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Epic Sweater Reveal!

August 31, 2015 blogtest_2q7z6c 6 Comments

After much anticipation, I can finally reveal my epic sweater.

This is my healing sweater. I have failed no less than three times to make a sweater for myself. Reasons for failure include lack of skill, lack of confidence and complete stupidity. But this one is a complete success!

My skills and confidence have improved so much in just the last couple of years. Making sweaters for my tiny human has helped my sweater confidence a lot, but I’ve learned a lot about reading patterns and techniques that make garment knitting easier. (I’ve also learned a lot about staying committed to the finished product.) I was able to modify this pattern just a little bit to make it fit me the way I wanted it.

This will be my winter sweater. I plan to wear it over layers, so for that reason I wanted a looser, not fitted garment. I also have long arms and broad shoulders. This means that commercial sweater sleeves tend to end up being about 3/4 length on me. It’s annoying and my wrists are always cold. I’m not so into the trend of shorter length sweaters, either. I was able to make the sleeves and body long enough to my satisfaction.

I might have made the sleeves just a smidge too long, but the wonderful thing about knitting it myself is… I can redo it if I want to. I would just undo the bind-off, rip out the cuff and a few rows, then re-knit the cuff.

"Why are you wearing a wool sweater in August? Are you crazy?" — “Why are you wearing a wool sweater in August? Are you crazy?”

The construction of the sweater was interesting and fun. The designer wrote the pattern so that you knit half of the back part of the collar then you stop there, pick up stitches along the cast-on edge and knit the other half. When you get to the same point as the first half, you pick up stitches along the edge and continue on down the body. If you’re not a knitter, that is probably completely confusing, but it works and it’s fun to do.

I modified the pattern at the hem to avoid having a split between the cable and the ribbing. That took some fancy needlework, but it was worth it. The only other modification I would make is to do a provisional cast on when beginning the collar. That way you would have live stitches to use when you started the second half and it would be seamless. As it is, the seam is pretty much invisible from the outside.

I love this sweater so much. It’s warm and soft. The cables are beautiful. The construction was simple, but interesting enough to keep me interested. I will wear this for years to come. I am so happy I made this!

Merle sweater designed by Norah Gaughan. Made in Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed. (Just for an interesting tidbit, Norah Gaughan is the same person who designed the pattern for the Aran Afghan I finished last month. I think you could say I’m a fan.)

P.S. Thank you so much to my awesome hubby for taking these photos for me. I am almost never satisfied with the photos I take, but I am almost always satisfied with his. <3

Oooops!

August 24, 2015 blogtest_2q7z6c 2 Comments

Last week, we went on a day trip to visit family. My husband and I take turns driving, so that means I got three good hours worth of knitting time. I finished the body of the sweater the night before so I was excited to be working on the sleeves.

A tangled mess of needles. Tough to manage, but so worth it.

The pattern calls for decreasing two stitches every three rows at the top of the sleeves. For my size, it goes down from 81 stitches to 49. It turns out this is a pretty rapid decrease. I knitted and knitted and knitted, then when I got the decreases done, I tried it on… and it was too tight around my upper arm.

Now, I’ve said before that I am not a small woman. I want this sweater to be my comfortable, wear-everyday sweater. Three inches of negative ease around my upper arm just isn’t going to work. I read through the rest of the sleeve instructions and realized that the pattern is written for 3/4 length sleeves – that’s also something that I don’t want. I want full-length sleeves with some room to layer.

So I had to do some math and rip out three hours’ worth of work. It’s disappointing, but I wanted to be able to wear the sweater, so it was worth it.

I’m still getting the same gauge (even though I felt like I was knitting tight on the sleeves – I was excited and listening to fast music, ha!) so I had to rework the design to decrease more slowly and get the length I need.

My gauge was 17.5 stitches and 25 rows over 4 inches. 17.5 stitches divided by 4 inches = 4.375 stitches per inch. 25 rows divided by 4 inches = 6.25 rows per inch.

The pattern was decreasing two stitches every three rows, so that works out to almost one inch decrease in circumference every inch of length. 49 stitches (this is the number of stitches you end up with after all the decreases are done) is 11.2 inches in circumference. I measured my arm a few inches above my elbow, and it was 14 inches. No wonder it was tight!

I started out with 81 stitches and decreased to 49, so that’s a total of 32 stitches decreased. Every decrease row subtracted 2 stitches, so that’s a total of 16 decrease rows. The pattern states that every third row is a decrease row. That means that as the pattern is written, it takes 48 rows to do all the decreases. With my gauge of 6.25 rows per inch, the length of the sleeve after all the decreases are done is 7.68 inches.

I decided I wanted the sleeve to be about 15 inches in circumference at the point where I measured. 4.375 stitches per inch times 15 inches = 65.625 stitches. I decided to round up to 67 stitches to make it even. 81 stitches down to 67 stitches is 14 stitches decreased, which is 7 decrease rows. The length where I measured was about 7.5 inches down the sleeve, so decreasing once every inch will get me close enough. That means doing a decrease row every 6 rows.

I continued working a decrease row every 6 rows until I got down to the 49 stitches. That got me to a sleeve length of about 15 inches. I have really long arms, so I estimated I need to work the sleeve for 22 inches. I needed to continue to decrease the sleeve down the arm to make the taper just the way I wanted it. I worked three more repeats of the decreases for a total of 19 repeats. Then I did the ribbed cuff for 3 inches.

The knitting is all done, now and I’m finishing up weaving in all the ends. Then it needs a wash and a block, to make it look all pretty. THEN I can get good pictures of the final product and show it off to you. I’m so thrilled!

The Afghan That Just Won’t Quit

August 17, 2015 blogtest_2q7z6c 7 Comments

I’m working hard on my sweater. I’m done with the body and working on the sleeves, now. I’ll have to do some math in order to get the sleeves the way I want them, so I’ll tell you about that next week (after I’ve gotten it all figured out.) In the mean time, I want to tell you about a long-term project I recently finished.

This thing is a behemoth.

I started working on it in February of 2012. I bought a book, Comfort Knitting and Crochet: Afghans and fell in love with the Aran Afghan pattern. This pattern is designed by Norah Gaughan, who is also the designer of the Merle sweater.

I have to pause a moment to talk about the book. Many of the patterns in that book are worthy of spending time on. I made a version of Greenway for a baby blanket when that pattern was offered for free, then I found the book and discovered many more patterns that are beautiful and unique. I just flipped through all the patterns again, and wow! This book can keep me busy for YEARS!

I wanted to make it out of Cascade 220 superwash. I found the right color, with help from my husband, and ordered it through my LYS. She required orders by the bag for special orders. That’s 20 balls of yarn. If I recall correctly, that’s two bags.

20 balls, 220 yards in each ball. That’s 4400 yards of yarn. 2.5 miles. 100 grams per ball means 2000 grams, 2kg, of yarn or about 4.4 pounds.

I decided to stop short of 20 balls. I held back a little less than 1 ball in order to have yarn to make repairs, if needed.

But, like I said, it’s a behemoth.

That’s no afghan, that’s a twin size blanket.

Working off and on, usually during the very cold months, it has taken me more than three years. I did some of it in the spring and summer right after I bought the yarn, but it quickly grew big, heavy and hot.

I worked on it the entire winter I was pregnant with Jellybean. Just before he was born, it was big enough to cover my toes while I worked on it.

I almost can’t believe it’s done. It’s had a permanent spot on my shelf for so long, and now that spot is bare. It’s worth it, though. Bring on the Winter!!

Sweater Sanity Check

August 10, 2015 blogtest_2q7z6c 5 Comments

Remember how I told you that gauge was important? When making a garment, knitting at the correct gauge will ensure that your garment will fit the way it’s supposed to.

Because of that, it’s a good idea to make sure that the gauge you got when you swatched is the gauge you’re getting when you’re actually making your project.

After I knitted a bit of the stockinette back, I decided to do just that.

Stitch gauge - 17.5 stitches over 4 inches — Stitch gauge – 17.5 stitches over 4 inches

Row gauge - 25 rows over 4 inches — Row gauge – 25 rows over 4 inches

The pattern calls for 18 stitches and 25 rows over 4 inches. I’m half a stitch short and spot on for the row gauge.

So, to check the fit, let’s do some math…

For the size I’m making, the pattern states that the back width at the bustline should be 26 inches at the stated gauge. 18 stitches per 4 inches, over 26 inches comes out to 117 stitches across the back. 117 stitches at a gauge of 17.5 stitches over 4 inches comes out to 26.74 inches. This pattern is designed with two inches of positive ease, which means that it should fit loose. That extra 3/4 of an inch won’t make much difference. I feel pretty good that the sweater will fit me across the shoulders and back.

Let’s talk for a minute about ease. Depending on the style, a sweater may be designed with positive or negative ease. Ease means that the sweater measures larger (positive ease) or smaller (negative ease) than the actual body measurements. Merle was designed with two inches of positive ease and the pattern instructions say to measure the bust and choose the size that is two inches larger than your measurement. Understanding and paying attention to the ease and the gauge will go a long way to producing a finished garment that fits well.

Since this sweater is knit from the top-down and all in one piece, it will be very easy to try it on as I go. In fact, I can get a rough idea of how it will fit already.

You should have seen the other faces I was making.

At this point, you can see that it’s a high collar sweater and the cabling is stiff right now, but it’s already softened up quite a bit.

I just keep knitting and knitting. On Thursday, I got to the point that I split the sleeve stitches off and I’m working on the body.

On Friday, I did the waist decreases. Saturday and Sunday, I just knitted and knitted and knitted.

At this point, I’m starting to want something else to do to break up the monotony of all the stockinette. I have at least 9 more inches to knit just of the body, then I’ll make the sleeves. But I’m really afraid if I stop knitting on this, it’ll be put off again and again and it’ll be another endless WIP. I have at least one commission project I know I’ll be working on, so I’m trying really hard to get as much done as possible before I set it down.

It turns out, it’s really great TV knitting, though. I can do several rows in a 45-minute tv show (we’re currently watching through Stargate: Atlantis again) so maybe I can finish it in a few weeks.

P.S. – Most of my knitting happens at night, when Jellybean is (supposed to be) in bed. My in-progress photos are usually cell-phone quickies taken in my little nest. I’ll get my husband to take a great photo when it’s all finished so I can show it off in all its glory.

Sweater Project – Choosing the Pattern and Yarn

August 3, 2015 blogtest_2q7z6c 2 Comments

I haven’t gotten much response about the sweater pattern, but I had pretty much already narrowed it down to two.

Yakushima

and Merle

And while I love Yakushima, Merle is just too perfect for what I want right now.

Jennifer responded and said she also loved Merle. She asked if buttons could be added to keep it closed. Yes, they can! If I were going to add buttons, I would probably go for a loop style buttonhole along the edge in order to keep the cable pattern intact. Other closure options would be a belt or a shawl pin.

I will probably not add any closures. I am wanting an every day cardigan, and I almost never button outerwear sweaters, so this pattern will work just fine for me as-is.

The next step is choosing yarn. I mentioned last week that I had some yarn, but I knew I didn’t have enough and I wasn’t sure about the color. With the Merle pattern, I would be able to do the cable in a coordinating or contrasting color and do the body in the yarn I have. I got the yarn out and looked at it again.

I don’t think that’s my color, really. It’s 1100 yards, so it’s lots of yarn, but I will need to find something to do with it other than a sweater for me.

(There’s also this, that coordinates and was sold with the above as a package deal. It’s *REALLY* not me, so if you would like it, make me an offer.)

I was digging around in my stash when I found this:

I made it back in 2010 and I have NEVER WORN IT. It’s such a shame, too, because it’s a beautiful vest. I’m just not a vest person. The yarn is Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed. It was intended for another project (a long sleeved sweater!) that I didn’t have the skills or patience to make when I bought the yarn, so there’s more of this yarn in my stash. All told, I have 12 3/4 balls, about 1326 yards. That *might* be enough, but remember I have long arms, broad shoulders, and I want the sweater to come down to my hips, so I’ll need extra.

The pattern says I need 1836 yards of the suggested yarn at a gauge of 4.5 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch. Gauge is very important for a fitted item, so I spent some time swatching. I started with the suggested needles – US 9. My gauge was about 3 stitches per inch… that’s not going to work. I ripped that out and started again with a US 8 needle. It still wasn’t the right gauge. I had to go down to a US 6 to get the right gauge.

Now, the difference between a size 6 needle and a size 9 needle is 1.5 mm in diameter. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but when you hold the needles, the difference is noticeable. It makes a real difference in the knitted fabric, too. The Silkroad yarn is the same weight as the suggested Berroco Elements yarn, so I was a little concerned that I had to go down so far, but I still liked the way the yarn knitted up on a size 6 and when I looked at other people’s Merle projects on Ravelry, I wasn’t the only one who had gauge issues by using a different yarn.

So, back to the amount of yarn I need to make myself a Merle. I definitely don’t think I have enough of the Silkroad. This is where Ravelry saves the day, again. Not only can you catalog your projects, you can also enter your yarn stash. There’s even an option to say you’re willing to sell or trade some of your yarns. I originally bought the yarn in 2007. It’s color 126 and dyelot 99. I looked around online to try to find the yarn, but the dyelot is up to 280-something. The yarn has also more than doubled in price per ball. Oof. So, I decided to see if anyone on Ravelry had the same color available. I was very excited to find someone who had 9 balls of the exact color and dyelot I was looking for!!! It didn’t look like she had been active recently, but I sent a message anyway and made an offer for the yarn. In short, I have 9 more balls, which will give me a total of 2262 yards. I feel confident that I can make a cardigan out of that.

I know what needles to use, and I have all the yarn I need. It’s time to get started on a sweater!

What’s My Next Big Project?

July 27, 2015 blogtest_2q7z6c Leave a comment

I’ve been itching to make a sweater for myself.

I’m thinking about this in July because I might just be able to finish it by winter if I start now.

The last one I made has been destroyed and I’m still not ready to talk about it.

I’ve been considering what type of sweater to make for myself. There are lots and lots and lots of lovely patterns out there that have caught my eye and are resting in my Ravelry queue, but lovely won’t matter if I don’t have an occasion to wear it.

My style, if you can call it that, is very casual. Even when I was working in an office, I didn’t often have the need to wear more than decent slacks and a non-t-shirt. As a stay-at-home mom, though… well, I usually manage to change my t-shirt once a day and I don’t wear my yoga pants if I’m planning to leave my yard.

Before I drop the money on a sweater’s worth of yarn, I need to make sure I think through my yarn and pattern choices carefully. I don’t want to spend $200 or more on yarn for a sweater I won’t wear.

I need something that is versatile and comfy. Cable work is cozy and always fun to do. I love lace work, but too much lace would make it impractical for my needs. So I’ll be looking for a pattern that highlights interesting cables with perhaps a touch of lace.

I want something long-sleeved, but modifying a pattern with short- or 3/4- length sleeves shouldn’t be too difficult. I am broad-shouldered and I have very long arms (according to the fashion industry, anyway) so I need a pattern that will fit across my shoulders and be easily lengthened in the arms. One of the perks of knitted fabric is that it stretches, so I can take advantage of that to find a size that fits without being too tight across my back. I want the sweater to be hip-length, which may require lengthening the body some. Lastly, I think a hood would be nice, but I have plenty of warm hats and scarves, so a hood isn’t absolutely necessary.

I’m planning for it to be my all-the-time sweater, so I’ll be wearing around the house as well as out and about. For that, I need it to be easy-care. I like natural fibers but each has their pros and cons. Cotton would be nice, but much heavier than wool and would be more likely to stretch out of shape. Alpaca is soft, warm and luxurious, but it has the same problem as cotton when it comes to stretching out of shape. I love wearing wool, but perhaps a superwash wool would fit my care requirements while still giving me the natural fiber I want.

I do have a sweater-quantity of superwash wool in my stash. I’m not 100% sure it’s the color I want, though, but I am 100% sure I don’t have quite enough for a sweater for me. If I use this yarn, I’ll have to add more to it, so I’ll have to decide on a color that coordinates and a pattern that will allow me to use two colors without being weird.

Here are a few I have been considering:

There’s the always classic and very popular February Lady Sweater. It looks great on any body type.

I really love this Hitofude cardigan. Although lacy, it could be warm and cozy in a lovely wool yarn.

The Vodka Gimlet is minimalist in its details, but looks like a comfy and timeless choice. This one would be easily lengthened in the arms and body.

The Yakushima is beautiful and looks so cozy. The design is repetitive, which can get boring to work on, but I’m betting it would be easy to memorize and perfect for TV knitting.

And then there’s Merle. Lots and lots of plain stockinette, but I do really like the collar/front band detail.

There are more of my favorite ideas in this Ravelry Bundle. There are a few that I am leaning toward, but I wonder which is your favorite?

Felted Growler Cozy Pattern – FREE!

July 20, 2015 blogtest_2q7z6c Leave a comment

I’ve just published a free pattern in my AbbyCrafty store on Ravelry. This one is for a growler cozy.

Keep your beer cool and unskunked on the way home from the beer store with a cozy, felted growler cover and carrier. Thick felt keeps the sunlight out and provides a layer of insulation and padded protection. The icord handles can be made to the length that best suits your needs. There are infinite ways to customize this cozy, too. Stripe your favorite colors or add some needle felted details after felting in the wash.

The samples shown were made using Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted. This project is great for using up scrap wool leftover from other projects. Just make sure it’s all 100% wool.

Gauge is not critical since the finished project will be felted down to the correct fit.

Have a cold one for me, mate!

Summertime

July 13, 2015 blogtest_2q7z6c 4 Comments

Ahh, summer. Oppressive heat and humidity alternating with dangerous storms. Skyrocketing electric bills and flying, stinging creatures that hate the lawn mower as much as you do. This part of the year, all I really want to do is sit in my cool little nest and knit.

Fortunately, I’ve had the chance to do that quite a bit this past week. I was thinking back trying to figure out what I’ve done the last couple of months, because I couldn’t recall actually knitting much.

I forgot about spending two months on a cross stitch project. I had gotten bored with knitting (it happens occasionally) and needed some other outlet. I made a little animation to show you the progression:

Evolution of Cross Stitch — Click to play

I think that’s pretty neat.

When I finished that, I tried to work on another cross stitch project, but I wasn’t as interested. I think the cross stitch bug just ran its course and I was really craving knitting again.

I’m a huge fan of lace knitting. I love making airy shawls with intricate patterns. I had ordered some Shadow Lace yarn from Knit Picks just cause (probably to get free shipping. Ha!) and I decided I needed to use it. I cast on for a Miralda’s Triangular Shawl and finished it in about 20 days. I don’t have any final photos of that one yet because I have an issue with space to block it. I have room to fold it in half and block it, but it has all those little nupps that need to be encouraged to come to the front, so that means it needs to be blocked flat and I just don’t have a good spot to do that right now. (Unless I wanted to kick us or Jellybean out of bed, and I don’t think anyone other than me is going to go for that.)

Anyway, apparently that didn’t satisfy my need for a lace project. I cast on a pair of Friday Harbor socks right away and finished them in about 3 days. This pattern had quite a few firsts for me. It’s my first pair of top-down socks. It’s also my first pair of not-just-ribbing socks.

I was so pleased with those socks, I cast on another pair of socks from the same book. I am now working on a pair of New England socks.

My current car project is a pair of socks that I’m not really loving. The yarn is… well, you can see for yourself that it’s very bright. I think it still *reads* as purple, but the yellow and green certainly stand out. The texture of the yarn is not too pleasant, either. After finishing the previous pair of car project socks, which are my most favorite socks ever, this is like working with bailing twine.

I did try a new style of heel on this sock. It’s called the Fish Lips Kiss heel and it’s really as easy as it claims to be. It took me about an hour to do the first one, while referencing the instructions, but the second one took about 20 minutes. All while in the car! Typically, I have to do the heels in complete quiet so I can concentrate, but once I got the method down with the first, I did the second from memory. I’ll definitely use this heel method again.

It seems that I’ve been busy, and I really have! Along with the knitting, there’s the day-to-day keeping up with the two-year-old. I’ve been trying to get some regular exercise, too. I bought a new-to-me jogging stroller that’s been helping with that.

We’ve been doing lots of summery things. Playing at the playground, going to the splash pad, and hiking in the woods. It’s hard for me to sit down when he’s awake, because he’s just going ALL. THE. TIME. Now that we’re in the heart of summer, though, we’ll be finding some indoor activities. We love the science museum, indoor playgrounds and bounce houses for those rainy or extremely hot days.

I’ve had a few commission projects to work on, which I’ll tell you about in another post. And I really, really want to make myself a sweater. I started one a long time ago, but it met a really disastrous fate. I’ll tell you that story if I can bear to do it.

Have a great week, my friends!

New In the Shop!

June 1, 2015 blogtest_2q7z6c Leave a comment

I have just listed some new items in my Etsy shop! I have finished several of the Crochet Hook Roll-ups that I mentioned back in January.

These are really great for storing your crochet hooks or double pointed knitting needles.

I currently have five styles to choose from.

There are two available of the sheep and blue stripes, but only one available of each of the others. These are fabrics from my… um… rather large quilting fabric stash. Since I haven’t quilted in several years, many (if not all) of these fabrics are no longer available. That makes these items unique, for sure.

The possibilities are endless, though. If you like the idea, but not the colors I currently have available, let me know and I can put together something just for you.

This is Not Knitting!

May 18, 2015 blogtest_2q7z6c Leave a comment

Things have been quiet around AbbyCrafty the last few weeks. Even still, it’s not been too quiet for us. We’ve had some medical issues (we’re all fine) and some traveling. In the week before Mother’s Day, Jellybean got to see ALL of his immediate family, including Gigi, his great-grandmother.

I have some commissions I’ve been working on. One set just needs to be washed and blocked. I have a lot of woolens that need to be washed, though, and I just haven’t gotten them into the sink! I also have a sweater repair to do for my dental hygienist. This sweater belongs to her mother, who lives in a nursing home. It’s her favorite sweater and she’s worn it so much that the elbows are worn through.

I’ve been working on some personal projects and working on some patterns, too. The patterns are fun to do. I just need to get photos of the finished products that I like and I can publish them.

To break up the knitting rut, I pulled out this project.

It’s a cross stitch that I started probably more than 20 years ago. The date on the magazine is 1990. I found some places where stitches were not in the right spot and I think that is what made me put it up so many years ago. Apparently I couldn’t count. I’ve spent some time taking out the wrong stitches so I can finish it.

This is worked on 22-count Hardanger fabric. It’s tiny. The entire design will be about 4 5/8″ square.

This design is 100 stitches square. There are lots of designs that are bigger than that, but when you are faced with a row of 100 background stitches in a row, it can be rather daunting. It’s the same feeling of being faced with miles and miles of stockinette. Still, I pressed on.

And on. I like it. In fact, I like it so much it’s hard to put it down. There’s still a lot more work to do on it, but now that It’s going, I just want to work on it constantly. The progression you see here is about a week’s worth of work.

I think this will be really pretty when it’s done and framed.