Peaceful Knitter

Introducing the 18-day Sweater:

• Pattern: Wicked by Rachel & Sarah of Zephyr Style (Ravelry link)

• Yarn: Artyarns Supermerino, color 239, 8 skeins (832 yards) for 36-39″ version with 3/4 length sleeves

• Needles: US size 6 & 7 circulars

• Modifications: I knit the collar, arm cables, and pocket on size 6 needles.  The body, arms, and waistband were knit on size 7s.  I had to knit the body about 3 inches longer than called for in the pattern to accommodate my longer torso, for a total of 14 inches from underarm to the bottom of the pocket.  During that time I knit the decreases as called for in my size, then knit plain for about 2 inches before doing 4 rounds of increases.  I knit the arms to the elbow then decreased 4 stitches over the course of 12 rows.  Just before the cables I decreased to 56 stitches so they would be snug.  Then for the waistband I used the crossover cable pattern instead of moss stitch.

The knitting was finished on Wednesday night, and I awoke early Thursday to start sewing in the ends and seaming on the pocket.  It was an exciting moment when there were no more tethers or pins or stitch markers impeding my view of this beautiful sweater.  All the hard work was finally finished!

Remember how I had to start the collar of the sweater by knitting back and forth?  Then after an inch or so I joined to knit in the round.  That left a little gap that just seemed like too much trouble to seam up.  With the helpful guidance of Mom, I crocheted a chain button loop, attached a vintage button, and made a charming closure.

I met my goal of wearing Wicked on Thanksgiving and enjoyed showing it off with another FO that day, my apple cranberry pie. Mmm…leftover pie for breakfast, anyone?

My first sweater is now a knitting memory.  There are things I would do differently next time to be sure, but overall it was a positive learning experience.  I now know that I am a capable sweater knitter, up to the task of tackling any challenge.  A whole new world of possible knits now seems open to me.  Where I used to shy away from looking too closely at beautiful sweater patterns, I now take a second look.  Anything is possible when you take your time and work through the challenges, both in life and in knitting.  Knitting Wicked helped me reconnect with the fearless knitter within, something I used to know intimately but which was slowly buried.  Are you fantasizing about knitting something that you think is beyond your ability?  What if you just tried it?  And what if you tried it and succeeded?

*Photos courtesy of my lovely mother who seems to enjoy a Finished Object photo shoot as much as I do!*

After 2 weeks of feverishly knitting on the Wicked sweater, it is almost finished.

I thought I was almost done with the body on Thursday, but it was a false hope.  Thankfully I took a moment to put the sweater onto waste yarn and try it on before doing the pocket and waistband.  The instructions for my size say to knit a total of 11.5 inches from the underarm to where you join the bottom of the pocket.  I know that I have a long torso, so I knit an extra inch before trying it on.  If I had proceeded with the pocket at that point, that would have put the top of the pocket just under my bust line.  No thank you!  So I ended up knitting to about 14 inches before trying it on again.  I think this is where it will stay.  In the end, I decided to put the body of the sweater in a time out to work on the sleeves this weekend.

The first one is finished, and I am pleased with the length.  There were a couple of things about the pattern for the the arms that I found lacking.  First, I ended up with a gap under the arm where the stitches are joined for knitting in the round.  I didn’t see any tips on Ravelry about this, and when I tried picking up extra stitches it didn’t help at all.  I’m planning on fixing it from the inside when it’s time to weave in ends.

Next, there are no instructions for arm shaping.  I don’t know about you, but my arms start out wider and taper a bit as you go down.  As I wanted to make this top with 3/4 length sleeves, I decided to add in some decreases at about the elbow to bring it in a little bit.  But they’re still a little bulky.  On the up side, I can easily fit this sweater on over a long sleeve T-shirt!

I don’t mean to complain too much about the pattern, because everything else has been crystal clear.  And if this weren’t my first sweater experience, I probably wouldn’t need every little thing spelled out for me.  But I am, and I do, to a certain extent.

Just because.

In any case, I think I’m on target for finishing this by Thursday.  I may not have a chance to wash and block it by then, but the knitting should be finished.  Of course, I plan on eating like a soon to be hibernating bear on Thanksgiving, so maybe I should have knit the next size up…

In case I don’t make it back to the blog in time for Thanksgiving, I wanted to take a moment to give thanks to all of you for reading this blog.  It has meant so  much to me to put my thoughts, work, and creativity out here, and I deeply appreciate the respect and enthusiasm you show in return.

Thank you & happy holidays!

This week I was lucky enough to receive some beautiful yarn from two separate sources.

The first came from a travel companion and knitting mentor, Kimberly. My mom and I have traveled with her and her husband twice in the past 8 years, first to Scotland and then to India.  I was a very new knitter when we met up for our second trip, and had a lot to learn.  Kimberly was the first person I met with an extensive library of knitting books, and access to a local yarn shop where she also taught classes.  She let me look at her books, took me to the LYS, and helped me crack the code of moss stitch!

For the past few months it has been fun to reconnect with each other through our blogs and Ravelry.  Kimberly and my mom were at the same conference recently, and she passed on a parcel of yarn from Scotland for my mom to mule to me.  Thank you!

Pam Murray Fibres & Yarns 100% North Ronaldsay Wool

The second yarn came to me from Purlsoup.  She had contacted me on Ravelry about buying some yarn from my trade/sell stash.  One look at her hand-dyed yarn and I was instantly convinced a trade would be in order.  So we swapped!  Her package arrived on a day where I really needed a little sunshine, and it delivered.  The yarn was nicely wrapped and tagged, and there was an additional surprise for me on the ball bands.

Special Edition Colorway: Sonia!

Just about every color I love made it into this yarn, and I am looking forward to knitting up a fun shrug or wrap for myself.  After I finish a couple of other things, of course…

I may have also  purchased a couple of Ravelry T-shirts for myself for Christmas.  I guess Christmas came early this year because I’ve already worn one of the shirts!  Well, why not?!

Love is in the air.

Hope you have a great weekend!

I have been a very busy knitter and budding designer this past week!  Let me just get the first exciting bits out of the way…My first 2 patterns are up on Ravelry!

Owl Cowl & Neckwarmer

Ribbed For Your Warmth

These are of the “quick & dirty” variety, but they are official.  I am waiting to be linked on the website as a Designer, after which time I can add photos and PDF links to the pattern.  That way, users can download the file and print easily, or save the file in their Ravelry libraries.  (If you have no idea what I’m talking about when I say Ravelry, please take a moment to go here and sign yourself up.  It’s a blast!)  Now I just need to figure out how to link my pattern PDF files through this blog.  For now the patterns are available to blog readers (that’s you!) through the Original Designs tab at the top of the page.

After spengind all this time figuring out websites, pattern formats, and PDF files, I’m ready to hit the needles and do some good knitting.  My Wicked sweater is still coming along, though progress seems to have slowed.  I have a couple of inches to go before I can start doing some hip increases, then it’s the home stretch to the bottom band, pocket, and sleeves.  And I have 8 days before Thanksgiving to meet my goal of wearing this sweater.  What am I doing on the computer?  I should be knitting!

I also got sidetracked by a new project, one that was absolutely critical I cast on immediately.  you see, my mom asked for a pair of socks way back in July.  I never knit them.  Now my mom has been here visiting for a week and I still hadn’t started these socks.  So when we decided to take the train into NYC yesterday, I saw that as the perfect opportunity to cast on and get knitting.

Undulating Rib Sock in STR Pebble Beach

I’m not sure this is the best yarn to show off the stitch pattern, but it’s knitting up nicely and quickly, so it’s a winner.

I had a celebrity sighting in New York as well.  I just about ran into Barbara Walters on the sidewalk!  Just as I realized who she was and how close we were, she took a sharp left into a restaurant entrance.  I took my mom back by the window just to make sure it was her, and it was!  Hope you had a nice lunch, Barbara!

Introducing 2 free patterns!  And it’s already on Ravelry, so queue it up!

This simple stitch pattern can be worked flat or in the round to create 2 different pieces.  It uses less than one skein of Malabrigo and knits up fast.

(yarn shown: Naturally Handknit Me by Nashua)

Materials:
Malabrigo Merino Worsted, 1 skein or 110 yards of any worsted weight yarn
Size 8 needles (16-inch circular for cowl pattern)
1 stitch marker
Tapestry needle
3 buttons no more than 1-inch in diameter for neckwarmer pattern

Finished Measurements:
Neckwarmer:  5 inches wide 26 inches long after blocking
Cowl:  5 ½ inches tall, 24 inch circumference after blocking

Abbreviations:
CO—Cast on
K—knit
P—purl
Sts—stitches
Yo—yarn over; bring yarn to the front of your work
Sl1—slip one stitch as if to knit
Psso—pass slipped stitch over the knit stitch
BO—bind off

Notes:
This stitch pattern is a simple 4-row repeat.  You can easily adjust the circumference or height of your piece by adding or subtracting stitches as stated for each pattern.  Similarly, these patterns can be adjusted to work with just about any yarn by changing needle sizes and amount of stitches cast on.  Use your favorite yarn and have fun!

Neckwarmer
Multiple of 7 + 2 stitches

(Malabrigo merino worsted)

Using the Long Tail cast on, CO 135 stitches.

Row 1:  K2 * P5, K2 * repeat from * to last 2 sts, K2
Row 2: P2 * K2tog, yo, K1, yo, sl1, K1, psso, P2 * repeat from * to last 2 sts, P2
Row 3: same as row 1
Row 4: P2 * K5, P2 * repeat from * to last 2 sts, P2

Repeat rows 1 thru 4 until piece measures 4 ½ inches from CO edge, or until desired width, ending with row 4.  Bind off loosely in pattern.  Weave in ends.  Gently block to open up the eyelet details.  Position buttons vertically on the right side of the fabric in the purl fields, every other eyelet hole.  The eyelets will become the buttonholes; place the buttons so the neckwarmer will fit you as snugly or loosely as you care for.

Cowl
Multiple of 7 stitches

(Valley Yarns Sugarloaf)

Using the Long tail cast on and circular needles, CO 126 stitches.

Join to knit in the round, being careful not to twist your stitches.  Place a stitch marker here to indicate the beginning of the round.

Row 1: P2 * K5, P2 * repeat from * to last 5 stitches, K5
Row 2: same as row 1
Row 3: P2 * K2tog, yo, K1, yo, sl1, K1, psso* rep to marker
Row 4: same as row 1

Repeat rows 1 thru 4 until piece measures 4 inches from CO edge, or until desired width, ending with row 4.  Bind off loosely in pattern.  Weave in ends.  Gently block to open up the eyelet details.

***

I hope you enjoy these patterns.  As always, please let me know if you come across anything that is unclear and I will correct it as soon as possible.

Keep on knitting!

I started Wicked on Sunday afternoon. I cast on 128 stitches on size 6 needles to keep the cables nice and neat and the neckline a little more pulled in.  The pattern calls for a 32″ circular needle for the body, but there was no way my 128 stitches would fit around that circumference.  So I knit the first few rows flat, then joined it and worked it with some of the cord pulled out for several increases.  This left a little gap at the back of the neck that I’ll have to go back and seam up.

The front and back of the neck:

(truest color in top photo)

After the cables I switched to size 7 needles.  It’s a little smaller than the recommended gauge, but I like the texture of the stockinette fabric.  I have been cruising through the increases for the arms.  Last night at knitting group I got to the point where I was able to put the sleeve stitches on waste yarn and start knitting the body.  Then this morning I was very excited to put the body on waste yarn and try it on.  Drumroll, please….

It fits!  I cannot believe how quickly this is knitting up.  Of course, it helps that I haven’t been working on anything else and love this yarn like a yuppie loves gelato (“Look Marilyn, mojito gelato!”).  It’s my goal to have this baby finished by Thanksgiving.  Two weeks to go!

Happy knitting this weekend.

I reserve the bulk of my knitting time to create handknits that someone will appreciate and use.  Most often, the recipient of my knitting gifts is Me.  But there is one other person who ranks high in the Use and Appreciation of Handknits department: my Sweetie.

Not only does she show interest in what I am knitting, she agrees to model things for me.  What started as me asking her to go into yarn shops with me on vacation has turned into her seeking them out.  She willingly went to Rhinebeck with me and was genuinely interested in the spectacle of it all.  She knows how much time and thought I put into my knitting, and encourages me to do it as much as possible.  Even if it means I don’t get around to cleaning as much as I used to, P.K. (pre-knitting).

So when she asks me to knit her something, I take it very seriously.  She has an especial fondness for socks.  As someone who loves buying and knitting sock yarn, this is a near perfect arrangement for me.  Sweetie is the perfect scapegoat for buying additional unnecessary sock yarn: “Oh, this is a color Sweetie would like”.  I typically alternate between knitting a pair of socks for myself and one for her.  The Spring Forward socks I knit during the Ravelympics were supposed to be for her.  As some of you may remember, I had gauge issues, and ended up making socks to fit about a size 6 foot.  Sweetie is a 10.

She was due for a new pair.  Last month I led her to the yarn cabinet, opened the door with reverence, and said “Pick One.”  And thus my journey with the Show-Off Stranded Socks began.

• Pattern: Show-Off Stranded Socks *Free*

• Yarn: Artyarns Ultramerino 4 in color 136, 2 skeins

• Needles: US Size 1 1/2 (2.5 mm) double points

• Modifications: I started out with a 1×1 twisted rib at the cuff, simply because I prefer how it looks. There are 3 different options for the gusset and I chose to do stockinette stitch. Then I followed the pattern as written until the toe.  Here I opted to do paired decreases and a grafted toe for that wedge toe look.

LOVE this pattern and yarn combination!  I think this may be one of those perfect patterns for that wild skein of sock yarn you might have lying around.  It’s just as easy as stockinette stitch, but gives the sock so much more texture and depth.

***

Last fall I knit her a pair of Knucks.  While they were interesting, I found the fingers way too fiddly.  So when she started asking for another pair, I stalled.  This past Sunday was our 6 year wedding anniversary, and I decided I could take time away from knitting these socks and fantasizing about my future sweaters to knit her some much-needed handwarmers as a gift.

I used my newly acquired skills at knitting in the round on 2 circulars to work these up.  It felt a little bit faster than DPNs, I have to admit.  And I really liked not having to worry about dropping a needle.

• Pattern: Fetching *Free*

• Yarn: Cascade Lana d’Oro, less than one skein in black

• Needles: Two US size 5 circulars : )

• Mods: I used the pattern for Fetching as inspiration.  I only cast on 35 stitches and omitted the cables for a simpler look.  They fit snugly which is great for working and walking the dog.

As usual, Sweetie was excited by these surprise mitts and has been wearing them regularly.  It’s a good thing I have some yarn leftover; I can see needing to make another pair when she wears these out in 10 minutes!

Two Finished Objects this week!  It felt so good to finish things that I also went on a frogging spree.  I ripped out every project that has been languishing on my needles for any length of time.  What a great feeling!  Now I can focus on my sweater (which is coming along nicely, thank you very much!) and start thinking about knitting another pair of socks for a worthy recipient.

Meet Peg.

Peg The Leg.

She will be doing some stunt sock modeling for me in the future. Peg likes to travel, go antiquing, drink exotic hot teas, and skinny dip.  And wear fine handknit socks, of course.

Keep your eyes open; she could turn up anywhere…

Friday’s trip to Mecca WEBS proved to be both inspiring and fruitful.  There is so much beautiful yarn there, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.  But thanks to a courteous staff member, I was directed to the types of yarn I was looking for, and in what felt like no time at all I was surrounded with great options for a sweater.

In searching for the perfect pattern for My First Sweater, I had these criteria:

• Seamless construction.

• Modern and stylish.

• Something that would look good on my body that I would like to wear.

• Simple but not boring.

In the end, I purchased two top down patterns.  I went to WEBS with the intention of getting the yarn to make one or the other, whichever I was more excited about when I saw the yarn options.  Silly Peaceful Knitter!  There were a few great options for each sweater, and I ended up stocking up to knit both.

• Pattern: Wicked

• Yarn: Artyarns Supermerino in color 239.  It’s a gorgeous blue-purple semisolid colorway.  Love.

• Pattern: Baby Cables and Big Ones Too

• Yarn: Valley Yarns Stockbridge in Light Gray

See that cable coming up the sleeve from the wrist?  That’s what did me in!

I wound up the yarn over the weekend and started swatching.  That’s right: I took your advice and swatched then swatched again.  Apparently I had a little bit of a mental block when swatching for Wicked.  The pattern calls for a size 7 needle.  I got 5 1/2 stitches to the inch with 7s (too few), so I needed to try another needle size.  This is when I glanced back at the pattern to make sure of the needle size.  I saw US size 7 and US size 4.  “Really? 4s with worsted weight yarn?” I thought to myself.  Okay….so I swatched with 6s.  Then 5s and finally 4s.

I was feeling beyond frustrated about not achieving this mythical gauge when I started complaining to Sweetie.  She said she’d take a look, and I handed her my knitting and my trusty Susan Bates gauge thingy.  She chuckled and said something to the effect of “shouldn’t you be going up a needle size if you want fewer stitches per inch?”  After a moment of complete humiliation, I thanked her for being so good with measurements and proceeded to rip out and start over.  Apparently when I saw size 4 I was looking at the information for the laceweight version of the sweater, not the worsted!  I ignored what I thought I knew about gauge and was implicitly trusting what I thought the pattern said.

I got a good start on Wicked at knitting group yesterday, and am about to start the raglan increases.  I love the yarn, and the pattern seems straightforward and just interesting enough.  Is it wrong that I’m already excited to be finished with this one so I can start Baby Cables?

While at Mecca WEBS, I also found a better yarn for the Hanami Stole than what I had swatched with before.  This is a beautiful raspberry wine color of Misti Alpaca.

One our way out of the parking lot, Sweetie and I both noticed the bead shop.  “Do you want to stop?” she offered.  “Well, I do need some beads to go with this lace yarn…”  We pulled in, found the right beads almost immediately thanks to another courteous staffer, and were on our way.  The day was a great success!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my sweater.

Ha!  I’m knitting a sweater!  I really like the sound of that.

One year.

365 days.

142 posts.

Invaluable amounts of yarn knit up into so many socks, hats, shrugs, neckwarmers, toys, and flittens.

Lace, cables, grafting, blocking, seaming, and everything in between.

Editing photos, learning about RSS feeds, hyperlinks, and blog stats.

It has been both a challenge and a pleasure writing this blog for the past year.  Thank you so much for stopping by to share a slice of my life, leaving encouraging and educational comments, and generally coming back for more.

I write this blog as a way to keep track of how far I have come as a knitter; to share ideas and collaborate with other knitters; to practice writing and taking photos and thinking in a new way about my knitting.  This blog keeps me knitting in a way, for I want to have things to share with you, and my knitting certainly keeps me blogging.  I think I have always been a fearless knitter, but having this blog has definitely compelled me to try new, challenging things more often.  And let’s not kid ourselves, it has been a great excuse to sample new yarn, too.

To celebrate, Sweetie and I are off to Webs today to buy yarn for my first sweater!  A new chapter begins.

I’ll leave you with a sight that greeted me in my back yard recently.

I have always considered this house to be a little bit enchanted.  It backs up to the woods, and there is a slight descending slope, so from any room on the back of the house all you see are the trees.  It’s almost like living in a treehouse.  So this fall, as the leaves slowly changed and started falling to the ground, a whole new view emerged.  A world that includes a group of 4 deer hanging out in my back yard!

Again, thanks for stopping by.  I can’t wait to see where this next year of knitting and blogging takes us!