stash, knit, repeat

The second Rhinebeck FO is not just a sweater for me: It’s a pattern for you, too.

Pattern: The February Fitted Pullover, by yours truly

Yarn: Dream in Color Classy, Deep Seaflower, 4 hanks (with around 1/2 of one left over).

Time Elapsed: Knitting this only took a couple of weeks, even with writing it up. Hooray for worsted weight yarn in an open-work pattern and 3/4-length sleeves!

Notes/Modifications: Though it may seem strange, I did actually modify the pattern, lengthening the body to accommodate my super-long torso. (I added a little over an inch.)

But really, there’s more to say about the pattern than about my knitting. The February Fitted Pullover is a fitted, 3/4 sleeve scoop-neck pullover in the gull lace pattern made popular by Elizabeth Zimmerman’s “February Baby Sweater”. The shape is definitely great for the bustier, curvier gals among us. As written, there are about 3.5 inches of waist shaping, worked into the lace pattern:

Though of course, if you are not interested in shaping at all, leave it out! If you want just an inch or two, I’d recommend eliminating the shaping and going down a needle size or two instead.

Bust sizes measure 33 (36, 39.5, 43, 46, 50)”, although the lace gives you quite a bit of leeway when you block. Please, please, pretty please give yourself some negative ease in the bust on this knit. The lace and scoop neck really look better when they’re filled out a little.

I knit my version in Dream in Color Classy, which I used for the February Lady Sweater I knit for Beth and loved. I loved the way it looked in the gull lace pattern, I loved the way the color looked on me. I think it would look completely fantastic in many other hand-painted worsted/aran yarns (check your gauge!), too: I’m looking at you, Sundara ASM.

I guess I don’t have much more to say about this. I’ve been doing some other design work I can’t talk about, this summer, and the bug has bitten me hard. I’m so very glad to finally have something I can share with you all.

I hope this goes without saying, but while I have been very careful in writing and editing this pattern, and it has been test-knit, it’s my first to be released–if you find anything that confuses you, if you find an error, if you have comments, if you have questions… please email me. I really look forward to hearing from you.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Well, lookie who has a new sweater for Rhinebeck!

Pattern: Salina, from Rowan Vintage Knits

Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed, something like 7 balls for the 38″ size?

Time Elapsed: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha HAAAAAA….

Notes/Modifications: I added around an inch of short-row shaping in the bust. Oh, and Salina is currently without buttons, because I cannot ever fathom using them and haven’t found the perfect ones yet anyway. Besides, she’s plenty pretty without them.

(Jacob declared this his favorite. But before you get too excited, he says that about everything.)

I really, really enjoyed knitting this sweater–despite the time it took. (Hey, I knit a few other sweaters while it languished! It wasn’t total slackitude around here.) The stockinette was soothing, and as with all of Ms. Hargreaves’ designs, there were enough interesting finishing touches and thoughtful details to keep me interested. The sleeves were one. I noticed that the cuffs were knit separately, and almost just cast on in seed stitch and skipped that step.

I’m glad I didn’t. The cuffs are knit separately and then sewn on so that you can create a little shirt-cuff detail. I love it. This is such a classic, wearable knit, and I’m sure it will be in regular rotation for many years to come. And you can bet I’ll be wearing it at Rhinebeck, if it’s cold enough outside!

See you there?

Well, a lot less conversation, to be honest, and a lot more action. Not that I can show any of it to you. Even sneak peeks aren’t very exciting when one is working with red red red.

But rest assured, knitting has most definitely been going on, around these parts. I’ve even managed to squeak out a tiny bit of progress on my two longstanding WIPs. Salina is so, so close to being done.

I will wear her to Rhinebeck. Or else. And the Devon socks too, maybe:

But maybe not, too, since that’s just the first sock.

Are you going to be at Rhinebeck? I can hardly wait, and it’s still nearly two months away. I think I’m transferring all of the enthusiasm I can usually muster for the blog onto that one festival.

TTFN, and I hope to be back with more substantive posts soon!

Right now, they’re mostly of the variety I can’t discuss here, but let me tell you about my new favorite yarn:

Berroco Seduce is a rayon/linen/silk/nylon blend. It is one of the softest, silkiest, most fun to work with yarns ever, and I’m already plotting several other additions to my wardrobe. It’s perfect for the summer heat, as it is incredibly light and airy. (This color is Rye, by the way.) I can’t say enough good things about it and encourage you all to rush to your nearest LYS and get some right away.

Non-secret progress crawls on. I have so little left to do on Salina that it’s a crime to let the poor thing languish. I have been making progress on the Devon socks, though!

(I’ve actually even turned the heel and gotten partway through the foot since this picture was taken.)

Here’s hoping your summer knitting is going smashingly!

Whenever I knit a gift (and I do it fairly often), I’m always pretty paranoid that the recipient won’t like it. I can’t really quell that urge entirely, but I’m definitely not as worried this time.

Pattern: Baroque, by Janice Kang, from Fall 2008 Knitty

Yarn: Louet Gems Fingering, Eggplant, 2.3 hanks

Time Elapsed: (Why do I even write this one anymore?) Awhile…

Notes/Modifications: No real modifications. I knit the large size, and my gauge was a teeny bit tighter (on the order of a quarter-stitch per inch). I knit the ribbed toe instead of the plain stockinette.

These socks are not nearly as difficult as they look. It took me a little while (5 rows?) to get used to the cabling–stitches are re-ordered as usual without a cable needle, but then you also do a “mock cable” on two of the stitches that have been re-ordered. At first I found this to be fiddly, and the yarn splitty, but I hit my groove quickly enough. The second sock did drag on–the leg of the sock represents two run-throughs of the chart, and the foot 2.3 (ish) more. So by the foot of the second sock, I found myself needing to look at the chart, still, because it was juuuuuust complicated enough that I couldn’t remember the whole thing—but also being bored with the chart, because I’d knit the same thing 6.5 times already.

However. I think they’re well worth the patience. I’m more enamored of these socks than almost any other project.

These are for the lovely knitting lady Danielle, who is doing something I can’t imagine because I don’t spin, and spinning me something luscious. Hooray for such enjoyable swaps! Of course, I won’t be able to actually knit her creation until probably December, because I have some ideas waiting to get out of my head first…

…but such is the way of knitting. At least in this house.

Well, it’s about time!

Pattern: The February Lady Sweater, by Flint Knits

Yarn: Dream in Color Classy, Deep Seaflower, 4.5 hanks

Time Elapsed: Months, people. Months.

Notes/Modifications: My row gauge was off, leading to a few mis-starts. Eventually I just did the math, and it all worked out fine. I also lengthened the sleeves, since the recipient likes ‘em long. But otherwise, I knit it as written–right down to the big ass buttons.

Although I was right that the style of this sweater wasn’t for me, I’m so very glad I had an opportunity to knit it. It was a simple, fun, engaging knit. The garter and lace patterns both show up the depth of the yarn, they’re fun, but also easily memorized.

What more could you want, really? And I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk up this yarn. The yardage is great, the color is exquisite, the drape and softness are fantastic. Beth declared it perfect, and keep in mind that I’ve made her a sweater out of Calmer.

There are two things you might want to watch out for: One, it can grow quite a bit when blocked, so handle your wet garment carefully. I managed to get about 4 extra inches in the bust of this sweater, and I was pretty careful not to pull. I had been warned, so I wanted those extra 4 inches, but if you knit the garment to fit before blocking…

Second, I alternated hanks of the yarn to prevent any pooling. I don’t think it would have done so anyway, but I’m kind of a perfectionist about my knitting, so there you are.

Two thumbs up for the pattern, the yarn, and the combination. Now, on to more FOs!

80th verse, same as the first! I can say definitively that the Classy rips like a dream.

The FLS for my friend Beth is now on its third incarnation, finally looks good, and I’m totally in love. The yarn rips like a dream, knits like a dream, and the colors are phenomenal. I’ll say that I didn’t really care so much for the way it looked in the hank. But knit up? Divine. A word of warning for those knitting the FLS: Pay attention to your row gauge, and don’t be afraid of the maths.

Those of you who guessed that the dark purple blob in my last post was Baroque from knitty were right. I’m knitting them up as part of a swap for handspun sock yarn. I totally think I’m getting the better half of this deal.

Aaaand Salina continues, slowly but surely (like everything else these days). It’s going to be a favorite this fall, I think.

Aaaand I’m knitting the Devon socks from Cookie A’s new book in Sundara sock yarn, I think Deadly Nightshade?

So, yeah. The astute among you have probably noticed that these are the same four projects from a month ago. I’m remembering, day in and day out, why I like to be mostly monogamous to my projects. It seems to take FOREVER to finish something, this way.

I guess what I’m saying is that I’m desperately in need of some inspiration over here. What’s the FO you’re currently drooling over in blogland?

Wow. I’m pretty embarrassed that a month went by without me even noticing. That’s life sometimes, I guess. To be fair, two of my four projects are gifts, and I was keeping one of them a secret.

Can you tell what it is? My other WIPS: Salina (for me), the February Lady Sweater (for Beth), and a pair of Devon socks from the new Cookie A book (for me). I now remember why I was a strictly monogamous knitter for so long.

I’m just loving the simplicity of Salina–I’ve now finished the back and both of the sleeves, and have a few inches of the front done. The combination of the tweedy yarn and the stockinette/moss stitch makes me squeal. I’m going to really, really enjoy wearing this sweater. So far, the only changes I’ve made are to increase the length of the sweater some, but as I get to the appropriate place I’m going to throw some short rows in there too.

Sadly, I currently feel as angsty as Jacob looks about the FLS. Following the pattern produced some really horrible raglan increases for me (I’m sure my row gauge is off), but I blindly knit on, alternating balls of Classy, for another 8 inches on the body. I finally admitted to myself that it looked awful and started ripping last night–I’m about halfway ripped. Sigh.

The last bit of news, I guess, is that I’m doing more stash restructuring. I’ve got a bunch of lovely, lovely yarns up on my ravelry destash page that just aren’t right for me. If they’re right for you, let me know–I need to make room for the couple of sweaters’ worth of sport-weight gray yarn I picked up at WEBS this past weekend.

(I’m nothing if not predictable in my yarn taste!)

It was clearly time for another sweater for Jacob. It had been a whole month!

Pattern: Twisted Tree Pullover (rav link)

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca, Color 6296, 3.25 hanks or close to 700 yards

Time Elapsed: Rav tells me about a month and a half.

Notes/Modifications: The only real advice I can add to this very clear, well-written pattern is to make sure you buy some extra yarn. I used around 50 yards more than the pattern called for, for the 4/5 year-old size, and that’s with making the neck a little wider than called for in the pattern. (I stopped when there were around 10 more stitches on the needles than the pattern called for, since I know Jacob is sensitive about things being tight over his head.)

As you can see, I chose to size this one a little large for the boy, since sweater season is almost over here and I want him to be able to wear it this fall. He doesn’t seem to mind it being oversized, and as per usual wouldn’t take it off after the photo shoot.

You should absolutely make this sweater. The cables and stockinette/reverse stockinette panels keep things interesting for the knitter, it’s practically seamless, and the result is plain enough for even the most finicky boy. (As a matter of fact, Jacob’s 15-year-old aunt said she’d enjoy one sized up for her, too!) The pattern is clear and concise, and the knitting is just such a great blend of interesting and simple enough to do at a knit night.

Plus, it’s dead cute when worn.

One more piece of advice, and that’s to block the daylights out of this sweater–the panels of course want to curl, so if you want the crisp block look you really need to pin it out. All in all, three thumbs up!

Wow, it’s been ages since I shared anything other than an FO with you. Obviously, the knitting is continuing post-kids! The blogging, not so much. Not because I don’t have time, actually–since I only work part-time I actually spend a fair amount of time here at home with the boys, and they’re both pretty independent kids. But my husband is working from home at the moment, and we only have one computer. As much as I love my phone, a good blogging device it is not.

Still, the time has come to make some resolutions and follow them, so hopefully you’ll be seeing more of me here soon. Spring frenzy has definitely hit this part of New England, so when I cast off another Jacob sweater the other day?

I pretty much had no choice but to cast on 3 projects to replace it.

(February Lady Sweater for my friend Beth, and a couple of pairs of mystery socks.) I’ve wanted to knit the FLS for about an eon now, but it’s completely wrong for my body type. (While I never really LIKE it when dressing for my figure limits my wardrobe, I do appreciate the results–thanks, Trinny and Susannah!) The happy solution arrived when my very good friend and excellent knitwear recipient Beth admired the sweater. A few hanks of Dream in Color Classy later, I was good to go. I’m really enjoying it so far, and especially enjoying the speedy progress of a worsted-weight sweater as compared to my other sweater project:

Salina is pretty much exactly right for my body type, in my favorite color, and a glorious yarn. Unfortunately, such teeny tiny stitches do result in fairly slow going. Still, I have the back and most of one sleeve done now, so I have hope I’ll be able to wear it this spring.

Why two pairs of socks, you ask? Well, one particular part of my stash has really been inspiring me lately.

Happy spring!