Bunny Wishes Sweater - Finished!

I actually finished this up almost a week ago, back on March 26.  After working the body, the sleeves worked up quickly.  Overall, I am very pleased with how it came out.  It is only my second colorwork sweater.  The fit is good - roomy without being too oversized, so I can wear it over a t-shirt or turtleneck.  The sleeve length is good - I was a little nervous about that because they were definitely short before I blocked it. The overall length is good as well.  Blocking was straightforward - a good soak, roll it up in a towel and stand on it to get most of the water out, then lay it out on my blocking mats and smooth everything out.

After laying out on the blocking mats for a day, I transferred it to my sweater rack so that air could circulate around it and dry it quicker.

Pattern:  Bunny Wishes Sweater by Sarah L. Kelly

Yarn:  Fleece & Harmony Wildwinds

Needles:  US 2 (2.75 mm) and US 3 (3.25 mm)

 

Bunny Wishes Sweater - Body Done!

Yesterday I finished binding off the body.  I elected not to work the folded hem (Kitchener stitching all those stitches in dark wool?  No thank you!) and instead worked the ribbing pattern from the neck, after working two rounds of the blue to provide a break between the patterning and the ribbing.  I’ll work the same ribbing pattern on the sleeves.  And I’ve already started working one of the sleeves.  Some relatively mindless (just mind the decrease rows) knitting.  The fit, even unblocked, is pretty good.  I think the ease may be a bit on the larger side, but if I had gone down a size, I think it would have been a tad tight in the shoulders.  The announcement for the patterns for the second quarter Canadian Collaboration from Fleece and Harmony came out today - Seagulls.  I’m going to pass this time, and instead do a knit along with Carol Feller of Stolen Stitches.  The pattern is a really cool cardigan with an unusual construction.  I ordered the yarn kit from her and already have it.  It starts April 1.

Pattern:  Bunny Wishes Sweater by Sarah L. Kelly

Yarn:  Fleece & Harmony Wildwinds

Needles:  US 2 (2.75 mm) and US 3 (3.25 mm)

Bunny Wishes Sweater - Plain Body Done!

After finishing the yoke, I divided for the sleeves and started working the body.  It took me three tries to get the stitch gauge right.  The first try I did not go down a needle size from the colorwork section (a rookie mistake) and my stitch gauge was way off and the body was way too large.  Fortunately I realized before I got too far into things and I ripped back and went down a needle size (from the 3.25 mm to a 3.0 mm).  It was better, but the stitch gauge was still off and it was still coming out too large.  So I ripped back again and went down to a 2.75 mm needle (the smaller needle called for in the pattern).  Finally, things were looking good.  My row gauge is tighter than the pattern calls for, but that is easy to adjust.  I did notice that my row gauge on the colorwork section was also off (less rows per four inches than called for), but that worked out okay.  I have noticed that my stockinette gauge tends to be in the ratio of 3 to 4 (stitch gauge generally is 3/4 of the row gauge) but my colorwork gauge tends to be more square (stitch gauge and row gauge almost the same).

Once I finished up the plain stockinette section I tackled the set up for the colorwork hem.  There are four charts that I have to work from for the hem for my size (charts 2, 3, 4 & 5), and charts 2 and 5 are repeated once.  So the knitting order is:  2, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5 (front), then 2, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5 (back).  I pulled out different colored stitch markers to help give me a visual cue for the chart switching, but found out that wasn’t quite enough to keep me on track, so I resorted to making some labels for each section attached to locking stitch markers.  That seems to be working.  Of course I am also using knitCompanion, which I absolutely love for working charts.

Pattern:  Bunny Wishes Sweater by Sarah L. Kelly

Yarn:  Fleece & Harmony Wildwinds

Needles:  US 3 (3.25 mm) and US 2 (2.75 mm)

Bunny Wishes Sweater - Yoke Chart Done!

I finished up the yoke chart yesterday evening, after dark, so this picture was taken with artificial light.  I really enjoyed knitting the colorwork and watching the picture emerge.  Now I get to start the stockinette body and split out the sleeve stitches.

Which I have done, and got a picture in natural light this morning.  The stockinette will go quickly, and then I get to do the bottom section of colorwork.  I’m going to keep the mock cable ribbing for the hem and the sleeves because I like the look.  I might also keep them in the chestnut color, if I have enough, which I should.

Pattern:  Bunny Wishes Sweater by Sarah L. Kelly

Yarn:  Fleece & Harmony Wildwinds

Needles:  US 2 (2.75 mm) & US 3 (3.25 mm)

Bunny Wishes Sweater - Yoke Increases Done!

I have finished the yoke increases, although I still have about twenty rounds to go to finish the colorwork on the yoke.  I did end up ripping back to the neck band and starting over with a larger needle.  I had gone down a needle size from what the pattern recommended (3.00 mm vs 3.25 mm) because I was worried about it being too loose, but instead it was too tight.  So, now I’m using the recommended needles sizes (2.75 mm and 3.25 mm), and am very happy with the result.  My gauge looks to be spot on, which is always nice, but not always what happens.  I did do a colorwork gauge swatch, but not at first, because I was being lazy.  I did knit regular gauge swatches (not in the round) just to get a feel for the yarn, and based on those swatches I thought the 3.25 mm needle would be too loose.

The gauge swatch on the right was knit on 3.25 mm needles (US 3) and the one on the left was knit on 3.0 mm (US 2.5) needles, and I definitely like the fabric of the one on the left - for stockinette, knitted flat.  But neither swatch gave me gauge on both stitches and rows, and you really need to get gauge on both, if you want to get gauge.

But once I got knitting on the colorwork, I realized that it was definitely going to be too tight, so I knit a colorwork gauge swatch in the round.  I used the cuff pattern, and essentially I just knit a cuff, which I may turn into a lavender sachet.

I like the fabric, and more importantly, I got gauge.

Pattern:  Bunny Wishes Sweater by Sarah L. Kelly

Yarn:  Fleece & Harmony Wildwinds

Needles:  US 2 (2.75 mm) and US 3 (3.25 mm)

Bunny Wishes Sweater - Cast On!

Once I had finished my Seascair Cushions and Blanket I swatched for the Bunny Wishes Sweater, and cast on last Sunday.  This is one of the projects for the Fleece & Harmony Canadian Collaboration series.  There will be four this year.  The designer is Canadian, the yarn is Canadian, and if you get in on the kits, you get a Firefly Notions set of stitch markers in a matching tin, and she is also Canadian.

The designer is Sarah L. Kelly of Grey Owl Knits and I just love her color work patterns.  I have several in my library, but this is the first one that I have knit.  The yarn is Wildwinds and it is absolutely lovely to work with.

I really do enjoy color work knitting, there is something addictive about it, but it does require my attention - it is definitely not mindless television knitting.  Still, I’m making pretty good progress.

The pattern is extremely well written, with instructions for all the techniques used as well as links to videos, and color as well as black and white charts.  I’m using colors that are very close to the original design, so I’m using the color charts.  I have everything set up in my knitCompanion.  There is short row shaping at the back of the neck for a better fit.  The pattern calls for wrap and turn, but I used German short rows, my preferred method, and did an extra round after resolving all the double stitches before starting the color work.

I am almost done with the increases on the yoke.

Pattern:  Bunny Wishes Sweater by Sarah L. Kelly

Yarn:  Fleece & Harmony Wildwinds 

Needles:  US 2 (2.75 mm, for collar and cuffs), US 2.5 (3.0 mm)