Slipped September - Take Two

I really should know better by now.  I had joined this Artyarns knitalong almost a year ago.  I do love their yarn, mostly I love their colors, but am not so much a fan of their knitalongs.  You have to keep up to get the next part of the pattern, and if you don’t you are out of luck getting the final pattern, and getting them afterwards can be a real challenge.  For this one I did manage to keep up and get the complete pattern, but then I never finished it.  I had finished the front - which was as far as I needed to get - but I just wasn’t sure about where this was going and if I wanted to go there. 

First, there is the gauge.  The patterns tend to be worked at a pretty loose gauge, and you don’t even need to do that to get a nice drape in the fabric, the yarns will do that on their own, and you know how I feel about working at a loose gauge.  I did use the smaller of the two recommended needle sizes (US 7 as opposed to a US 9!) but it is still pretty loose.  The bias knit is okay.  It does interesting things to the drape and the way the pattern pieces stretch under the influence of gravity.  I finally knit up the back this past month.  It was a quick and easy knit, but I should have paid more attention to the pattern instructions and gone down a needle size.  The pattern states that the back is supposed to be 2-3 inches larger than the front, and that the garment is supposed to be oversized, but I didn’t really take that in and consider what that meant for the final garment.  When I pinned the two pieces together and tried it on it was definitely oversized, a bit too oversized.

I was a bit disappointed, but wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, so I decided to go look at the finished projects on Ravelry, hoping to find some inspiration and I did.  One knitter decided to turn the top in to a tunic.  Now this is something that I can get behind.  I love tunics because I wear tunics and leggings to work, and I had bought two skeins of each of the colors, so I should have plenty of yarn to work with.  I dug the other two skeins out of my stash and caked them up and cast on again, with some changes.  The first change was to go down to a US 5 needle.  I considered going even smaller, but did some quick math - comparing the percentage change in size of the needle diameter and using that to guess the resulting size change.  Originally I started knitting the smallest size but quickly realized that it would be a bit too small around the neck area, so I decided to cast on for the largest size, figuring I could always adjust the final stitch count by working few increase rows.

I really love the colors, and the effect of the slipped stitch pattern, and the whole thing has a sort of Egyptian collar vibe for me, which I also love.  I’m not sure how far I will extend the patterning, but I will work the front and back the same.  I’m thinking that I want to get down to the bottom of the armholes, and then maybe join the front and back and work in the round.  I may then continue on with just the solid color (Golden Hours, a lovely yellow/gold) and work a lace pattern, and then work a different lace pattern with the multicolored yarn, maybe something a bit flouncy.  I’m also not sure if I will continue the bias fabric.  We’ll see when we get there.  I will have to frog the original knitting and reclaim that yarn when I want to start working on the back.

Pattern:  Improvised, based upon Slipped September by Iris Schreier

Yarn:  Artyarns Merino Cloud

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Slipped September Artyarns KAL - Part 1

Yesterday I cast on and finished part 1 of the Slipped September 2022 Artyarns KAL.  I am knitting the top, and will probably do the short sleeve version.  I am not a huge fan of these Artyarn KALs because you have to post a picture of each part to get the next clue, and sometimes that just doesn’t fit in with my knitting plans.  But, I really like the design, and I love my colors, so here we are.  I have Part 2 now and need to get it set up in my knitCompanion app.

Pattern:  Slipped September (Top)

Yarn:  Artyarns Merino Cloud

Needle:  US 7 (4.5 mm)

Not-so Neon January 2022 Knitalong - Finished!

I finished this up this past Wednesday and blocked it Thursday.  The pattern as written ends about two-thirds of the way down the back, ending just below the red and blue top leaf, but I extended it out by first working the color-changing slip stitch section from the Rectangular version of the pattern.  Then I worked leaf 1 with my solid color and just kept repeating leaves 2-5 until I didn’t have enough of my Rainbow Mountain (the multi-colored skein) to work another ridge.  At that point I switched to my leftovers from my Rectangular version working a long top leaf in color 329 and finishing it with a slip stitch section using my leftover Carmel by the sea and binding off with an I-cord, but only using one color, the 329.

This gives you a sense of the size, but not the colors.  Here is the blocking picture.

It is just hard to get a good photo of the whole thing.  When I blocked it I did stretch it out a fair bit, which completely changed the fabric from the Rectangular version, it feels lighter and floaty, so I think I will go back and re-block the Rectangular one and make it bigger.

Pattern:  Neon January 2022 Knitalong by Iris Schreier

Yarn:  Art Yarns Merino Cloud

Needle:  US 7 (4.5 mm)

Neon January 2022 Knitalong - Finished!

I finished this up on Thursday.  When blocked it I did not pin it, I just laid it out and smoothed it into shape.  The yarn is super soft and squishy.  I did screw up the top leaf in the first decrease triangle (I missed the 3 times) and so did not work as many short rows as called for, but I did not realize it until I was working the second decrease triangle and there was no way that I was going to rip back and fix that first one, so I just repeated the mistake and now it is a design feature.

I love the way the colors came out.  I don’t care that they are not symmetric, I think they are just gorgeous.

  

Pattern:  Neon January 2022 Knitalong by Iris Schreier

Yarn:  Art Yarns Merino Cloud

Needle:  US 7 (4.5 mm)

Not-so Neon January 2022 Knitalong - Part 2

As I mentioned in the other post, I also finished up Part 2 of the Triangle version and have Part 3 already set up in my knitCompanion app.  I love this app, it makes knitting so easy, especially if, like me, you like to have multiple projects going at once.  This one has such a different feel to it because the colors are so much more subdued.

Pattern:  Neon January 2022 Knitalong by Iris Schreier

Yarn:  Art Yarns Merino Cloud

Needle:  US 7 (4.5 mm)

Neon January 2022 Knitalong - One side Done!

I finished up Part 2 on January 19, and received Part 3, the final part quickly.  I have been mostly focusing on finishing up this one, although I did take time to finish up Part 2 on the Triangle version as well.

Yesterday I finished up the first half.  When it came time to put the stitches on hold I used a new tool that I just received - The Knitting Barber Cord.  I bought mine from Dreamweaver.  I have to say it worked very well.  I followed the directions and those stitches slipped right off and onto the cord.  Once I had freed up my needles I cast on for the other side.  I know that the two halves are not going to match from a color perspective, but I am embracing the differences and the colors.

I do love these sort of short row patterns where you have a very colorful yarn with a solid contrast.  They are just so much fun to knit and the results are so beautiful.

Pattern:  Neon January 2022 Knitalong by Iris Schreier 

Yarn:  Art Yarns Merino Cloud

Needle:  US 7 (4.5 mm)

Not-so Neon January 2022 Knitalong - Part 1

I was enjoying this knit so much that I didn’t want to have to choose between the rectangle and the triangle, so I did a little stash surfing and fished up another pair of Art Yarn Merino Cloud, also bought at Earthfaire.

The colorway is Rainbow Mountain, and this one will be the triangle.

Pattern:  Neon January 2022 Knitalong by Iris Schreier 

Yarn:  Art Yarns Merino Cloud

Needle:  US 7 (4.5 mm)

Neon January 2022 Knitalong - Part 1

I have a bit of a thing for Art Yarns yarn.  They have such great colors.  I usually buy them from Earthfaire and they usually come with free patterns but I have yet to knit anything up with them, until now.  Iris Schreier is hosting a knitalong for the latest special colorway - Carmel by the Sea.  I bought the recommended solid to go with it.

There are two shawl shapes that you can work from this beginning - rectangle or triangle.  This one will be the rectangle.

Pattern:  Neon January 2022 Knitalong by Iris Schreier

Yarn:  Art Yarns Merino Cloud

Needle:  US 7 (4.5 mm)