Slightly Sassy Rambouillet - Cast On!

After the disaster that was the Tarahi Tank.

I frogged that project and reclaimed the yarn.

Using the Tahari Tank as giant gauge swatch I went searching for a better pattern and found the Slightly Sassy V by Aimee Sher, a top down raglan top that is easily adjustable for body and sleeve length.  This is my handspun yarn, the first spin from the Breedschool that I started almost exactly a year ago.

It was an amazing fiber to spin, and it is so nice to knit with.  I dyed it up using WoolTincture Dyes.  Even though I frogged the Tahari Tank last November, I didn’t cast on this top until May 3, after finishing my Copenhagen Cardigan.

Pattern:  Slightly Sassy V by Aimee Sher

Yarn:  My handspun Rambouillet

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Luxe Shawlette - Cast On!

The Luxe Shawlette by Anniken Allis came out on April 17, and because I subscribe to her newsletter, I saw it right away, and decided that I wanted to make it.  The link to the kits took me to a yarn store overseas, so I checked out the yarns required on Ravelry and managed to find a US distributor, Wool and Company in South Elgin, Illinois.  They had bunches of colors to choose from, but I ended up going with gold.  The two yarns are:  Lang Yarns Mohair 21 and Lang Yarns Paillettes, held together.

This is definitely not mindless TV knitting, but it is very pretty and sparkly.  I did make one mod to the pattern.  The pattern calls for increases where you pick up the strand between stitches and knit into the front or back, depending on whether you want a right or left lean.  I am replacing all of those with simple yarn overs.  No way was I going to deal with working that kind of increase with these two yarns.  I received my yarns on April 23 and immediately cast on.  I haven’t made too much progress, mostly because I was focused on finishing up my Copenhagen Cardigan.

Pattern:  Luxe Shawlette by Anniken Allis

Yarn:  Lang Yarns Mohair 21 and Lang Yarns Paillettes

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)

Copenhagen Cardigan - Finished!

I finished up the knitting this past Saturday, May 2, gave it a good soak Sunday morning and laid it out on my blocking mats.

On Monday I switched it over to my elevated mesh sweater drying rack, which speeds things up, and by Tuesday it was dry.  I snipped the ends and went looking for buttons in my button stash.  I ended up picking vintage Lucite moonglow buttons, from the famous bead hoard that A Grain of Sand has.  I have bought quite a few things from them, they are a wonderful resource for vintage items, as well as semi-precious stones and pearls.  My selection was somewhat limited by the fact that I needed nine buttons!  I had lots of pretty options that were a few buttons shy of that number.  Finally, this morning, I got around to sewing the buttons on.  This task was complicated somewhat by the fuzziness of the sweater.  The button holes are invisible, and can only be found by feel.  The sweater itself is super soft and warm.  My cat Jezebel approves.

Pattern:  Copenhagen Cardigan by PetiteKnit

Yarn:  Ewe Ewe Yarns Fluffy Fingering and Magicland Yarn Marvelous Mohair

Needles:  US 6 (4.0 mm) and US 4 (3.5 mm)

Copenhagen Cardigan - One Sleeve Done!

One sleeve is complete!  I did make a couple of simple modifications to the pattern.  When you split for the sleeves, the pattern has you cast on six stitches for the underarm.  I did this, but when I picked up stitches for the sleeve, I actually picked up ten stitches.  This gives me a roomier sleeve, which I like, and need, given my fairly muscular arms and broad shoulders (for a woman), and also prevents any of those pesky little gaps in the underarm.  Some patterns will tell you to pick up an extra stitch on each side of the cast on stitches and then decrease them away, but this one did not.  So, instead of having 70 stitches for the sleeve, I have 74.  I also did not work any decreases until just before the ribbed cuff, at which point I decreased 20 stitches, so that I would end up with the 54 stitches for the cuff per the size that I was knitting.  I then switched to the US 4 (3.5 mm) needles to work the ribbing.  I worked six rounds of ribbing and then bound off in pattern.

I did order two more skeins of the Ewe Ewe Yarns Fluffy Fingering, and one more skein of the Magicland Yarns Marvelous Mohair, and I am very glad that I did.  I started on the fifth skein of the Fluffy Fingering on this sleeve, and based on the usage rate on my second skein of Marvelous Mohair I will definitely use at least some of the third skein that I bought when I work the second sleeve.  Fortunately the extra Fluffy Fingering that I bought is the same dye lot as the original four skeins.

Pattern:  Copenhagen Cardigan by PetiteKnit

Yarn:  Ewe Ewe Yarns Fluffy Fingering & Magicland Yarns Marvelous Mohair

Needles:  US 4 (3.5 mm) and US 6 (4.0 mm)

Copenhagen Cardigan - Body Done!

With my Saltwind finished, I’ve been focusing on finishing up my Copenhagen Cardigan, binding off the body this morning.  I did not work the Italian bind-off as the pattern called for as I really just didn’t want to do that with mohair.  I also did not go down a needle size for the body ribbing.  I just worked six rows of ribbing on the body needle and bound off in pattern.  I am very happy with how this is coming out.  I like the marled effect, although I have learned that if you carry mohair along with your regular yarn there is no such thing as mindless stockinette.  There are a few stitches where the mohair is not on the correct stitch, or was left off, but only a few.  If I noticed quickly (on the next row, for example) I was able to fix it, but there are a couple that I didn’t notice until way later and there was no way I was dropping stitches down and fixing them with mohair in the mix.  I’ve picked up the stitches for the first sleeve and have started working it.

Pattern:  Copenhagen Cardigan by PetiteKnit

Yarn:  Ewe Ewe Yarns Fluffy Fingering and Magicland Yarn Marvelous Mohair

Needles:  US 6 (4.0 mm) & US 4 (3.5 mm) but only for the collar ribbing

Lupine Saltwind - Finished!

I finished up the body this past Sunday evening, and finished up the ribbing on Monday, blocking it Monday evening.

Here is a photo of the body taken Sunday evening, under artificial light.

And a photo of the body with one armhole finished taken Monday morning.  I always find the contrast between artificial and natural light so interesting.  I blocked gently, just smoothing things out and gently shaping it so that things lay flat and straight.  No pulling or stretching.  My gauge is just a wee bit tighter than the called for gauge, but that suits me just fine.  It is a little bit oversized in the shoulders - the ribbing  extends past my shoulders, and the neckline is pretty broad, but overall I am happy with the fit.  It is not too big, just roomy enough to be comfy.

Pattern:  Saltwind by keiko kikuno

Yarn:  Osprey by Quince & Co

Needle:  US 7 (4.5 mm)

Copenhagen Cardigan - Progress Check

I have also been working on the body of my Copenhagen Cardigan.  I have about 4 inches more to knit before I work the ribbing and then I can work the sleeves.  I went back and double checked yardage requirements and compared that to what I have on hand and decided to go ahead and buy more yarn so I would have it when I need it and wouldn’t have to play yarn chicken.  The fabric is wonderfully soft and warm, and I love the marling effect with the lighter silk-mohair against the darker purple.

Pattern:  Copenhagen Cardigan by PetiteKnit

Yarn:  Ewe Ewe Yarns Fluffy Fingering and Magicland Yarn Marvelous Mohair

Needles:  US 6 (4.0 mm) and US 4 (3.5 mm)