What's Next?

In April, I set myself a big challenge. I am working on two birthday gifts and a sweater. The birthday gifts will be revealed in time but the sweater I can talk about right now. 

The sweater is made of Miltons in an olive color. Luckily for me, it is a worsted weight yarn. This means it will knit up faster. YEAH! The pattern is Amused from Knitty. It is a pullover style and is knit from the neck down and the collar is added later. The directions are straightforward and I am enjoying the knit. 

This month the colors are green and red. Last month they were brick, white and black. Next month they will probably go back to black. I plan to work on the Mithril vest from Sunflower Designs. She has started a KAL for the vest and since it was already on my list of things to do this year, I rearranged my schedule a little so I could join. 


It took me four months but I just realized that I am spelling Challenge wrong. My dad always told a joke about missionary kids speaking two languages and not being able to spell either one. That is a little too close to home. If I did not have spell checker my Prayer letters home would look like the floor of an editor’s office. Please accept my apologies and I will try to do better in the future.


In the mean time, I have some gifts to complete and a sweater to knit. Keep on knitting and learning.

Done On Time!

I finished Blood Oranje last night. I just need to block it. The last couple of days has been a bit of a knitting marathon. I would rush through all the other work I had to do then sit down and knit.

The sweater was knit from the top down and when I reached the end of the skein after the sleeves were joined I decided to knit the sleeves before completing the rest of the body. Once the sleeves were done, the body worked up fast. Yesterday was taken up with knitting the button bands, stitching the collar and hem to the sweater, sewing grograin ribbon to cover the steek edges and sewing on the buttons. I chose some irridecent glass bottons and black grograin ribbon.

The day before that I took my courage in hand, set scissors to knitting and cut the steek. I then picked up stitches along the sides for the button band. I marked the places for the button band as you can see in the next picture.

The result of all this work was the best fitting cardigan I have ever made and also the most polished. I think that this is one cardigan that reflects the care and thought I took in making it. It truly looks like a well-crafted cardigan.

Aside from all the new techniques I learned with this sweater, I also learned that the finishing touches that go into making a sweater truly pay off.

Keep on knitting and learning.

Half Done

The Blood Oranje sweater is coming along. I have 11 days to get the sweater done if I am to stay on schedule. I have turned the sweater upside down and left off the last stripes on the yoke. So far so good. I have really enjoyed working on this sweater not only because of the patter but also because of the yarn. I am using Happy Baby, a cashmere blend yarn. It is so soft and cushy!

I learned how to do the Latvian braid and how to strand with three strands. It is not as hard as I thought it would be, but I hate the way the braid tangles up the yarn. Oh well, that is life.

Keep on knitting and learning.

Blood Oranje

I know the title sounds a bit grusome, but the yarn I am using for the main color on this sweater reminds me of a blood orange. I am having a lot of fun with this sweater. I have already learned how easy the Latvian braid is and am looking forward to learning how to strand three colors. As you can see by the date I wanted to start this one so badly that I started it early. I have reconfigured it a little bit so that it is knitted in the manner I prefer. I am knitting this one upside down. (I know do I have to change everything?) I have finished the collar and am starting on the yoke.

Keep knitting and learning, as I will be this month.

The collar of the Oranje Sweater.

Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate

I am taking a Sweet Sabbatical with my sister. At least that is what we call it. It means that we are not eating sweets and trying to cut back on the sugar in other things. This being the case I have not had Chocolate for a month and a half. The Chocolate Jacket is my substitute.

Chocolate Jacket

Knit in a beautiful dark chocolate brown merino, the Chocolate Jacket is a loose interperetation of the Shocking Jacket from Interweave Knits. I finished it last night just in time for me to wear it on a retreat this weekend. I just need to find the perfect buttons.

The beautiful shawl collar

The modifications I made where to knit this in the round and to knit the collar with the body. My shoulder width is less than the width that was called for in the pattern, so I had to heavily modify the pattern in order to get a sweater that would fit in the shoulder and the bust. I used the set in sleeve from Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top. The collar I knit to the shoulder seams then knit around the back picking up the stitches from the neckline. I then Kitchner stitched it to the other side of the collar. (Can you tell where?)

This sweater taught me a lot of things. It taught me that I can take an idea and transform it to fit my needs and tastes. It taught me that I can use the Kitchner stitch for something other than socks. It taught me that if I ever do Princess seams in something again I need to decrease for the underarm so that I don't have a lot of fabric under the arm. It taught me to be bold and confident in my own design skills. It may not turn out perfect but who wants perfection. I also steam blocked for the very first time. When I have a picture of it on me I will post it. Until then here it is on the blocking boards minus the buttons.

This is the second of my selfish projects. I have one for every month of 2012. The next project I will be working on is the Oranje Cardigan by Ann Weaver and published in Knitty. I will be knitting this cardigan out of a cashmere blend yarn in a tomato red, black and pearl.

In the mean time I will keep knitting and learning and I hope you do the same.

Sweet Treats

 Since my last post I have been very busy. I finished this lovely shawl from a Knit Picks kit called the Chinook Shawl. I bought the neutral colorway and added a Sherry Shimmer yarn for the edging. I finished it in time to wear it to our Gala banquet for the teens. It is very big and is wider than my arm span. I really like the colors though and it is very warm. Just right for cool spring nights to come.

I also cast on for the brown merino sweater I mentioned in my list of selfish knitting projects. I am making a modified version of the Shocking Jacket from Interweave Knits. I dislike sewing up a sweater after having knit it so I modified it to be knit in the round. So far it is turning out. I have knit up to the arm holes and am working on the back up to the neck. The shawl collar I knit into the edging of the sweater. I will post pictures when I can. I am trying to finish it in time to wear it for the retreat we have coming up with the teens. The retreat center is in the mountains so it will be colder than it is here. Just right for knitted sweaters!

I am also in the planning phase for my next selfish project the Oranje sweater from Knitty. I have the yarn bought and the pattern printed. I am planning to make it out of a yarn called Happy Baby. It has 10% cashmere so I am the one who is happy. I don't know why they labled this yarn as a baby yarn, it felts in the wash. Not the ideal yarn for a new mother or baby. However, it is very soft. The colors are a tomato red, black and pearl.  Yum Yum!

I have been learning lately that slow but sure wins the race and that knitting is great when you are sick. It takes you mind off the yukies and lets you relax a bit.

That is all for now. More next time on the Chocolate Jacket and the Oranje sweater (also time for a birthday pair of socks). Until next time keep knitting and learning.

Long Shanks Strides

Finished!

Finally finished my first selfish project. It is very warm and I love it already.

On to my next project, the Shocking Sweater from Interweave Knits. I think I will call this one Shocking Round as I will try to make this sweater in the round. We will see!

In the mean time keep knitting and learning!