skinny rib cardigan.
pattern: skinny rib cardigan by debbie bliss, from the "wish you were here" collection.
yarn: debbie bliss cotton cahsmere in teal.
needles: US 2 and US 4
dates: cast on for the first time in july of 2007, cast off for the third time in april of 2008, sewed the buttons on in may.
modifications:
decreased every cast-on number by multiples of 8
made body pieces and sleeves longer
made caps on sleeves shorter
used smaller needles
notes:
this pattern should have been really simple, but i had problems with gauge. i met gauge the first time, and the sweater turned out way too big. it just fell off of me. i ended up frogging the complete sweater once, and frogging specific parts multiple times. it took me almost a year to iron out the kinks. however, i made it in july, put it into hibernation in august, and pulled it back out in february. the actual knitting of the pieces only took a few nights, but the ripping back and the blocking seemed to take forever. regardless of all of that, this was my first cardigan and i am quite proud! it was also the first time i made buttonholes.
i am counting it in my sweater-a-month thing cause i reknitted the entire thing in february.
i would recommend this pattern though. i just made stupid mistakes, it's really not that hard. :)
gathered pullover.
pattern: gathered pullover from interweave knits.
yarn: cotton classic 100% mercerized cotton, shade #3783, seven skeins
needles: US 7
dates: cast on 26 april, cast off 1 may.
modifications:
folded hem on sleeves and bottom of body
five inches of extra length on body
short row shoulders
applied i-cord edging to slip stitch v-neck
notes:
i managed to get correct gauge, so it's a little bigger than i had hoped it would be. the yarn split so much that it was rather hard to work with at first. i got the hang of it as i went though. this was my first time using short row shoulders; it was quite an experience. i hate seaming, so it was nice to be able to have an edge to seam and use the three needle bind off for the shoulders. i had never done a folded hem before either. the bottom one rolls about, so to combat that in the sleeves i knit tbl for the first two rows after i created the hem. the sleeves don't roll at all. i have decided i hate picking up stitches. i never get the correct amount, even though i use the knitty guide. it never looks perfect, but i think i did an almost decent job this time. the neckline was a little too slippery for me, so i added the icord edging and that firmed it right up.
i love the color. it's still a little bright for me, but i think it works.
i didn't have to babysit this weekend, so i had a couple free nights! thus, i decided to blow all the money i earned in the last week. brilliant. now how does a knitter, who isn't very fashion forward and despises anything but online shopping, blow her money? she goes to a yarn store! so i trekked down to the fiber factory, dragging a friend with me. during that trip, i came to realize/it was rudely pointed out to me that all the colors i choose are subdued and muted.
so, in an attempt to gain more confidence, i bought really bright yarn. the green and the wool are for thrummed mittens. the teal is for the gathered pullover. the purple is for some sort of slouchy hat, maybe foliage or gretel. [if any of you are eagle-eyed ravelers, you will see these bright colors have all been done before. yes, i am being a copycat. no way i can choose these bright colors without help!]
well, i started the gathered pullover saturday night. i knit the ten inches of stockinette in the pitch black created by watching tim burton movies with non-knitters. although sweeney todd was really weird, i enjoyed it. but i did not enjoy the yarn as much. usually, i can knit in the dark no problem. but the yarn splits so much, i have a ton of mistakes and even an added stitch! last night, i got through the cable and one short row shoulder. i'm not necessarily regretting the color yet, but i am apprehensive. it's a really pretty, really bright teal that might be too much for me. i think i just might be too tan for it. :|
thermal is coming pretty well. i have about eight inches and am not sick of waffle yet. my socks are almost done, but i am reserving those to be knit while i am babysitting or traveling and can't focus on a bigger project.
i need to stop buying yarn.
i have decided to knit a sweater a month. i need something to keep me from boredom, and a reason to increase my knitting skills. each sweater i knit, in order for it to count in this little game, must have something new for me to learn or something i have never done before. i have already knitted three, so i'm only a month behind.
so i present the long sleeved fitted knits cardigan, february's sweater.
this was my first top-down seamless sweater. i used lion brand wool because i decided to knit this late at night and micheals was the only craft store open. the yarn is a lot less itchy than i was expecting it to be, but it still bothers me a little. i made the whole sweater smaller by using smaller needles but following the pattern exactly. i also added sleeves and three extra inches to the total body length. i accidentally put the buttons on the boy side. i'm pretending it's a protest against the arbitrary and inane separations placed between the genders, but honestly, i just wasn't paying attention.
my favorite finished projects:
..."teacher's pet" scarf.
pattern: loop's candy stripe scarf.
modifications: none.
notes: i loved this pattern. i had a little trouble getting my mind around all the slip stitches, yarn overs, and color changes necessary to make this brioche bicolor scarf. but once i got used to it it knit up very quickly. i'd like to experiment with colors though, since i just bought the pinks shown in the pattern.
..."falling in love on a greyhound" sweater.
pattern: my own. stockinette stitch throughout, with rolled sleeves and a scoop neck collar.
modifications: n/a
notes: this was the first sweater i knitted, back in may 2005. i originally had a pattern, but as the name suggests, i knitted this on a greyhound from vegas to phoenix and didn't have my pattern book. i just made up the pieces how i imagined they would fit together. it was a really easy knit with big needles and chunky yarn.
..."this is me giving up" socks.
pattern: knit 1 magazine's thigh high socks, the travel issue.
modification: i made mine a few inches shorter, i have short legs.
notes: my first pair of socks! turning the heel wasn't nearly as scary as i thought it would be, thanks to the picture step by step instructions in the magazine. they are also so comfortable, and almost too warm.
..."hospital" cabled hat.
pattern: my own. six stitch cables with three stitch purl ribbing in between. a one inch k1, p1 rib brim.
modifications: n/a
notes: this was a really easy hat to knit. i knit it during a medical test, in just a few hours. i used a super chunky hand spun wool and the cables go all the way to the top, decreasing in size until the top. the top ended up kind of pointy, which i have had no luck in sewing down.
..."spaghetti" cabled hat.
pattern: my own. four stitch cables with open centers and three stitch purl ribbing. no brim.
modifications: n/a
notes: this was another really easy hat to knit. i used medium weight acrylic yarn, two strands. the cables have purls in the middle. i stopped the cables when i started decreasing, and added a ribbing.
..."please answer your messages" reversible brioche hat.
pattern: my own. brioche bicolor ribbing worked all the way through.
modifications: n/a
notes: this hat was pretty hard. first, i had to convert the brioche stitch into the round, which was way easier than i made it. then my gauge ended up too big. i knit my gauge in brioche stitch. i would knit it in stockinette next time, since this hat is so stretchy. getting the decreases to be invisible on both sides was hard at first but i finally got the hang of it.
