Sunday Knitting

Way back when Barack Obama was president,* I started a sweater. That was in May of 2016. It is not insignificant that we had just gotten a dog the previous August, because my knitting has slowed down considerably since then. Time is a factor, sure, but the larger impediment to knitting these days is having a grabby many-toothed beast at my side at all times, wanting to know what the hell that thing in my hands is and needed to both smell and taste it. So these days, I need to steal away and do my knitting alone behind closed doors, usually while listening to podcasts or audiobooks rather than my old way of knitting while watching tv. This is all to say that it has taken me almost 2.5 years to knit this goddamn sweater.

And yes, the sweater is lying on the floor for these photos because if I were to wait until a good time to get modeled photos it would probably be another six months. The weather has been crappy, I don't have a picturesque background nearby, and my skin is a mess. So this is what you're getting.

I can tell you that the sweater fits okay, though it's a bit long and hugs my butt in a way that's not exactly flattering. But usually they end up stretching a bit width-wide, which shortens it length-wise so the final verdict on fit isn't in quite yet.

It came out pretty well, I think. It's a bit rumpled in the photos. I blocked it out all nicely, but then it was folded up and even shoved in a suitcase for a trip to Maine and back without even being taken out. I haven't worn it yet, I don't know why.

I picked this pattern because I love the interesting textures in ganseys, but this had the added challenge of a hood and a front pocket. I've been down that road before with my Rogue Sweater (pic to the right because it was pre-blog and I had photos on flick that now aren't showing up. Honestly I forgot I even had a flickr account.) I love the idea of a hoodie more than I love an actual hoodie. They look great, but are impractical to wear with a coat because what do you do with the hood? It always seems to get in the way. that's an awful lot of work to put into something that isn't practical.

However, I'm happy to say that both the hood and front pocket came out pretty well. The pocket is formed in a rather complicated way, and I had to go back and rip it out and re-do it because I attached in such a way that it didn't lie flat. I'm glad I took the time to fix it because I would not have been able to live with it like that. That was a hard lesson I've learn from the past - a lesson learned, in fact, from the above pictured Rogue. There's a cable pattern going around the hood, joining on the front neckline and I made a major mistake in the cable that is front and center on the sweater. I still wear it (I wore it a couple of days ago, in fact) but I see it EVERY TIME and it makes me so annoyed. But that was one of my first sweaters and remains one of the most complicated and I didn't know how to go back and fix it and then be able to continue without losing count of all the things I was doing at one time.

How did this turn into a post about a different sweater?

Here's a closer photo of the patterns on the front.

Oh, you'll notice it has a couple of buttonholes but no buttons. Well. For this I would have wanted buttons in the same color as the yarn, but how would I go about finding buttons in that exact shade of mustard yellow? I have no idea, but I'm sure I'd never actually button the neck so I decided not to even bother trying. I made buttonholes in case I ever changed my mind.

So there you go: my first finished knitted thing in quite a while. You know, I actually also recently finished a pair of socks and even took photos, but socks don't really need an entire post so I'll put those in my monthly wrap-up, which will come (hopefully) in less than a week.


*How I long for those days. 

Sunday Knitting

I'm in Maine for my family's late Thanksgiving this weekend, and I finished the body of my sweater.

It looks terribly rumpled and there are loose ends everywhere, but you get the idea.

I'm very happy to be this close to finishing this seemingly endless project! I mean, it's not that close really, I've got two sleeves and a hood to knit now.

I tried it on to make sure the armholes were large enough and they seem fine. The sweater itself is a bit long, but I find that they tend to stretch horizontally which makes them a little shorter, so it should be fine. And if it's not fine, at least it will be finished and I can move on to something else.

Sunday Knitting

Remember that sweater I started way back in the spring? Maybe not because I also barely remember it and I am the one making it. I haven't been knitting AT ALL recently for various reasons: my dog really enjoys supervising and she is what you would call a micromanager; I've been more interested in reading than watching shows and I can't read and knit at the same time; I started meditating and also running, which are two more things I'm cramming into my days. Also, I am recently obsessed with hand-lettering, which seems to be an offshoot of bullet-journaling, and now am trying to find a few minutes every day for lettering/doodling/drawing.

Anyhow, this fall I went on an annual family vacation and took my knitting with me and actually got something done!

The pocket is a little bit wonky, I fear, but it is HARD to figure out exactly where to join the top. You don't want to stretch it or leave it too loose, but finding just the right spot seems almost impossible. And there's no way to fix it later so you're kind of stuck. Anyhow I am convinced it will be ok. It's hard to tell from the photo, but I'm a couple of inches past the top of the pocket. I knit an inch or so on vacation and when I returned I wanted to keep up the momentum so one afternoon I put on some Netflix and took my chances with the dog. She sniffed a little and quickly lost interest, and hopefully that disinterest will be maintained. 

It's been difficult finding the time for this. So many things have fallen by the wayside now that we have a dog, and I also just can't maintain many hobbies and interests all at once. Work has been super busy which means I don't have reading time during my lunch break (because I don't take real lunch breaks, or I use them to do errands), and sometimes I'm too tired for certain things once I get home, walk the dog, entertain the dog, then have dinner. Why is adulting so hard?

I have some random days off between now and the end of the year because we can't roll over our vacation and of course everyone else is also trying to use their time so every now and then I'll take off a random Tuesday (like election day next week!) I want to do some knitting on these days. Currently I'm watching Miss Fisher's Mysteries, which I love - I really want to be Phryne Fisher when I grow up (though I think she is younger than me, so that is weird). But what else should I be watching? Tell me the awesome shows that are on Netflix that I have been missing!

Sunday Knitting

I've done something extremely reckless.

Last week when I was trapped inside during a blizzard, I ordered a huge shipment of yarn from WEBS - and that is not the reckless part. Yesterday it arrived and I immediately cast on for a sweater, without swatching.

I miss natural light.

This yarn is Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage, and if you are familiar with Madelinetosh you probably understand my urgent need to dive in so irresponsibly. 

This will be a yoked sweater, knit top-down all in one piece. What is difficult about this sort of project is that they are hard to swatch for. It's possible to swatch in the round, but it's not pretty, or accurate. I figured the yoke could be my swatch.

I think I'm going to have to go up a needle size. I also realized that part of why I swatch isn't so much to get gauge, but to determine how much it may change once I wash the item, so I think I'm going to actually make a swatch now, after the fact, before I make any rash decisions about ripping out and restarting. 

Another interesting bit about this yarn is that it's hand-dyed and there's no dye lot. This means that the skeins aren't all exactly the same, which is why there are two balls of yarn in that photo. With hand-dyed yarn, you need to knit one or two rows (or rounds) from one ball, and then the next one or two from another, alternating to sort of integrate the variations in a way that will appear more natural. One doesn't want half of one sleeve, for instance, to look lighter than the whole rest of the sweater. This was something I had not anticipated when I ordered this yarn, but I'm willing to overlook it, because look at how gorgeous that color is.

Wish me luck. Once I've determined I'm using the right needles I think this project might go quickly. I have fantasies of wearing this sweater this winter, which is utterly ridiculous, unless we have a lot of winter left. Which, sweater aside, I really hope we don't. 

Sunday Knitting

After the disappointment of my failed Pianissimo, I have moved on to a new sweater project. I've long been trying to find a use for some Wool Bam Boo yarn I bought when Windsor Button was closing, and failing to find the right project. This is why I don't buy yarn without knowing what it's for. Usually I choose a pattern I want to make, then find yarn for it. But when my favorite yarn store was closing and selling everything for cheap, I panicked.

Finally I found a pattern called Nympheas, a lovely short-sleeved pullover with a simple lace pattern, and cast on.

So far, so good.

Mind you, I didn't exactly do a proper swatch. I knit a swatch and measured it, but I didn't bother with the whole washing and blocking and measuring again because I did it for Pianissimo and look what that got me. Anyhow, this is a pretty quick project so far and I think I'll be able to tell soon if it's coming out close to the right size or not.

The bottom curled up edge is going to be folded under and hemmed, revealing a picot edge. The lace is a simple pattern, though the decreases have been a challenge. Usually with lace I put stitch markers between the repeats so that if I screw up it's easier to tell where it happened. It also makes it easier to figure out where to start in the pattern once I've decreased stitches at the beginning of the row. However, here the repeats are staggered and don't start at the same point in each row so I can't mark them. I already had to rip back once, but I think I've got the pattern down pretty well now.

I'm also starting to look at more new projects. We're having quite a harsh winter here in the Northeast - in fact, I'm writing this mid-blizzard - and my office has been freezing. (One of my co-workers actually crocheted a whole slew of fingerless mitts to keep at all the service desks for everyone to share.) Usually, my heavier sweaters are reserved for use at home because most buildings I go to in the winter are heated quite generously, but this year something is up with our heat and nobody seems willing to fix it. I've been getting a lot of use out of my heaviest sweaters, but I've only a few of them and they are quite casual. So I'm just going to need to make more.

I realize I won't finish any of them in time to use them this year, and things could totally be different next year, but I've never let reality get in the way of my knitting and I'm not going to start now.

Sunday Knitting

When last I posted, the sweater I had been working on for so long had turned into a butt-enormifying sweater mini-dress. But I ripped back and re-knit the hem, at which point it was...too fucking short. Seriously. I was so mad I didn't even take pictures, but just ripped it out again. And then knit some more.

The third time's the charm apparently, because now, much like baby bear's bowl of porridge, it is just right.

I'm not in love with it, but it's cozy and warm and that is pretty much what I was going for. It's more form-fitting that I would have liked, but I bet it will stretch a little. I'm glad I made the sleeves nice and long, because I always love those extra inches of warmth in the winter.

I was beginning to think that dark blue yarn is just cursed. Because there was this also, (the pics aren't showing up currently, but the whole, sad story is still available) which is still shoved in a bag in the back of a closet, probably half-eaten by bugs despite being acrylic. On the other hand, there's this hoodie vest which, despite the impractical combination of short sleeves and bulky yarn, I like quite a lot. So my research is inconclusive.

The thing is, I'm not even crazy about dark blue, so why I keep buying that color is a mystery even to me. I need to stop this madness. Luckily, this one appears much brighter in natural light, which is a bonus.

For this sweater, it was the textured pattern I like, but I confess it doesn't look a lot like the picture in the magazine. The fit is also different. It fits me, but snugly, and I was going for something loose, though I can't complain since I didn't swatch.

In the end, the project is a success and I've been very happy to cast on for some new things which I'll be sharing soon!

Sunday Knitting

The textured pattern of the Feathernest Raglan is made up knits and purls and not, as I had thought from looking at the photos, a lace pattern. That was a relief.

But when I started knitting it, I realized that it was going to be more confusing than I had thought. The sweater is knit from the top down, so after knitting the neck the stitches are all marked off for the front, back, and both sleeves. Increases happen at the beginning and end of each section. The ones at the end are easy, but I had to mark the beginning of each of the pattern repeats and count back to figure out what those stitches should be. For instance, I would count the number of stitches before my marker and say "Now I have five stitches, so what are the last five stitches of the pattern repeat?" and knit those before reaching my marker and starting the pattern repeat from the beginning. It was fairly confusing at first, but got easier as I went along.

It doesn't seem like I screwed it up noticeably, even though I've been knitting this while watching tv. Now I've finished the increases and separated the sleeves from the body. Several rounds of the body are knit straight before the waist shaping starts and I have to start thinking and counting again.

I still haven't tried it on.

Sunday Knitting

I started a new sock and kept meaning to post about it, and now it's finished already. Here's a picture from yesterday when I was partway through the toe decreases.

This is another pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks, called Traveling Eyelet Rib. I felt a strong need to knit something in a springy color, and when I discovered this green Lorna's Laces yarn in my stash, I cast on quite eagerly.

I also accidentally started a sweater. During my yarn-buying binge at Windsor Button before it closed, I bought some Cascade 220 in a sort of dark bright blue. Every time I find a pattern that I want to make that calls for worsted weight yarn, I think of that yarn but it never seems like the right color.

In the Winter issue of Interweave Knits I saw two sweaters that I really liked. Not dressy sweaters, but comfy lounge-around type sweaters that seem like the sort that would gets lots of wear. I tried a gauge swatch for the Winnipeg Pullover, but didn't really like that particular pattern in that particular color.

My other option was the Feathernest Raglan, but when I sat down to make a swatch I realized it was knit in the round. I've never really had much accuracy or success with this situation. You can knit a regular swatch of the pattern back and forth, but know that it will probably be off because that's just not how you'll be knitting it. Alternatively, you can try to knit it in the round. Swatches in the round can be made most easily by knitting across the row, then just leaving a long piece of yarn in the back and starting at the beginning of the row again. I've done it, and it's messy - I either leave the piece too long, or make it too short, which distorts the whole thing. If you want to be really accurate, you can knit an entire tube, which means using magic loop or double-pointed needles, and it should pretty much mimic how your sleeve will come out. But an entire tube is larger than a small swatch and I am lazy.

So I just started the sweater. Because when one is too lazy to make an accurate gauge swatch, it makes so much more sense to knit the entire top half of a sweater for, essentially, a gauge swatch.

The yarn looks much brighter in natural light. Inside, it's pretty dark.

I'm making pretty good progress on the knitting. Soon I'll separate the arms from the body, try it on, and see whether I should keep going or rip it out and start again. Should be fun.

Sunday Knitting

So here is my finished Cozy V-Neck Pullover. Unfortunately, this is the best picture I have since the thing makes me look like a big grape pudding (and the camera battery died before getting many photos, so there was little to choose from.) It's the same pattern as this sweater, which I love. It's pretty comfy so I expect I'll wear it despite it's unflatteringness. 

The main change from last time is that I used a different yarn in an attempt to make it slightly less cozy (i.e. sweltering.) Previously I used the recommended yarn, Cascade Pastaza, which is a heavy worsted/aran. This time I used Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride, and regular worsted and one of my common go-to yarns. Strangely, the thickness varied greatly through the skeins. Every time I've used it in the past it has been quite uniform, so perhaps they've made some changes in the production of the yarn.

The other small change is that I made this one a little longer, to cover my back more completely even when I'm leaning or bending. Nothing worse then bending over to tie a shoe and exposing my lower back to the chilly winter air and the unwelcome gaze of nearby onlookers.

I'm basically happy with the sweater, which actually looks fine to me when I look in a mirror, so to hell what with the camera says. I'm never especially photogenic. It's comfortable and purple, so what more could I really ask for?

Sunday Knitting

Today is the first day of fall, so it is a very fitting day to present my finished Humboldt Raglan.

(As well as a huge chin dimple and the weirdest backdrop ever.)

I mostly like it. I'm not super happy with the neckline, which is wider than I'd like. But it's still very wearable, I think. My biggest concern was with the sleeves. If you remember, I was wanted to make them a little longer but was worried that I'd run out of yarn. It turns out that they are longer than I thought they'd be and feel fine. And I was right to worry because I only have about a half skein of yarn left (maybe 50 yards or so.) 

I made it a little longer than the pattern specified because although I have a short torso, I find that sweaters tend to come out short. Grumperina once suggested getting to where you think it's finished and then knitting another two inches, and I think that's a very smart rule of thumb. I've used it ever since.

All in all I'd call this project a success, and I'm looking forward to wearing my new orange sweater this fall!

Sunday Knitting

I now have two completed sleeves, and both are attached to my Humboldt Raglan.

I'm now working on the raglan decreases, and the project is encumbered with a variety of stitch holders and markers.

The pattern instructs us to place removable markers in certain stitches, but I have terrible luck with those markers. The first time I turn the project a bit, the marker will come out and I won't realize it until I knit past the point where it should have been and then I have to do lots of counting to figure out where it should be. But I have learned from my mistakes. This time I have put TWO markers in each of those stitches and check frequently for the spots where one has fallen out. I grab my container of markers, put in another one in the spot (which is still clearly marked with the back-up marker) and then when I'm done knitting for the evening, I stand up and retrieve all the stray markers from my clothes and couch cushions and replace them in my marker container. It is a system and it works. 

I'm in the home stretch now! My only worry is the shortness of the sleeves, but given my yarn quantity restraints I don't think that can be helped. I knit the sleeves to the length specified, but I would have liked them to be longer. I believe they'll go just past my elbow and feel a bit annoying. Hopefully they're longer than I think they are.

Sunday Knitting

This knitting update is long overdue. The knitting is slow and steady.

First, lo those many weeks ago, I finished the lower body of the Humboldt Raglan. Then I began a sleeve.

When I looked at the amount of yarn I had used and the amount I had left, I became afraid that I wouldn't have enough to finish the sweater. So I did what anyone would do.

I shoved it in a bag and pulled out my other sweater project. I knit a sleeve.

This one is made by picking up stitches at the armhole and continuing that way so you don't have to sew it on later. The sleeve itself will be seamed though. Last time I made this sweater I knit the sleeves in the round because that's easier but I don't know how I accomplished it. I don't have the right size needles in the correct length for magic loop, but I don't think I have the right double-pointeds either. It's a mystery. But this sweater is too hot to even think about right now.

I also finished my first Openwork Rib Sock and began the second.

This goes pretty quickly on the bus, but when I get to the parts where I need to look at instructions (like for turning the heel) I tend to set it aside for a while rather than just doing it and moving on. Hopefully I won't do that with the second sock because I'd really like to finish them and start another pair.

I haven't touched my shawl. I need to work on that soon.

Sunday Knitting

I just want to show you the beginning of the lace panel on my Humboldt Raglan.

I apologize for the photo quality and the fact that you can't actually see the lace very well. It's the best I can do, given that I'm supposed to be cooking brunch for my book group right now.

One of the reasons I liked this sweater in the first place is that there's enough lace to make it interesting, but not enough to screw it up. It's a 10-stitch repeat which you do only 3 times. Easy enough!

This is great knitting for movie-watching actually. The lace is just a tiny part of each row and the rest is all stockinette so I barely need to look. Considering the tiny gauge, it's moving along at an unexpectedly quick pace.

Seasonally Appropriate

Just in time for fall.

Pattern: Parcel by Carol Feller from Twist Collective
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK
Needles: size 4

The sweater fits perfectly, including the length. The cable pattern is a lovely accent without overwhelming. I love the color and feel of the yarn. I'm not crazy about the Mistake Ribbing on the hem and cuffs because it looks untidy up close, but the overall effect is fine.

 

What I like about this sweater is that it's casual without being too casual. It's very comfortable and I can see myself wearing it around the house a lot with jeans, but paired with a skirt and nice shoes it could be fairly dressy. I have a feeling I will wear this a lot over the winter. 

At this point I'm pretty committed to only making sweaters with worsted weight or lighter yarn, and I'm even shying away the worsted a bit. Sweaters from stores are usually made with pretty lightweight yarn and they are plenty warm. There's no need to knit a closetful of bulky sweaters in which I will sweat all winter.

I've already cast on for my next sweater, so stayed tuned for details!

Second sleeve, slight setback

I made a ridiculous error on my second sleeve. You know how you are knitting along, not having read the entire pattern all the way through first, and suddenly you come to the words "At the same time" and realize you were supposed to be keeping track of how many cable pattern repeats you've been doing? Well, that's not exactly what happened because I've already knit one sleeve so nothing here should be a surprise to me.

On the first sleeve I read far enough ahead to know there was a "same time" situation. It was a confusing one, I'll admit, because at first it was unclear what it was at the same time AS. I started the sleeve with its cable pattern, I did the short row sleeve caps, and then began the decreases. So when it said "at the same time" to work the cable chart a certain number of times before starting the second cable, at first I thought it meant to count the pattern repeats since I started the decreases. It seems obvious now that that makes no sense, but usually "at the same time" means at the same time as the last thing you were just doing. But I soon understood it meant ALL the pattern repeats on the sleeve and thought, how fantastic that I figured this out now before screwing up.

Then I started the second sleeve and immediately forgot everything from the first. So I'm knitting happily along and one evening I thought you know, I'm supposed to start a second cable at some point. I wonder when? Turns out the answer was: about 30 rows ago.

So commenced the crying and gnashing of teeth and confusing math exercises, after which I very carefully ripped out a large section of sleeve - not easy when cables and decreases are involved. The most frustrating part of it all is that it was so unnecessary. There was no reason for me to make such a mistake when I had already successfully completed one sleeve without incident. Had it happened on the first sleeve it would have been forgivable.

But all that's over now and the sleeve has been completed. All that's left on this baby is the neckline and I'll have myself a new sweater.

And the winner is….

Parcel! After posting about the challenges of finding the perfect sweater pattern, I bought some yarn and swatched and my gauge was spot on for this pattern. It doesn’t look like much so far, just a waistband and about 47 stitch markers, but it has so much promise!

The dreary winter doesn’t provide enough light for decent photos, but believe me, this yarn is a beautiful color! It’s Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK and it cost me a pretty penny but I’m hoping it will be worth it.

I’m glad to finally get started on this sweater, but I won’t celebrate yet. We all know that gauge swatches lie, especially when knitting in the round, so there’s a chance that I will have to rip out and restart. If I find that my gauge isn’t right and am tempted to just go forward because I’m making such good progress, please please do not allow that to happen! Remind me that I actually want to wear this sweater many many times after I finish it. This isn’t about process, it’s about product.

I’ll know in another inch or two. Wish me luck.

Tweed Pullover

Now that Christmas has passed, I can show you what I’ve been knitting recently.

Behold!




Let me tell you, knitting a sweater entirely in secret for someone you live with is extremely difficult and time-consuming. To have this done for Christmas, I started in August – August! And still barely finished. In fact, it still doesn’t have buttons (though I bought some on December 23rd) but I think we’ve agreed that it doesn’t need them. I'm relieved that it fits and that Eric seems to like it.

A few years ago when visiting the family in Maine, my mother pointed out that she made the sweater my sister was wearing. Eric commented that he liked it and wouldn’t mind having one so my mom gave me the pattern. I’m sure he forgot that conversation long ago, but I didn’t. When I decided back in August to knit him a sweater for Christmas I thought of this simple pattern – it's stockinette with a simple construction, and as a bonus someone I knew had already tested the pattern so there shouldn’t be any major errors or other surprises. Very different than the last sweater I knit for him, which took six months without having to work in secret.

When I began this project I set deadlines for when each part needed to be completed. The back by the end of September (which included an 8-day trip to Amsterdam without the project), the front by the end of October, the first sleeve before Thanksgiving. That left December to make the second sleeve, sew it all together, and make the button bands and collar.

I took the project to knitting group, to friend’s houses, to work. I kept it stashed in a drawer by the bed and even worked on it late at night before going to sleep. On mornings that I had off, I tried to rush Eric out of the house so I’d have more time to knit alone before I had to go to work. I encouraged him to spend more time with friends. Anything to gain knitting time. I finally finished on December 20th (except for the aforementioned buttons).

The pattern is from a Mary Maxim flyer which originally came as part of a kit. The only slight modification was that I picked up stitches along the neck for the button bands instead of knitting them separately and sewing on as directed. I did knit the collar separately and whip-stitched it onto the neck opening. I used Plymouth Encore Worsted yarn and needle sizes 7 and 5. I haven’t knit with straight needles in a while and, man, they stick out really far. They kept getting caught on things and I almost poked my cat’s eye out.

Thank goodness that’s over.

A Lesson

Or, The Importance of Reading all the Words in the Pattern

The good news is that I almost finished my Procrastination Pullover, with the minor exception of the short sleeves. The bad news is that I screwed up bad enough and early enough that most of it needs to be ripped out.

This is a bottom up raglan, which means that as you approach the chest area, you need to cast on for the sleeves, adding extra stitches to the round, that you will later pick up and knit to finish the sleeves. In this pattern, the instructions read “Slip next 6 stitches on waste yarn, provisionally cast on 42 stitches for the first sleeve, work to 3 stitches before second side market, slip next 6 onto waste yarn, provisionally cast on 42 stitches for the second sleeve, work to end.”

Somehow I missed the very important word “provisionally,” and yes, I realize that it appears there twice so I have no excuse. When I got to those parts I just cast on the 42 stitches using the backwards loop method and continued on. Then I finished the body of the sweater and decided to read ahead to the sleeve instructions, which begin by saying to undo the provisionally cast-on sleeve stitches. Whoopsie.

Photographic evidence of non-provisionally cast-on sleeve stitches:


At this point I did what anyone would do and just shoved the whole damn sweater in my basket and started working on my Whisper Cardigan instead, but this problem will eventually need to be faced. Sooner rather than later, given that we are now moving into fall, the season in which I was planning to wear this sweater.

I considered whether I could just pick up the stitches and knit the garter edging, skipping the 3 rows of stockinette (which would make my error quite visible). However, there are some other issues with this sweater that I wouldn’t mind rectifying.

For instance, despite adding a bit to the length, it is still too short.


I don’t think I accounted for this much horizontal stretch, which consequently makes it shrink vertically.

Additionally, I didn’t see the part of the instructions describing how to round off the edges of the neckline before finishing it (again with not reading the pattern thoroughly). So ripping back and re-knitting may make a lot of improvements that result in a more wearable garment. I’m trying to be positive about this.

It IS a quick and easy knit and after all I do have a vacation coming up soon. If I have to re-knit a whole damn sweater, surely some of the sting will be taken out of it if I’m doing it in Europe, right?

Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back

Do you know the story of Sisyphus? In Greek mythology this king was punished by the gods by being forced to push a huge boulder up a hill, and then it rolls back to the bottom, and he must continue to push it up the hill over and over and over forever until the end of time.

As you might suspect, I bring this up for a reason. On my pullover there is a set of waist decreases, a bit of straight knitting, and then increases, all while simultaneously decreasing the neckline. Recently I completed the decreases and knit until it was time to start increasing, and set the project aside for several days. A couple of nights ago I picked it up again while watching some old episodes of Lost and knit the 12 rows that included all the increases, while continuing the decreases that shape the neckline.

When finished, I compared my stitch count to the pattern and was shocked to find that I was off. My first thought – because I am rather egotistical as a knitter – is that there must be an error in the pattern. But some simple math proved that to be untrue, and I finally had to accept the fact that when I picked up my knitting that evening I actually was not at the point where the increases were supposed to start. I hadn’t bothered to actually compare my stitch count before starting to knit; instead I relied on my faulty and aging memory and that never ever serves me well.

So I ripped out everything I had done, knit the few more rows that brought me to where I should be, and then started the waist increases in the proper place with the correct stitch count. I tried to stay up late enough to finish them for the second time, but finally had to call it quits with still a few rows to go.

What is so frustrating about this is that I haven’t learned from my mistakes. I can’t even count how many times I’ve spent what feels like a very productive evening knitting, only to end up ripping out everything I did and starting all over again. But although it can feel that way, unlike Sisyphus I am not on a futile quest. Though it may take longer than it should, I will at least end up with a new sweater for my efforts. Eventually.

New sweater project

It is short-sleeved and has such a low v-neck there is practically no front, but I say it still counts as a sweater.


Isn't that a lovely color? That's totally not the color it is. For some reason, the magic of photography - ok, the magic of setting my camera to automatic mode - can't seem to capture the true color of this yarn when in sunlight. It's much darker, the color more accurately represented by this crappy out-of-focus photo:


I found this free pattern through a Ravelry search. It's from someone's blog so it's pretty informal as patterns go, and only includes one size. Happily, it is my size! (But it's a simple pattern, which I'm sure could be easily resized.) It calls for DK yarn knit on relatively large needles to create an open fabric. So far I love knitting with the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK I purchased at Windsor Button. The fabric is delightfully soft and stretchy. As usual I'm concerned about my gauge, but I tried on the sweater-in-progress and it seems to fit.

As I mentioned, this garment will be short-sleeved with a very open front, and is rather fitted, a combination that makes me a bit nervous. Hopefully I won't look all hoochie-mama in it.