Finished: Cinnamon Grace

I've been on an accessory kick lately...I think it has to do with the insane number of sweaters that are currently on the needles in varying stages of completion (off the top of my head, I can think of Pinnet, Que Sera #2, Featherweight, Bella, Cables and Lace Kimono, and Pas de Valse). Cardigans are definitely my first love; sometimes, though, a girl just needs to finish something in two weeks or less.

Cinnamon Grace by Katie Harris (Pattern is on her blog here and is also a free Ravelry download) wasn't finished in two weeks because I kept working on other things, but it really could have been! I used Knit Picks Stroll Tonal in Queen Anne, frogged from my Froot Loop sock. Goodbye, Froot Loop--I hardly knew ye. It was gorgeous in the yarn and I loved the pattern, but it was going to be too tight and I knew it, but I kept going past the heel turn until I could try it on. Yup, too tight.



Rather than start again with the socks I decided to try a scarf--and I'd had my eye on Cinnamon Grace for a while. It's very simple to follow but makes an interesting knit because there are so many different sections of increases and decreases, and then you pick up stitches all along the long edge and do the lace part. It ends with a picot bind-off, which took For.Ev.Er. but I think it was worth it in the end. I didn't get out the lace blocking wires for this one, just soaked it then patted it out with my hands, but I still did gain many inches in length and the lace opened up nicely. (Oh my goodness, what a goofy face I have in this picture! It was the only one that was in focus, unfortunately).



This picture shows the color most accurately:



It was funny, I only had to frog a couple of rounds of the sock to finish the bind-off of the scarf, so now I still have a half-finished sock guilting me over in my knitting bag. I am not sure what I am going to do about that yet...maybe turn it into a pair of baby shoes for the gift closet?

Finished: Watershed

I've been working on something different each night, so I'm at that point where there are tons of things in progress, but progress is so slow that nothing seems to be getting done. Well, one thing is done...I finished up Watershed, by Amy Swenson. This was a stash yarn project, and also it was a quick project to make me feel like I was finishing something in the middle of all the larger projects that I've got on the go. I really liked it, and in fact learned a few new things: I learned that the order in which yarnovers are done in relation to their paired decreases effects how the lace looks (one side of the front edging looks slightly different than the other), and I learned how to do knit-on trim.


This is really quite an ingenious pattern. First, it starts with a provisional cast on and the bottom lace is knit side-to-side, then the bottom front edging is knit onto each side to turn the corner. Then, stitches are picked up along the bottom trim and the main body of the piece is knit, including the front edging, up to the armholes. After splitting for the armholes and knitting the fronts and back separately, they are rejoined and there is raglan shaping, and then the front edging is continued up and knit onto the back stitches to form the collar; then a little trim on the armholes and it's done! Completely, totally seamless. I highly recommend the pattern--though if I were to do it over, I might modify the lace pattern a bit to make it symmetrical. The only modification I made this time around is to add one lace repeat to the body for a tiny bit of extra length.






I used the Cascade 220 Heathers in Alki Beach I had left over from my Creature Comforts Cardi. I'm regretting that choice now because the other color of Cascade 220 I had in my stash was my first choice, but I wasn't sure I had enough--I would have. Hindsight is 20/20 and all that. Oh well, maybe I will have to make another one! It's a very wearable style in the Southern California fall weather. I still have some Alki Beach left, too. Maybe some mitts?

Finished: Que Sera (Sera!)

This was an aptly-titled project--whatever will be, will be! I started this cardigan with the intention of keeping it for myself, because let's face it, most of the things I make are for me. (Side note--I'm not ashamed to admit that at all!) But as in life, things don't always work out as we plan.

Pattern: Que Sera by Kirsten Kapur, size XS with shorter sleeves.
Yarn: 8 skeins Knit Picks Main Line (discontinued), 75% Pima Cotton, 25% Merino Wool, in Ivory
Buttons: Vintage brass dress buttons from Vintage Necessities on Etsy.

Because I'm knitting from stash, when I fall in love with a pattern I have to rummage around and see what I've got that might work. In this case, I had two quantities of cotton-blend yarn: one lot of Knit Picks Main Line in Ivory with enough yardage to make the XS size with truncated sleeves, and one lot of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Robin's Egg Blue with enough to make my size if I also made short sleeves. The Main Line was so much softer (seriously, I don't know why they discontinued this yarn...it's wonderful!), and I started to imagine wearing the sweater in cream color, so I did some calculating and went with it.

Since it's a thicker yarn than called for (aran vs. worsted), I used a size larger needle, and made the XS size. I fully admit this might have been an ill-advised choice from the start. The bust measurement for the XS in the schematic is 31.5". Ahem. Not my size. But I started with the sleeves as a kind of a swatch and it seemed to be working out to be something approaching my size. Once I got a fair bit completed on the body, however, I realized that the lace pattern pulls in much more than I had bargained for, and started to make peace with the fact that this cardigan was not meant to be mine. Once it was complete, it was not quite an XS, but there were about 4 inches between the front edges when I tried it on. Bummer. No picture of my humiliation, sorry.



Then, it really started to be kismet. My very dear (and tiny!) friend got an AMAZING job and is re-entering the workforce part-time after taking a break for children for the past five years. I realized this sweater was meant to be hers. It's my "Congratulations and I'm SO Proud of You!" gift. It was actually finished a couple of weeks ago, but I wanted to surprise her so I sat on this post for a while--then I caved and told her about it on the phone the day before our big outing (to an awesome show and dinner for her job!). But oh well: she loves it, and of course I forgot to take a picture of her in it, so here it is anyway.


PS: The robin's egg blue Cotton Fleece I mentioned? It's going to be a Que Sera for me! Stay tuned. :)

Forehead, meet palm.

Take a look at this lace chart key, and then I have a question for you.
_______________________________________________

/ = K2tog, knit 2 stitches together

\ =ssk, slip 2 stitches together and knit them together through the back of the loops

0 = YO, yarn over

^ = Sl2 K1, psso, slip two sts as for ssk, k1, pass the slipped stitches over the k1
_______________________________________________

If you were knitting along on the set-up row for a brand new pretty cardigan, and saw the ^ symbol on the chart, would you:

a. slip two sts as for ssk, k1, pass the slipped stitches over the k1 and move on.

b. Sl2 K1, psso and move on. (Ha! Trick question already!)

c. *Sl2 K1, psso, then slip two additional sts as for ssk, k1, pass the slipped stitches over the k1, then tear your hair out over why you can't make the lace repeat add up to the required number of stitches; rip out the set up row; do the EXACT SAME THING again and wonder yet again why the stitch count isn't adding up. Rip out again and try making all six of the stitches you've been working with turn into one stitch at the end of the process so it matches the chart.* Repeat from * to * twice. Start dinner about 30 minutes late and be an extreme grouch to your entire family all evening while you wait for kind Ravelers and the very nice designer to respond to your questions about the pattern. Realize right before bedtime that you're an idiot and fix the set up row sheepishly.



Guess which one I did?

PS. On a related note, I have cast on for Pinnet by Amy Christoffers (or Pinnate, if you believe the pattern itself over its Ravelry page) in Queensland Collection Bamboo Cotton. I got it the day I decided not to buy any more yarn for a good long while, at Tuesday Morning. (I guess you could say it was my last hurrah.) It's really silky and soft. Pattern photo below...





PS #2. Things are going very well on my finishing crusade! I will have some pretties to share very soon.

Long Lost WIP's

I was tinkering around with my Ravelry notebook tonight and was astounded to discover that several of the WIP's I keep in Ziploc bags in various places around the house have been in their current condition for OVER A YEAR. This must be remedied. So, I am resurrecting the following projects...and I hope to finish them before my seasonal editing job cranks up in September. Think I can do it? (I am not so sure, but if I can it will clear my brain circuits a little--WIP's clog my thoughts. Really.) Here are the contenders.


Featherweight Cardigan (designed by Hannah Fettig), cast on July 3, 2009. Plain stockinette got boring, but now I like having a simple knitting project on the go for the TV watching nights. This is Purewool Merino Lace in a semisolid colorway called Grass. I worked on this tonight, and I've already doubled what you see in the picture!




Zick Zack Tunic (designed by Melissa Wehrle), cast on June 5, 2009. See my hot pink lifeline? I am not sure why I became disillusioned with this one. It's really a nice design. Oh...I remember. I think I chose a size that was going to end up being too small for me. Good thing I am done nursing now, and it will fit (better)! I am knitting this in Knit Picks Gloss Lace, a silk/merino blend, in a beautiful purple called Pinot.



Looks like my hands will be busy, because I am also doing a knit-along with the Anthropologie Knits group on Ravelry. I have been looking for an excuse to knit Que Sera (designed by Kirsten Kapur) since I saw the pattern, and the KAL theme is Short Sleeved Summer Cardigans. I'm using Knit Picks Main Line (Pima cotton/wool blend) in Ivory, and I've modified the sleeve length to just past the elbows rather than full length--both to make it a lighter sweater, and avoid running out of yarn (the yarn is discontinued and it would be difficult to get more). I've got both sleeves and about 3 inches of the body done on this one.



Three very different summery projects...my wardrobe will thank me for this burst of knitting responsibility!

Finished: Dramatic Lace Wrap Cardigan

This thing fairly FLEW off my needles! And, I am happy to report, the Dramatic Lace Wrap Cardigan by Sweaterbabe absolutely lived up to my rather high expectations for it. I am pleased with the fit, the drape, the color, the feel. I wish computers had Sense-O-Vision so you could reach through the screen and feel this sweater for yourself. I'll wait while you go find some merino yarn at your house to pet instead...

The pattern was really well-written. I followed the directions for the size 35 exactly, but there seemed to be one mistake: in the set up row for the second front piece, in order to get the fronts to match I had to reverse the stitch counts. If I had done it as written, the second front would have had the double lace panel at the top instead of the bottom. Also, I had to read the selvage edge instructions a couple of times, and I think I ended up reversing that too on the second side, so the top edges on both sides would be the same. Other than that, it was a wonderful pattern. Highly recommended.




As with any lace project, blocking was a must. Right off the needles, the fronts were way too short, and kind of hung sadly while the back gapped outward, pushed back by the weight of the front. The lace pattern didn't stand out at all. I wasn't worried, though I did wonder if the back would keep gapping, because I know the power of blocking! Never doubt the power of blocking. I soaked the finished piece in a little Eucalan and warmish water, wrapped it in a towel and stuck it in the spin cycle of the washing machine for a minute or so, then pressed the rest of the excess water out between two fresh towels.

I was a little stumped as to how to block a seamless sweater whose fronts were longer than the width of the back, but I ended up pinning one side closed and the other open, then reversing that after it had dried for a day. Then, once it was nearly dry and the eyelets were staying open when the pins were removed, I laid the whole thing over a drying rack to finish letting all the moisture evaporate.



When I picked up the dry sweater for the first time, I could immediately feel the difference. The drape is fantastic, and the fronts now hang down perfectly, just like the pattern photo! I'm still not quite happy with how I blocked the sleeves...I'll be trying again on those, but I can tell this is going to be my instant fashion pick-me-up. Who can feel depressed or tired when wearing a sweater like this?

I substituted 4 skeins of 100purewool.com Single Ply Merino Worsted in Verde Manzana for the Knit Picks Swish Worsted called for, and it was a good fit for the pattern. I was able to get gauge perfectly. I actually like this yarn at a larger gauge better than I do at its recommended gauge...There are two skeins left over since I ordered six, so I am thinking maybe a Just Enough Ruffles by Laura Chau (pattern photo below by Cosmicpluto).

I also feel a Sweaterbabe kick coming on...I got the yarn (Sublime Angora Merino) and pattern for Cables and Lace Kimono for my birthday last year, so as soon as I finish a couple of other projects, that one is getting made!

Spring Green

Ahhhhh...silky soft single ply merino. Mmmmmmm...copper patina green. Oooooooh...flower lace. Sounds like springtime to me! It's difficult to capture the yarn (Verde Manzana from Purewool) on camera--there is a more rusty yellow-green tinge to part of the colorway, parts are electric green, and parts have a softer blueish green cast. The second (earliest) photo, showing the mock-cable rib raglan "seam", comes closest to showing the variation of color.

This is just flying by--I think partly because of the size 10 needles and partly because the pattern is so well-written that I hardly have to think while I knit! I did agonize for a while over whether I needed to make the sleeves and/or the body a bit longer, but I decided that I like the proportions of the sweater just as written, and as pictured in the pattern photo. So, for the first time ever, I am making absolutely no modifications to the pattern. It's strangely liberating.


I also love that the sleeves are not saved for last! One sleeve is already done, and the other will be done before I move on to the drapy front pieces. Genius! I don't know why I never thought to do that with other patterns--but you can bet I will be doing that from now on. No more getting stuck on the sleeves and waiting months to finish a sweater!

Sweaterbabe's Dramatic Lace Wrap Cardigan

Since I have been knitting, I notice knitwear--sort of the same way I never noticed a certain car model around town until we bought one. But when waiting in lines or walking through the mall, my eye catches shapes, styles, and colors in commercial knitted garments, which gives me inspiration for my own hand-knit wardrobe. Lately, I have been noticing especially these great drapy cardigans. They are perfect with the skinny jeans that are so fashionable now, and they just look so effortlessly stylish. Most of the examples I've seen on other women have been plain stockinette, and while the shape itself is beautiful, it's kind of boring to knit. When I saw Sweaterbabe's new pattern, #112 Dramatic Lace Wrap Cardigan, it hit me that it was EXACTLY the cardigan pattern I was looking for! (Photos are from Sweaterbabe...she was kind enough to give permission to use them).

Those long front panels are right on-trend, and the lace pattern gives me something fun to knit. The back is gorgeous as well--and there is waist shaping, which for my hourglass-ish figure is a must!

I've purchased several Sweaterbabe patterns over the last year, and one thing I really appreciate about all of them, including this latest one, is that she writes the patterns out line by line. What I mean by that is there is no sort of hand waving--"Knit until it feels right!" She tells you exactly how many rows to do. That is relaxing for me, because I don't have to take copious notes as I knit...I can just mark my place in the pattern and I know exactly where to pick it up again then next time I sit down with the project. That is perfect for me because I usually have several projects going at once.

I received the pattern a week or so ago, and it was pure kismet that the pattern called for Knit Picks Swish Worsted (superwash merino) when I had a shipment of single-ply merino on its way to me already! I was so, so, SO tempted to go ahead and order some Swish for the project because that is probably my favorite yarn...it washes so well! But I had ordered a sweater-quantity of Purewool in an apple green color back in the first week of April when they had a sale, so I decided to be good and wait for that--I know it will be a good yarn sub. Since it is hand-dyed to order and shipped from Uruguay it takes over a month to arrive on my doorstep, but it came today! I can't wait to get started...

It's a little *ahem* brighter than I expected it to be, but brights are in this season, right?

Finished: Creature Comforts Cardi and 198 Yards of Heaven

The Creature Comforts Cardi by Madeleinetosh was SO nice to knit. I enjoyed the oak leaf motif, and the stockinette sides helped things really fly by...it was only three weeks from start to finish! I think that is my quickest sweater to date. I have hardly taken it off since I finished.



This was knit with just over 4 skeins of Cascade 220, in Alki Beach (a discontinued beigey-gray)...the 5th skein was only needed for a few rounds of ribbing on one of the cuffs. I didn't make many modifications to the pattern: the cuffs are 1" longer than the pattern calls for, but other than that, it's just as written.

Though I LOVE it now, there was an "Oh, bummer" moment right after I seamed it up and tried it on for the first time...I really didn't love how it fit me at that point. The bottom edge was not quite wide enough to hug my rear end without bunching up in the front--I'll confess I got a little lump in my throat, worried that it wasn't going to look as awesome as I had envisioned. I fiddled with it a little, and found that if I stretched it out on the bottom, there, it would hang just right! So I pulled out the steam iron and blocked the bottom out about 2 extra inches on each side of the cable panel, and when it was dry the next morning I was much happier with the fit. Making the next size up wouldn't really have solved this problem, because the top fit perfectly and I wouldn't have wanted extra width there. This photo shows where I stretched out the bottom edge to make it fit around the hips.

My other finished project is the 198 Yards of Heaven shawlette, a free pattern by Christy Verity that I found on Ravelry. I am trying to decide if I am a shawl person or not--I see so many beautiful shawls on blogs and on Ravelry, but I wasn't sure if I could pull one off. So, I decided to try knitting a small one, in worsted weight yarn, so the time committment wasn't too great if I didn't really wear it (this was cast-on to finished blocking in three days flat!). If I end up wearing this one a lot, I am going to try my hand at a larger, laceweight shawl!

Also, after my last post about hating varigated yarn I decided I should give the last couple of skeins I bought a while back one more chance to win me over. This is 3-ply worsted weight, hand-dyed yarn from 100purewool.com--a pretty good sub for Malabrigo, as I understand it. It's Uruguay merino which comes in several weights as a singles yarn, and as a 3-ply worsted. It is the softest yarn I have ever worked with, and it has the nicest sheen to it! If you haven't tried it, I would really recommend it; I have used it a lot. My favorites are their semi-solid colors. So beautiful!

This colorway is called Verdes II, and guess what? I like it! The colors do not distract from the lace work too much, and it didn't pool much at all. I modified the pattern just a little to use up just about every inch of one skein, 218 yards: I added an extra 1/2 repeat of the lace pattern (so, 3 total) and skipped two rows of the border pattern.

Now I will just have to see if I like wearing shawls! I decided this particular one is my little tribute to the TV show LOST. My husband and I have been working our way through the DVD sets in the evenings while we wait for each week's new episode...the blues and greens really evoke the jungle and the ocean around the Island, and the lace pattern reminds me of tropical leaves. Maybe I will wear it on the plane to Maui this summer. ;)