section, after the cardigan is completed.  I suppose this means using a Kitchner stitch?  That's the only graft stitch I know.  Maybe an online search is in order.

Progress

This is the first time I've ever constructed a cardigan from the bottom up.  As you can see, I've held both underarm sections from the sleeve and the body of the sweater on waste yarn.

The area above the 'hole' needs to be about 3 inches, before I start decreasing for the yoke. 

This has been quite the challenge.  Fingering weight yarn with a size 2-3 needle. 

My head is bursting with so many pretty cardigans waiting in line.   Does anyone feel the same way?  I can hardly wait to finish, just so I can start another. 

Not Pink

New yarn from Madelinetosh is perfect for a new fall cardi.  This is a DK weight yarn in the color Moss.  It looks more like a snake, the way it's curled itself up.  The edge of the sweater won't be stockinette, so I'm hoping the 'snake' will unwind and pose in a more flattering picture, eventually.

I'm using a pattern from this magazine, KnitSimple.  How simple this new little cardigan will be, remains to be seen.  This is my first time using Madelinetosh, and the DK is working more like a worsted weight, in my view, but time will tell.  The color is scrumptious, in person.  Details are for another day.

Holey Sleeve, Batman!

My first cardigan sleeve is getting closer to completion, at least to the underarm section, where it joins the rest of the cardi and I begin working the yoke.

Notice anything?  I began the increases every 7 rows, and lo and behold, there are holes, everywhere!  I wasn't paying close enough attention to the directions, as written.

Here's the portion of the sleeve where my brain kicked in, and I can hardly notice the increases. 

This can happen when I put down a project for a time, and pick it up again, re-reading the directions.  I suppose I could rip out the mistake, and re-knit, but I think I'll leave in the holes.

This will be a little reminder that if my knitting doesn't look right, it probably isn't, and watching Top Chef is not a good excuse for sloppy knitting.....sigh.

PS:  The top photo is a clearer representation of the Knitpicks yarn color, Burgundy.

Back Burner Knitting

Sitting on the back burner, but definitely not forgotten.  Remember the Castelgar Cardigan?  The weather has been just too hot for lap knitting.

I still love it, and hope to have it complete by fall.  Crank up the A/C, Bertha.

Postscript:  I do have some secret knitting, and all will be revealed - next week!

On the Needles

I've been waiting to stitch up some new socks with this lovely yarn from Plymouth Yarn Company called Happy Feet. With 90% wool and 10% nylon, it works up with just the right amount of stretch for a really great fit.  The colorway is a combination of many jewel tones, and those are some of my favorite hues.  Now, to find just the right pattern.  I'll go on a pattern hunt today!  Ravelry might give me some ideas.

In the meantime, I've been working on a new cardigan.  The yarn is Knitpicks Stroll, in Burgundy.  It's fingering weight yarn on #2 US needles, so this might take a while to complete.  The pattern is Castlegar Cardigan by Laura Chau.  Here's a little preview of what's to come:

The twisted rib edge is very interesting, and not at all difficult.  The color is a little deeper than the photograph depicts and the yarn is very soft and draping very nicely.