FO: Kevin's Christmas Hat

This year, Kevin got a hat for Christmas! The funniest part of me making this hat for him is that I did the majority of the knitting while sitting next to him on the couch. And he didn't notice a thing. I mean, I'm sure he noticed that I was knitting. But I'm basically always knitting while sitting on the couch, so he's used to it and doesn't really pay attention to the particulars. Ha! No need for secret gift knitting over here!

The pattern is the Anstruther Hat by Erica Knits. I've had my eye on it for awhile as one of several allover colorwork hats that I was considering for Kevin. At this point he's got quite the little collection of hats going, but everything is quite plain and neutral-colored. They're also all worked at a fairly large gauge.  For this hat, I wanted to make something really bold and kind of crazy. I'm always trying to get him to dress more like me, in lots of colors and patterns ;)

Plus, after making the Charlie hat for myself, I knew how great it is to have a hat knit in fingering / sport weight at this gauge. And just like the Charlie hat, I decided to use Brooklyn Tweed's Loft has the main color. I just knew he'd love the fabric it creates - warm, lightweight, and soft yet structural. As you can tell, I'm pretty stuck on Loft hats at the moment. I'm pretty sure there will be more in my future! (er, probably the futures of next year's Christmas gift recipients - this family is good on hats for awhile. ha!)

I had quite luckily picked up this little almost-complete cake of Loft at Scrap in Portland (OMG I LOVE SCRAP SO MUCH!!!!!) over the summer, and knew it'd be the perfect color. The rust-red color (technically called Embers) is just the perfect mix of bold yet muted color. And I knew it would go well with Kevin's coats, which are all either navy blue or green. For the contrasting colors, I went to my stash and pulled out my leftover balls of Local Color Rambouillet 2-Ply Fingering from my Arionette Socks and chose the indigo and onion skin colorways. I also had enough of a skein of Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift leftover for the white from who knows how long ago. Hurray for stash busting! All of these yarns played very nicely together, and I'm so happy with the result. And judging by the amount of wear it's gotten since being gifted, Kevin's pretty happy with it too!

FO: Quarry

Oh my word this sweater is so fun. I love it.

Yarn Used: Brunswick Germantown in Flame Orange, Dale Garn Heilo in Grey

Needles: Size 8 Addi Turbos 

Pattern: Quarry by Andi Satterlund for Twist Collective

Raveled here. 

Typically I gravitate towards more traditional colorwork motifs. Fair Isle, Icelandic yokes, Norwegian designs, etc. But when I saw this piece that my friend Andi put out I fell head over heels for the modern, graphic lines. I'd also been planning on making one of her pullover for awhile - since getting lots of wear out of the cropped cardigan I made first - and was initially leaning towards a Chuck. Well, in the end my love for colorwork won out over my love for cables in this case and I went for Quarry.

The original design is in black and white. And I kinda love that and wouldn't mind another in that color scheme. This orange is so good, though! As someone who doesn't shy away from color it shouldn't surprise me that I love this bright yarn so much, but I really have been surprised by how much I love it. I've seriously worn my flame orange cardigan a ton. I knew I liked it but I was a little unsure about how many outfits I would be able to make with it. As it turns out, flame orange actually goes with everything. Just trust me. Or maybe it doesn't and I don't mind "clashing".

Anyway, I had a vision of this in orange and grey, and I think it turned out great! The grey is some deep, deep stash yarn that I scored at some thrift store somewhere. It's been so long I can't even remember where. I was happy to pull it out in keeping with my goal for this year of working through ye olde stash (a yarn fast I have recently broken a couple of months early in order to buy a couple of things I'd been planning to acquire at KnitFit). I didn't make any modifications, but due to my gauge being slightly longer in height than recommended it did come out slightly longer. Which is fine with me. And keep in mind as you review these photos that I'm wearing high-waisted pants. I also realized I need to work on my stitch picking up skills for making top-down sleeves. There's sort of a weird faux-shoulderpad thing going on with one of the shoulders because I think I picked up too many stitches along the top, and from a row that was too far in. For my next sweater with this type of construction, I'm going to review this blog post, which seems to have some really good guidelines for this sort of thing.

(This is my "it's so bright but I'm still trying to look cute" face)

The only big thing about this sweater that makes it not perfect - at least in Seattle - is how warm it is! It's because the Dale Garn yarn is super toasty. Thus, even though I finished this sweater last February, it hasn't gotten a ton of wear yet. Last winter was super mild overall, and by the end of February it was already a bit too warm most days for this guy. So, just this past weekend I FINALLY took some photos of it on one of our first clear and crisp days of the season. Here's hoping we get lots more of them before Spring! It also didn't hurt that we just happened to be taking the ferry to Bainbridge Island, aka a super good photo-op opportunity.

The reason for the Bainbridge trip was three-fold. 1) Go to the Madison Diner for some killer hash browns. 2) Visit the Local Color folk at the Saturday farmer's market. 3) Buy some Loft to at Churchmouse to eventually turn into this sweater. Ohmygoodnesssomanylinks. It was such a beautiful day!! After two previous weekends of straight rain, the blue skies and sunshine were a welcome change. Sure, it was pretty chilly on the ferry. But who cares when you get to wear all the woolens!!!

Here's a shot of my lovely hubs and I at the diner, plus our equally lovely breakfasts. Mmmmmmmm hash browns. They're seriously some of the best in the greater Seattle area.

FO: Rock Island Shawl

This pattern has been in my queue for sooooo long. Basically since it came out. Typically, I don’t go all starry eyed over lace shawl patterns. I mean, I like them. They’re fine. I’ve made a fair number of them in my knitting carrier. But I’ve never actually fallen in love with a pattern before that I really wanted to make for myself. Usually it happens the other way around, with me wanting to make a lace shawl - any lace shawl - for someone as a gift and then searching through patterns to find one I like. With this pattern, I saw it and was instantly in love with the final product and wanted it all for my own. The lace is just so unique! And I love that it has a lovely garter stitch section as well as the intriguing lace bits. 

Nevertheless, it took me quite awhile to actually prioritize it in the queue and get around to casting on. Then when I did…well I had a bit of a false start. I don’t remember exactly when it was that I first attempted this pattern. Several years ago at least. I can’t even really remember what yarn I first attempted it with. But in reading through the charts and beginning my first rows, I just couldn’t do it. It was beyond my skill range. The yarn I was using may also have not been suitable. Could I have tried really hard and gotten through it? Maybe. Probably yes. But after starting and restarting several times and repeatedly ending up with a mysteriously wrong stitch count - mysterious meaning I had no idea where I’d gone wrong and wasn’t able to “read my work” to figure out where it had happened - I got frustrated. So I filed the pattern away and moved on to something else. Lord knows there has never been a shortage of projects in my queue to pottle along with. 

I think this is something I often forget about knitting. That it actually does take time and practice to advance your skill level. Sure, it’s just different combinations of knits, purls, decreases, and decreases along with the very basic ability to read a pattern. And you actually can advance pretty quickly from being a complete beginner to making beautiful, varied, and impressive work (never fear beginners!).. Cables, colorwork, lace. They are all completely learnable for a beginner in a fairly quick amount of time, keeping in mind of course that “quick” is a relative term. However, on the other hand, one’s wrists, hands, fingers, and mind do learn through repetition and challenge, and you do invariably get better the longer you do it. Muscle memory in your hands. And also actual memory. Like the kind in your brain. I can now simply read “sl1k2togpsso" and know what it means and what I have to do with the stitches when I see it pop up in a pattern.

So this time, I decided to give it another go and see how things went. It’s just too lovely to let go of. I’ve had this yellow-green yarn in my stash for awhile. It was purchased at a little yarn shop in Cincinnati while on a work trip at least two years ago. It’s Classic Elite Silky Alpaca in the Cameroon colorway. I first used this yarn for an Ishbel for my aunt Sandy. I absolutely loved working with it and was very pleased with the fabric it created. So when I saw it on sale at the week shop in Cincinnati I scooped up two balls. To be honest, I wasn’t 100% sure about the color when I first bought it. I’m going to call it chartreuse, although it’s probably a bit too green to be a true chartreuse (I just really like that as a color name). That’s probably why it sat in my stash for so long. Then, I picked up a Jackie cardigan at Goodwill one day in basically the exact same color. And then proceeded to wear it with just about every outfit for a week. It’s a surprisingly versatile color. So I dug this out of the stash and decided it needed to become something ASAP. 

A couple notes about this pattern. First, I LOVE It. It’s fabulous. It’s the Rock Island Shawl by Jared Flood for Brooklyn Tweed. It’s very clearly written and easy to follow. Naturally.  Construction-wise, this pattern was something new for me and I ended up really liking it. Instead of starting at the center bottom of the triangle and increasing stitches from there, it starts with working the entire edging first as a separate piece. Now, that’s a whole lot of knitting. It’s huge, and took what felt like forever. But once it’s finished, you’re decreasing stitches from there, so the rows get faster and faster each time. This is exactly opposite to the center-bottom construction where it starts out super, super fast and then feels like each row takes an hour at the end. Which is kind of a nice change. From the edging, you pick up stitches for the bulk of the shawl and then decrease to end at the center bottom of the triangle. You’ve got to get through the spider-web like lace first, but then it’s smooth sailing until the end with just a simple garter stitch for the majority of the triangle. I had a couple false starts with the difficult lace portion as I was getting used to working lace on both sides,  but since the section begins with several rows of garter stitch between it and the edging I was able to easily rip back and start again. Once I got into it, it became very rhythmic and by the second pattern repeat I no longer had to stare at the chart. What a feeling of accomplishment! 

The end fabric has not disappointed either. I’ve worn in a ton already, usually just wrapped tightly around my neck like a scarf. I’ve not been precious about it either - stuffing it into my purse and what not - and the shape has held up really well. I’ll probably have to re-block at some point, but that’s to be expected. I am 110% in love with the finished product and am so happy I didn’t give up on this pattern. Hurray for my very first for-me shawl!

FO: Local Color Arionette

Several months ago some friends and I took a little road trip over to Tolt Yarn and Wool  for the Local Color Fiber Studio trunk show. Hang on. I need to pause for a moment. That may be one of the happiest sentences I have ever written. There are so many good things packed into that one little sentence. And I didn't even mention that our trip also included brunch at The Grange Cafe!

I think I've swooned about Tolt in this space before. It's basically the perfect yarn shop. Even its distance from Seattle is perfect, because it stops me from spending absolutely all of my money there but is still within an easy drive for special purchases. I know, I know. I said I was stash busting this year. BUT WAIT! This trip wasn't just to buy any old yarn. It was to buy super special fantastic yarn, which is totally within the rules.

This super special yarn is made by Local Color Fiber Studio, a duo of super talented women based on Bainbridge Island. They are basically everything. First, all of the wool they use is US grown, sustainably raised, and domestically milled (including some of my favorite Imperial Stock Ranch Columbia). It's just the best wooly, wool. Second, they use all natural dyes which are grown and foraged right on the island. Third, they are just so good at what they do. I mean, look at these colors!


If that wasn't enough, all of their yarns come with these super cute tags to let you know what the yarn was dyed with. Adorable. And also really fascinating. I just wanted to look at every single hank of yarn to see what it was dyed with. I may have done that.

Plus. Plus. They're really nice people. Can you tell that I love them? Yep. Like I said, they basically encompass everything that I love about wool and yarn and crafting in general.

On to the pattern! The patter is from the Autumn 2014 edition of Pom Pom Quarterly. I purchased it at Churchmouse Yarns and Teas on my annual birthday trip to Bainbridge Island. See! It all comes back to Bainbridge. We visited the Local Color ladies at the farmer's market that day, but I had already spent my "birthday allowance" at Churchmouse so I had to walk away for the moment. But! The sock yarn they had available really stuck in my head, and I thought the colors would be great for this pattern.

I have been wanting to knit myself a pair of socks for awhile now. I've knit quite a few pairs of socks in the past, but they have always been gifts. I also wanted to try a different construction method to hopefully learn some new skills. My preferred method (because it's really been the only method I've used) has been top-up construction, with a few different heel types. This pattern is written ankle down with a heel method I've never used before, and I LOVED the look of the slipped stitch pattern and the finished product. Slip stitch patterns are super fun to knit. This one was a little bit of an exception to that since I was working with three colors and the rounds are so short. I was finding it really had to work hard to keep my yarn from getting super tangled, and so this turned out not to be the "small, mindless, portable" project I was expecting it to be. Once I got that sorted by being more mindful of my balls, things went pretty quickly. The second sock probably took me about half the time as the first!

In the end I can say I like both toe-up and ankle down. Now I know I can use either method for future patterns and don't have to limit myself to just one type or another. Hurray! Knitting skills expanded!

DETAILS

Pattern: Arionette by Wencke Lucas from Pom Pom Quarterly Autumn 2014
Needles: Size US 1
Yarn: Local Color Fiber Studio Rambouillet 2-Ply Fingering

All the Sweaters

As I packed up some of my winter clothes for the season (sorry Wisconsin...I saw you got some snow today), I realized I've amassed quite the collection of vintage and handmade secondhand sweaters. And then I felt inspired to document them all.

The crowning achievement of any thrift run is of course a beautiful sweater. I really can't pass them up. I typically look for pieces made from 100% natural fibers as a rule and am very flexible when it comes to size since I'll end up wearing most as an outer, jacket layer.

So, for your viewing pleasure, here is my hoard.

 A few details on batch number one, clockwise from the top left:

1. This is my newest addition. Purchased in Portland a few weeks back. Tag says "Nordstrikk A/S Made in Norway". It's doubleknit, but cut and serged rather than seamed which makes me assume it's machine knit and not actually that vitage. Which I'm fine with. You can't see the ribbon edging very well in this photo but trust me it's lovely.

2. Alpaca! At least I'm 99% sure. There is no tag. It definitely needs new, smaller buttons because these one's are too big for the holes. Also, those pockets are fake. Only about an inch and a half deep. Purchased at the Salvation Army thrift store in Sodo (Seattle).

3. Oh my lordy I wear this puppy all the time. I love the zig-zag cable. Tag says "100% Wool Made in Hong Kong". There's also a really detailed and charming washing instruction tag which cautions the owner not to dry clean it. Purchased at Goodwill in Monroe, WA.

4. So. Pretty. And of high quality. The yarn has a wonderful feel to it and I suspect it will never, ever pill. Both the body and the sleeves are knit in the round then joined at the yoke and steeked from what I can tell. Tag says "Norway Design HANDKNITTING Shrinkresistant Colourfast 100% Pure Wool". Purchased at the Value Village in Lake City. I think this was my first big sweater score at thrift store.

5. A lopapeysa! What a find. Definitely falls into the sweater coat category, and I love wearing it that way. Tag says "Samband of Iceland ICELOOK Handknitted in Iceland Natural Colours". Found at a small thrift store in Lynwood, WA.

6. My one and only sweater vest (although currently I'm knitting myself another). I love the combination of lace and cables, and the fit on this one is just spot on. Tag says "J.G. Hook PETITES". Guess I'm a petite in sweater vest. Can't remember where it's from.

7. The opposite of petite. This one I'll admit I rarely wear out of the house. It's completely oversized, although the sleeves are actually quite fitted. Despite not being my "out and about" go-to, I wear it a ton in the wintertime inside the house as an extra layer. Tag says "Mayo Handcrafts Ballyhaunis". Again, can't remember where I found it.

8.  If you've been reading since the very beginning then this one should look familiar. I've waxed on about how special this one is before. It features a traditional Shetland tree and star yoke and is just gorgeous. Tag reads "Kate Drewyer Knitted in the Shetland Isles". I'm not sure if Ms Drewyer is the knitter or the owner, but either way I find the tag quite charming.

In photographing the gang, I couldn't help notice some trends. First of all, it's clearly cardigans for the win. Which should surprise no one who sees me on a regular basis. Cardigans forever. Beyond that, I must also have thing for collecting as many regional styles as possible, and absolutely every item features either colorwork or cables. Yep, I'm definitely not shy on color. Although the amount of red in the mix was a bit of a surprise.

And finally, there's this. My absolute most treasured sweater by a thousand miles. It gets it's very own full-sized picture for a couple of reasons. First, it's not from any thrift store. Second, it belonged to my grandmother.

I'm pretty sure I literally gasped when my aunt first pulled it out of the cedar chest. It was just so awesome and special and a complete surprise. To be honest, I don't really know its story. I don't know who made it or out of what (although there is some acrylic in there for sure) or really even 100% for whom. My grandmother was a knitter, but for some reason I got the impression that it was made for her and not by her. But even that I'm not sure of. I was unaware of its existence until after she passed away and certainly never saw her wearing it. The colors, yarn, and shape (slightly belled sleeves) read 70's to me, which was before my time. If anyone has any details to share please feel free to share! Regardless, I feel extremely honored, thankful, and blessed over the fact that it got to come live with me.

And yeah, I totally wear it.

Mom's Christmas Sweater

 The musings for this sweater started quite awhile ago. I had it in my mind to make my Mom a sweater this year for Christmas, but I've learned my lesson when it comes to surprise sweaters. Not a good idea. It's a whole lot of knitting and everyone ends up disappointed. So, I got this idea in my head that I would surprise my Mom in May for her birthday with the idea of knitting her a sweater and the yarn to make said sweater. She typically comes to visit us in May as well, so part of the idea was that we could then pick out the sweater design and yarn together while she was here, then I could have plenty of time to knit it up before Christmas and gift the finished product to her then. Welp, my ideas for yarn shopping together kind of fell through with the general busy schedule that we pack into her visits, but the idea was still there. We talked extensively about what kind of sweater she would like. She picked something not at all shocking for someone who knows her as well as I do. A white cabled sweater. I was a little bit surprised that she picked a cardigan over a pullover, but that was about it. We also talked about what yarn I would buy: Imperial Stock Ranch Columbia of course because I'm obsessed with it and it was just exactly right for the sweater we were envisioning.

Then it was time to look for a pattern. Which is actually easier said than done when you've got an exact picture in your mind of what you want. It's much easier to browse patterns willy nilly and think, ''ooh I like that one!" or "that one is totally cool and I never would have thought of that style" rather than go into it knowing exactly what you're looking for. Which is also exactly how I feel about shopping for shoes BTW. 

Anyway, we did lots of pattern browsing while Mom was here, but just couldn't find the exact right fit. As we were browsing she was drawn to the more traditional stitch patterns. Lots of cables but no nups or crazy stuff. She also liked it when all pieces of the sweater featured cable patterns. Fronts, back, and sleeves. On my end, I was looking for a fairly modern pattern (there are lots of gorgeous vintage patterns but they're unfortunately not always as accessible) that was well written and had a good schematic. I wasn't going to mess with a totally random pattern when I would be knitting it without my model present for try-ons. I was also hoping for something with a raglan sleeve, which isn't at all traditional for an Aran sweater design but that I prefer in terms of ease of construction and seamless knitting when compared to a set-in sleeve. Oh. And written for a worsted or aran weight yarn. We searched and searched. I debated on if I would have to strike out on my own again. But still, I didn't feel confident doing this form across the country and under a timeline. Too many risks. So Mom left without a final pattern picked out.

Then I saw this post on Fringe Association - a blog I regularly read - at the end of July. And suddenly there it was. The perfect pattern staring me right in the face. It met all of the criteria. I swatched, sent Mom a phone picture, and we were off.

In all honesty, I hit a few rough patches with this project. I swatched three times and still couldn't get the right gauge. It just seemed impossible with this yarn. Which, yes, can be a problem when you buy your yarn before you pick out a pattern. But let's be honest I was going to use this yarn no matter what (as I mentioned I'm obsessed). I still don't know what the problem was. Yes, this yarn is a very thick worsted. Yes, I'm a very tight knitter, especially when it comes to cables (and stranded colorwork). And this yarn also has a lot of flexibility and can change a lot after blocking which means my gauge swatch was very malleable when I blocked it. Maybe I stretched it too much? Maybe I stretched it to little? I don't know. What I do know is that based on my third swatch I cast on for the large size and knit nearly two thirds of the body. Then I stopped being in denial and admitted it was just looking way too...wrong. Too dense yet too big, even before blocking. So I used my nearly finished body - which I should mention I modified to knit seamlessly, so we're talking fronts and back - as a massive gauge swatch and made the decision to frog the whole thing and start over at a size small at one needle size larger. This was not a split second decision. I did lot of measuring and math folks. 

I can't remember exactly when I decided to start over, but it was within enough time that I felt I could still finish in time for Christmas. As it was, I worked steadily but not frantically on it and had time to block and finish it without rushing. The buttons were attached on December 20th, and I was able to wrap it up before Mom and Jim arrived for the holidays on the 22nd. Phew! Then I crossed my fingers until Christmas Eve when Mom unwrapped it, tentatively tried it on, and found it to be a perfect fit. Oh hurray! What a sigh of relief we both breathed! All measurements and planning aside you just can't know how it will feel in the end until you try it on. Luckily, this one felt just right. 

Here are the specifics: 

• Pattern: Amanda by Lene Holme Samsøe from Essentially Feminine Knits
• Needles: US 6 for ribbing, US 7 for body and sleeves
• Yarn: Imperial Columbia

Raveled here for all you knitting folks!

FO: Kevin's McQueen Sweater

I really owed Kevin a cabled sweater. If you recall, I attempted to make him one last Christmas and it failed. He did get another sweater to replace that Christmas-gift-gone-wrong, but it wasn't the kind of cozy cabled pullover that we had been discussing.

So, we began plotting from scratch for inspiration, patterns, and the perfect yarn. The yarn turned out to be the easiest part. We set out on a trip over to Tolt last spring just knowing they'd have the perfect sheepy, earthy yarn and were not disappointed. We considered using Imperial Stock Ranch's Columbia, Rowan Felted Tweed, and Peace Fleece but finally decided on Studio Donegal in Oatmeal. It's soft and springy, yet still feels durable with a lovely tweed. 

I then gave Kevin the task of looking around for images of sweaters he loved to use as inspiration. he kept coming back to this picture of Steve McQueen in a beautiful cream-colored pullover. I of course wholeheartedly approved of his choice of Mr. McQueen as style icon and began plotting and planning to bring it to life. Thus was born Kevin's McQueen Sweater. Although in reality this is a very traditional combination of Aran stitch patterns.

However, despite the fact that this is a very typical Aran style, I had trouble finding a pattern that was just right. I found some vintage patterns that were just too, well, difficult to read or even obtain. Some of the more modern patterns I found were of the 80's and 90's era of exaggerated drop shoulders and baggy fit that I feel are kinda yuck. The most modern patterns were right on for fit and shape...but the stitch patterns were also updated, tweaked, or reinterpreted from the super classic styles. As it turned out, I just couldn't find a pattern that combined a modern shape and construction with an old school stitch pattern. So, I decided to jump full in and make one up.

I started with Shelagh Hollingworth's book Traditional Aran Knitting and swatched my little heart out. This was truly the year of swatching as I focused on becoming a better sweater knitter and this project was a wonderful challenge. After swatching my honeycomb, trellis, six stitch simple cable, and moss stitch it was time for the maths. Eek. Many numbers were crunched. Many charts were (incorrectly, then correctly) drawn. When I had my swatches and charts just right, I used Elizabeth's Percentage System (EPS) for my calculations and was ready to cast on. I liked my fabric and tension with size US 8's for the cable-y bits, and went down to a size US 6 for the ribbing.

The sleeves and body were all knit in the round from the bottom up, then I worked flat for the neck, armhole, and back shaping as well as for the sleeve cap. I was very unsure of how to achieve a set-in sleeve all on my lonesome. All the EPS sweaters I've made before (ahem, all two of them - here and here) had raglan and saddle shoulder shaping, and EZ doesn't lay it out as nicely for set in sleeves (at least in Knitting Workshop). So, I used a pattern I'd used before as a guide since the sizing, gauge, and fit I was going for were very similar. It the end, it worked out perfectly! I was really preparing myself to have to do the armhole and sleeve caps over at least once, but it wasn't necessary. Hurray for success on a first try!

Would I do anything differently looking back? Hmm. Yes. First off, even though all of this yarn was the same dye lot, there was a slight color variation from hank to hank. It wasn't noticeable at all in hank form, and I really didn't even see it until I blocked. Waaaaay past the point of ripping back. I certainly didn't notice it while I was working, and don't notice it even now unless I stare at it in just the right lighting, but it is very noticeable when sopping wet (not a huge concern) and to the critical eye. So there's that. Second, I think I'd cast on less stitches at the waist, then increase gradually a bit through the body. It could be a little bit snugger at the waist. I think I'd also knit the sleeves flat (gasp!) for ease of blocking. The fabric of the honeycomb stitch is so dense and tight that I think it really benefits from a flat rather than tube blocking. Overall, that's a pretty short list of regrets and I am thoroughly pleased!


And then I made him stare into the sun while I took his picture...

Christmas Sweater Project - IT'S DONE!

It's finished! It's finished! And I'm in love with it. Even though it's now near the end of December, I did in fact finish this in time for the first of the month (even a bit before I think) and have been wearing in quite a bit. My original stated goal of "every friggin' day" is of course impossible since it's generally not considered prudent to wear the same outfit every day. However! It has gotten LOTS of wear, especially to winter/Christmas/festive events and outings throughout the month. I even wore it to work on December 1st to celebrate the start of the best month ever.

I can't overstate how much I love this sweater. This project confirmed that colorwork is really my favorite thing. I love both the process of it (aka the knitting) and the final look. It's wonderfully entertaining to work on and I love how bold the design is. Knitting it this way in little increments over the year was very enjoyable. I loved always have a project on the back burner to work on in between other things combined with not having the pressure to finish as soon as possible. I'm tempted to do it again for next Christmas, although in reality I probably won't. I haven't yet formed my knitting agenda for 2015 but I predict it will include less sweaters since I was sort of a sweater-only fiend this year.

As far as mods go, I did make a few. Most visibly, I added in the white as a fourth color. For the charts, I planned out where I wanted to insert the white and am very pleased with how it turned out, both in terms of how the modifications to the chart interacted with each other and the extra pop of bright white in the finished object overall. I also shortened the length of both the body and the sleeves to fit a little higher on the waist and the wrists. This is just a personal preference of mine for pullovers since I typically like to wear them with collared shirts and slightly higher-waisted pants. I like the look of the cuffs peaking out underneath the sleeves and the shape of a slightly higher waistline for the ribbing on my shape.

The only thing about this project is that when people find out that I made it and then inevitably ask how long it takes to "make something like that" I have a difficult time answering. I have no doubt their intentions are good, but A) don't make me think about how long knitting a garment takes or I shall never undertake it again and B) I have no idea since it was so spread out.

Final verdict is that this project was a huge success!

Christmas Sweater Project - July Update

This post has been in draft status for waaaay too long. As usual, my knitting kept up behind the scenes while my posts did not. There will also be no August update since I didn't pick this baby up one bit in August. Another larger project came up (to be shared at some point) and this guy took the back burner. No worries, though, as I'm still on track to finish by December and am feeling confident that I will.

As predicted, I tore through the whole sleeve in July rather than splitting it up into July and August per the original timeline. This means the body and both sleeves were done on schedule and I was able to join and start working on the yoke in September.  I'm very much looking forward to knitting through the yolk with all the fun colorwork. Wish me luck!

• March - Knit 7" of body (half of 14")
• April - Finish last 7" of body to the armpits
• May - Make half of first sleeve
• June - Finish first sleeve
• July - Make half of second sleeve
• August - Finish second sleeve
• September - Join sleeves to body and start the yoke
• October - Finish the yoke
• November - Seaming, finishing, and blocking
• December - Wear it every friggin day

FO: Flame Orange Tinder

It's no secret that I love secondhand things. And I'm lucky enough to have found a friend in Seattle that loves them just as much. Dear Sarah. This is wonderful for many reasons, from epic dual thrift raids to just being able to discuss the various merits and past scores of treasure hunting. What's doubly lovely is that we have very similar taste. These two things combine to create what is essentially another thrifting "me" who is out there scoring for finds even when I am not. As a result, there are often little lovelies left outside our door on any given day that seem to have appeared there by magic, or handed off in person accompanied by a very amusing "find" story.

The yarn for this sweater was just one such find. If I am not mistaken, Sarah found it at a thrift sale associated with the Pacific Northwest Needle Arts Guild and just couldn't help but scoop up the entire bunch. A move I very much approve of and would have certainly done myself. She then presented about ten skeins of it to me to do with as I wished. It's a lovely vintage 70's wool in the most obnoxious shade of flame orange. I refuse to call it by any other name, including the most obvious sportsman-friendly color. If you know what I mean (and I think you do).

I have to admit, I was at first a little skeptical of the color. It's so, so, so bright! In a good way...but I wasn't sure about it for a whole, one-color sweater, especially in this weight. I was originally thinking of combining it with a grey for a stranded, color-work yoked type sweater. But as I thought about it more and more I decided to just go for it. I started to envision a longer coat-style sweater with a textured stitch pattern and a funnel neck collar. I also found these lovely leather buttons at an antique store that paired wonderfully with the yarn.

After some pattern searching I found Tinder. Perfect. The only thing I didn't like about the pattern was the fact that it was knit in pieces and seamed. I HATE seaming, especially when it can be easily avoided. So, I did some simple maths (can't remember exactly what, but if you're interested I'm happy to count stitches and share) and went forward with knitting the left front, back, and right front all in one piece to the underarms. I then worked the pieces separately to the neck, still keeping a two knit stitch "seam" on the sides. The sleeves were also knit in the round to the underarm, then worked flat.

I'm thrilled with how it turned out and took advantage of the small stretch of chilly days we've had recently to wear it a few times. I also feel like this sweater was a big accomplishment for me because it's right in line with my goal of knitting more sweaters this year and doing it properly. I did the most legit gauge swatch of my life with this sweater and it paid off 100%. No re-knitting, tearing out, or over-vigorous blocking required. Which is a first I think. Here's to finally becoming a proper sweater knitter!

For the detail oriented...
Yarn: Brunswick Germantown, 100% wool, worsted weight
Pattern: Tinder by
Needles: Size 6 for ribbing, Size 7 for body and sleeves
Summary of Modifications: Fronts and back worked in one piece to underarms, sleeves knit in the round. Two inches of length added to arms, yo + k2tog buttonholes.
Raveled here.

These pictures were taken on Alki Beach on a beautiful evening. I couldn't help but snap a few pictures of the skyline, which I now cannot help but share:

Christmas Sweater Project - May/June Update

Welp, it's been awhile.

Luckily, I have been keeping up with my knitting despite (or possibly as a result of?) not keeping up with my blog posts. I'm calling this one a May/June combined update. I had originally planned to knit only half of the first sleeve in May, then finish it up in June. Why I planned so much time for a single sleeve is now unclear. It's such easy stockinette that I powered through the whole thing without really realizing it about half way through May. No matter, though, and I haven't touched this project in June at all but have focused on others instead. Maybe because I knew I was ahead of schedule and maybe because I was just feeling really into making progress on other things (more on that later).



So, here it is! Body and first sleeve. Check and check. I plan to cast on the second sleeve this coming week and will most likely just knit the whole thing without interruption again like I did with the first. It just feels silly to set it down half-sleeve-way through. Plus, then I'll leave myself more time for the yoke, which might end up taking more time then budgeted. And if it doesn't then this will be the first project I've ever finished before it's deadline!! Wait, that's not entirely true. I made a handful of project for my good friend Lindsey while she was still pregnant with her adorable son Levi that were don waaaaay ahead of her due date. But I think baby projects don't count because they're so cute and quick that it's impossible to stop knitting them. And then make three pairs of wee baby socks when you had planned to make one because wee socks are just about the cutest thing ever (see here and here)

I've mentioned that I've been knitting this Christmas sweater along with two other projects and decided I should provide some photographic evidence of this. From the top down we've got a super special traditional-ish Aran sweater I've been working on for Kevin, a flame (I refuse to say blaze) orange waffle-stitch cardigan for me, and the Christmas sweater. They are all in different states of completion and I love them all at once.

Here's the list of accountability with some very satisfying strikethroughs...

• March - Knit 7" of body (half of 14")
• April - Finish last 7" of body to the armpits
• May - Make half of first sleeve
• June - Finish first sleeve
• July - Make half of second sleeve
• August - Finish second sleeve
• September - Join sleeves to body and start the yoke
• October - Finish the yoke
• November - Seaming, finishing, and blocking
• December - Wear it every friggin day

Christmas Sweater Project - April Update

Progress is on track for my Christmas sweater! Hooray!  

I'm not entirely sure when this progress is as of. As in, when I reached my April goal and forced myself to set it down until May. Point being: it's on track! I haven't yet started the sleeves as I've been happy working on other projects and always feel you should keep with something while you're into it since you never know when it's going to become uninteresting. I've got two other sweaters on the needles right now - one for Kev and one for me - and have to say that I feel this is the perfect amount of sweaters to knit simultaneously.  They are of varying difficulties and are all at different stages, which means that I can pick one up to take on the bus (small and super easy), to knit night (which usually involves a pint and thus goes from medium difficulty to "stockinette please"), or on a lovely long couch plot/tv watching binge (concentration required). 

I'm very much looking forward to casting on the first sleeve of my Christmas sweater and plan to do it soon. It'll be a bit of colorwork just like the bottom of the body then lots and lots of small, portable stockinette. Plus, a sweater really doesn't start to look like a sweater until you start making the sleeves (at least not this construction method) and this is the start of that. Wish me luck in keeping on track!

• March - Knit 7" of body (half of 14")
• April - Finish last 7" of body to the armpits
• May - Make half of first sleeve
• June - Finish first sleeve
• July - Make half of second sleeve
• August - Finish second sleeve
• September - Join sleeves to body and start the yoke
• October - Finish the yoke
• November - Seaming, finishing, and blocking
• December - Wear it every friggin day.

FO: Agatha Cardigan

Meet Agatha. She's awesome.

I finished her up a few weeks ago and have already worn her about five times, including twice already to work. When picking out yarn, I had a feeling I'd be wanting to wear this little number quite a bit so I chose a superwash wool. Cascade 220 Superwash to be exact. This is a first for me and so far I have no complaints. It's definitely less "wooly" that I usually like my sweaters but it's still soft and warm yet breathable, and seems to be holding it's shape well. I also really LOVE the color. Kind of a dark mustardy yellow/brown with a nice heather to it. Even though it's not a neutral color I think it will pair well with just about all of my dresses and skirts.

In addition to being my first superwash project it also hit a few other "firsts". First lace sweater. First cropped cardigan. First pattern by my fantastically talented friend Andi. And thus my first time doing this type of sweater construction! It seems super weird at first, but then at some point it clicks and you're like "Oh! I get it! That's the armhole! I really am making a sweater!" and then it just seems intuitive and genius and super fast. There are literally no seams. Best thing ever for a finishing-averse girl like me. If you're curious, she did a super cool step-by-step picture tutorial of this type of construction method here.

The stitch pattern was also very enjoyable. It definitely wasn't one I was able to completely memorize - for the back and fronts panels at least - but it still became familiar enough that I only had to glance down at the chart every once in awhile to keep on track. And I'm in love with the finished, post-blocking product. Lace is magic.

So, even though this was a lot of firsts it will certainly not be my lasts. I'm in love with how flattering the shape and length are with skirts and dresses. And it will for sure not be my last of Andi's patterns. Next up I've got my eye on either Hetty or Chuck. My cable loving heart is of course drawn more to Chuck but the cardigan hoarding side of me is leaning more towards Hetty. Either way, I've got at least three sweaters in the queue before I could start another so I've got a while to decide. Your thoughts are welcome...

Last but not least, Raveled here.

Christmas Sweater Project - March Update

I've been making significant progress on my Christmas sweater. So much so that I think I've got a good chance of finishing it in time for yule-tide festivities. Here's what the progress looks like thus far:

So far it has been a very enjoyable knit. As usual, I hated the ribbing and bemoaned every inch of it (how I ever made a whole ribbed sweater is a testament to my love for the hubs). Also as usual, I flew through the colorwork section because I'm a sucker for watching the pattern develop and thus staying up too late watching three consecutive episodes of Mad Men  not wanting to put it down. Oh how I love colorwork. For me it's the perfect flow inducing balance of challenge and skill that lets me knit for hours and hours on end. Mmmmm. Looking forward to the yoke section fo sho. 

This picture was as of April 5th. It's nine inches long at this point, which is pretty much right on track with the fancy schmancy bullet pointed list. Plus, since I'm past the colorwork section it's just straight one-color stockinette for the rest of the body, which makes this perfect for knit nights (which usually include booze and thus impair my knitting abilities) and bus rides. Optimism abounds. 

• March - Knit 7" of body (half of 14")
• April - Finish last 7" of body to the armpits
• May - Make half of first sleeve
• June - Finish first sleeve
• July - Make half of second sleeve
• August - Finish second sleeve
• September - Join sleeves to body and start the yoke
• October - Finish the yoke
• November - Seaming, finishing, and blocking
• December - Wear it every friggin day.

It's Christmas Sweater Time!

I know, I know. We've just finished with winter (if not quite yet in some parts of the country). This is not the time to start thinking about Christmas again. Or is it? Knitting time operates on a different space time continuum than regular time. Case in point: knitted socks. Sure, I could just pop down to the store and buy a ten pack of pre-made socks for a mere five buckaroos. Or, I could spend way more than that on pretty sock yarn plus hours and hours of knitting to come out with one pair. Option two please and thank you. And I shall not once think about the loss of time spent knitting them because it's not a loss it's an incredibly enjoyable experience.

So, if you're a knitter hoping to make a Christmas sweater for yourself, it turns out this is the perfect time. You see, my brilliant and talented friend Andi came up with the awesome idea of knitting a Christmas sweater as a long-term project. Brilliant. This sweater with not compete with my other holiday knitting, nor will it fall the way of past Christmas-targeted projects that historically have not been finished until January or February (said historical evidence can be found here and here).

In a mere nine months (whoa, it just hit me that this sweater has the same gestation period as a human baby) that heap of yarn pictured above will be transformed into a beautiful Meltwater Pullover by Kate Gagnon Osborn of Kelbourne Woolens, as it appeared in the Spring issue of Interweave Knits. As you can see, instead of the springtime yarn and color scheme presented in the original I'm going with a more holiday-esque palette. I'm using yarn from three different reclaimed sweaters in 100% wool. Now, all I have to do is stick to this list of simple bullet points:

• March - Knit 7" of body (half of 14")
• April - Finish last 7" of body to the armpits
• May - Make half of first sleeve
• June - Finish first sleeve
• July - Make half of second sleeve
• August - Finish second sleeve
• September - Join sleeves to body and start the yoke
• October - Finish the yoke
• November - Seaming, finishing, and blocking
• December - Wear it every friggin day. 

FO: Kevin's Smokin' Jacket

Hey, look at that! Kevin got a new sweater! Which means I made good on my promise to knit him a sweater that actually fits - and in record time. Bulky weight yarn, big needles, and a simple pattern help. Not to mention the exponential excitement that my dear husband expressed as it was coming together.

This yarn is absolutely a dream. I love everything about it. The color is called Quail and it's a wonderful subtle shade of dusty blue that Kevin really loves, too. Even though it's 100% sheep's wool it's incredibly soft and springy yet durable and warm at the same time. This is a credit to the Columbia breed wool it's spun from. I just learned this: Columbia was the first breed of sheep developed and certified in the United States. It was breed to be a two in one sheep: good for meat (and lots of it) and wool (and lots of it) that would thrive in the Western high dessert terrain. Furthermore, I learned that this breed of sheep was first conceived and developed by the original owner of the very same ranch that produced this yarn. The history and story of the Imperial Stock Ranch is just wonderful, all the way from its beginning right up to the present day. If you fancy a read (which I highly recommend) head on over to their website. I'll limit myself from waxing on about Imperial for the time being to stop this post from becoming a novel and to save a story for another time.

The pattern is one I've been meaning to knit for ages. This was seriously the first pattern I ever considered making for Kevin, which was way back during our college days. If you consider that to be the start of this sweater then we just went from the quickest garment knit to the absolute longest. Ah well. Tis the nature of the craft I suppose.

So, the pattern is the Smokin' Jacket by Jared Flood from the Son of a Stitch 'n Bitch book. This is classic Flood folks. I ended up making a few modifications to suit Kevin's taste. Instead of standard stockinette I did a 1x1 knit purl rib allover. Because of this, I had to go down significantly in needle size. It ended up being size US 7's for the 2x2 ribbing at the hemline and sleeve cuffs and size US 8's for the body. I did the garter stitch collar in 7's as well. The other major modification was to do set-in pockets instead of attached pockets. I followed another Ravelers directions for this bit and am very pleased with how they came out.

All in all, this sweater takes the cake as my most successful garment knit of all time. He loves it. My goal for this year is to knit more sweaters so that I can finally get over my off-sizing problems and fear of long term projects. So, hopefully the blog will be full of many more successful garment FO posts this year.

Raveled here.