Goldenrod - Body Blocked and Neck Edging Done

Once the body was dried from being blocked I went ahead and did the neck edging.  I like to do my finishing as a I go along so I don't have a bunch of finishing to do at the end.  It also gives me a nice sense of accomplishment.  I have started the first sleeve.

Pattern:  Ladies Sweater - 1838 from Moments No. 005
Yarn:  SMC Select Extra Soft Merino Fino
Needles:  US 2.5 (3.0 mm) and US 4 (3.5 mm)

Goldenrod - Body Done

This is the sweater formally known as "Ladies Sweater - 1838" by SMC Select.  Using my typical naming convention I decided to rename it for the color, so I decided on "Goldenrod" as being slightly more poetic than "yellow".  I started this sweater 5 months ago and it has been languishing for far too long.  Part of my reluctance to work on it was due to the fact that I was worried about the fit, but I decided to persevere and resolved to finish it after I had finished up the Virgo Shawlette and before I started anything else.  I am becoming a monogamous knitter.  I think it may have something to do with my new job position, which requires a great deal of focus, and that focus seems to be carrying over into my home life and hence into my knitting.

Once I had split for working the front and back I was able to try it on and determine that it will not be too big on me.  This also provided motivation for finishing.  I really enjoyed working the top shaping for the arms and neck because it felt like I was finally making real progress.  My size selection was something of an experiment.  I have broad shoulders and often have issues getting a good fit with sweaters with set in sleeves, which is one reason why I like to knit raglans, but I also like the tailored appearance of set in sleeves.  The problem I run into is getting a fit in the shoulders that doesn't make the sweater too big everywhere else.  This pattern already called for a fair bit of positive ease in the fit, and the yarn is fairly light weight (labeled a sport weight in the Ravelry database) and I'm knitting on US 4 (3.5 mm) needles so the fabric is not heavy.  In fact, when you block the knitting it becomes very light and drapey and is easily distorted, so it requires a gently touch.

I modified the pattern to knit in the round - my usual method to avoid seaming.  I'll also knit the sleeves in the round.  They are done in an all over lace pattern, but the motif is only a 9 row, 8-stitch repeat that looks like it will be easy to memorize.  Once I finish this one, I have the same yarn in scarlet to do another.  When I ordered the yarn from Elann.com I bought the yellow because I thought it would show the lace pattern better than a darker yarn (the model is knit in dark purple, but unfortunately they didn't have that color on the Elann.com web site).  After I got the yellow I decided that I really wanted one in red, so I went back and ordered more yarn.  I also have the yarn for two more patterns from this pattern book.


Pattern:  Ladies Sweater - 1838 from Moments No. 005
Yarn:  SMC Select Extra Soft Merino Fino
Needles:  US 2.5 (3.0 mm) and US 4 (3.5 mm)

Virgo Shawlette - Done

I finished this last night and blocked it before going to bed.  It is more of a scarf than a shawlette, but you could modify the pattern with fewer repeats of the Leaf Chart and deepen the short rows.  If I were going to do that, though, I would cast on and work the Leaf Chart, then pick up the stitches for the Oak Leaf Border, and then go back and pick up stitches along the cast on edge to work the short rows.  I would also play with the colors.

Here is the blocking shot (taken at night with the flash) so you can see the whole thing.  I had to curve it in order to pin out the Oak Leafs of the border.

Pattern:  Virgo Shawlette by Janine le Cras
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Pashmi in Virgo
Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)

Virgo Shawlette - Body Done

I haven't been very productive this week thanks to late nights at work, but I have managed to finish the body of the Virgo Shawlette by Janine le Cras.  The Unique Sheep is doing a shawl series for the signs of the Zodiac.  This is actually the third offering.  They started with Taurus, and then did Cancer.  Now that Watership Down is finished and the next Unique Sheep Mystery Knit Along (Peter Pan) doesn't start until the new year I'm going to concentrate on the back log of projects that I have sitting around.

I'll have to wait until the sun is shining and the shawl is blocked to get a good picture (it is raining here again), but a close up helps a little.

Pattern:  Virgo Shawlette by Janine le Cras
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Pashmi in Virgo
Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)

Watership Down - Finished

I finished up the knitting Saturday evening, and blocked it Sunday morning and took this picture before unpinning it.  I finished up Clue 7 two weeks ago, but didn't feel like pinning it out to get a photo of it.  To start clue 8 you have to pick up the slipped stitches on the edge of clue 7 and knit into the front and back of each one.  I did the picking up first, slipping each slipped stitch (both legs) onto a knitting needle in the proper orientation.  As you can imagine, this took a little while.  Then I knit into the front and back of each stitch.  This took me two evenings.  Clue 8 went reasonably quickly, for a Never-Ending-Border.  I used my Knit Companion app on my iPad for both clues.  It is really great when you have to repeat the same chart multiple times.

Here is a beauty shot on my dress maker dummy and a close up of the beads in the border.

This shawl design has lots of possibilities for playing with color because of the two knit on edges.  The body of mine took 44 grams of yarn, the first border took 36 grams and the second border took 28 grams.


Project:  Watership Down by Janine le Cras
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Selene in Insecta
Needle:  US 3 (3.25 mm)

Caribbean Blue - Finished

I finished this top up a week ago, but by the time it was dry from blocking the rain had moved in and it didn't stop raining until today.  I've even worn it to work already.  It was tricky getting a decent photo of it.  There is an interesting optical illusion going on with this yarn, in the top of the bodice, where I was working back and forth, the different colors are distinct from each other, but in the body where I was working in the round, they blend and seem out of focus, like a Monet painting.

Pattern:   Cables & saddles by Julie Gaddy, Knitter's Magazine K112
Yarn:  Claudia Hand Painted Yarns Short Sport in Caribbean Blue
Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)