Posted on May 22, 2020 in Knitting & Crafting
Originally, I had bought this yarn for Sylvi, a big cabled coat. I started it, but it was on hold for years. In the end, I decided to frog it and use the yarn for other things. I usually think of sweaters first when I have an abundance of yarn.
I wanted a cozy, easy house sweater. This is an easy and straight forward pattern. It’s a top-down raglan with pockets. I even made it one size larger so it can have positive ease so I can easily throw it over anything in the cold months.
Posted on January 2, 2013 in Knitting & Crafting
Happy New Year, everyone!
This past week, I decided to frog one of my handknit cardigans. This is not really an actual WIP, but frogging nearly 1000 yards of sport alpaca yarn is a job of a kind.
I was never really happy with out Paris turned out. I knit a lot items and it’s true that I do not wear some of them at all. I just couldn’t even see myself wearing this cardigan. I also wanted to salvage the yarn which is Susan Andrew Collection Inca Gold Baby Alpaca.
This was my first time completely ripping apart a sweater. I’m already finished ripping it out and putting them into balls. That took quite a number of days, but I had patience and the time for it. I was sick for most of it so I had not much else to do.
Things I learned: with knitting in the round, it’s easier to start from the bind off end. With knitting flat, start at the cast on edge. I learned this the hard way which is why I have so many left over balls. It was inevitable though with my shortrow sleeves that it was never going to be a simple frogging process.
Do you see the edge of a ball in the top right hand corner. This is the sixth ball that I didn’t use in the cardigan by accident. After I ripped the cardigan, I only had 240g. That’s when I realized I never used the sixth skein which was hiding in my yarn box. No wonder I ran out of yarn, but I wouldn’t knit Paris again.
The next step will be winding the balls on the Niddy Noddy. Thank goodness I made one of those; it is finally proving useful these days. After I tie it up, I will wash, tie, and hang the yarn to dry. I will skein them until I am ready to reball them and use them for a future project.
Plans for yarn afterwards: another cardigan or pullover. The main contender is Buttercup by Heidi Kirrmaier which I will likely lengthen sleeves. But it’s time I do something with positive ease. This is alpaca after all.
Has anyone else been frogging projects?
For more WIP Wednesdays, go to Tami’s Amis.
Posted on September 21, 2012 in Knitting & Crafting
This project took me almost four months to complete. Unlike some knitters, I knit wool through the summer. I once made my Hemlock Ring Blanket, another Jared Flood pattern, in early summer too. I can bare heat pretty well. I live in Canada so the summers are not unbearable for wool knitting until this year! I started in May, but I put it on hold for a month to knit something else. I almost didn’t knit in July, the dryest and hottest July in my hometown’s history. Most of the work was done in August and early Sept.
I wanted to knit Eco 8014 with this. I really love the Eco wool, but I could not afford to make this project with that yarn. Come last Boxing Day, the Fishermen’s Wool was on sale (and I also had a coupon) making the price of it about a third of what the Eco would have been. Even though I wanted to do this originally in the Oatmeal, there was only the other colours available. The Fishermen’s Wool is a fine affordable yarn, but it has a lot of knots. I think I averaged 2-3 per skein. Sometimes, I would get lazy and not cut them out, but usually I’d cut and felt together again.
Blocking: I’ve been so lazy with my lace blocking of late. I didn’t even bother to pin this one. I did my usual which is soaked it in Eucalan and spun it in the washing machine. Then, I put it on a clothes rack (like the ones you buy for indoor hanging), but put it outside in the setting sun. Afterwards, I just laid it on my bedroom floor and walked on it. The edging looks the most floppy and unblocked, but the center is very lacey. It also came out bigger than in the pattern which is good. It’s definitely a nice size for a double bed, but I sleep on a twin/single. I am already using it as it’s a great extra layering blanket on these autumnal nights.
Girasole, started May 19th, 2012, Bound off September 9th 2012. 
Pattern: Girasole by Jared Flood from Brooklyn Tweed
Size: roughly 84″/220cm in diameter which is larger than the pattern’s projected 72″ diameter
Yarn: Lion Brand Fishermen’s Wool – 4.12 skeins in Natural. Four whole skeins and 27grams from a fifth one. Thank goodness, I bought more when it went on sale again in February.
Needles: HiyaHiya #10.5/6.5mm 120cm/60″ bamboob circulars with an additional bamboo 100cm/40cm circular of the same size to finish the edging.
Modifications: None, really. I used techknitter’s circular CO, which is my preferred circular cast-on. Video for that here. As an added tip, for the double YOs: I knit 1, purled 1 into the first YO and then knit 1 into the second.
Tools/Notions: Used lifelines a few times and stitch markers always for lace.
Cost of Project: For the four skeins, $28 but with the fifth, an additional $7. I bought these needles specifically for the project when I bought the pattern in 2010. I think the needles were $10.
Would I knit it again? Doubtful. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy it, but the longer it took to knit, the more it became this big chore to finish. The reason that I wanted to do this so bad was because I loved my experience with the other blanket. This one was OK. I’d totally do another lace blanket again, but perhaps not this one.
Have a good weekend! For more FOs, go to Tami’s Amis.
Posted on May 25, 2012 in Knitting & Crafting
This cardigan took forever to finish. The knitting itself took about a month, but I didn’t block for another month after binding off and another week for the buttons. I was very careless with the button sewing, but I was so fed up with this project by this time that I didn’t care. Maybe in the far future, I will resew it. Until then, I can wear it as it is going out or staying in. It is far from my favourite sweater, but at least I can use it when out.
Garter Yoke Cardigan, started March 13th, 2012, Bound off April 18th 2012. Sewed buttons on May 19th 2012.
Pattern: #22 Garter Yoke Cardigan by Melissa LaBarre from Knit.1, Fall/Winter 2008
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool – less than 4 skeins of the old yardage, not the new one.
Needles: #6/4mm for the CO, #7/4.5mm for the garter, and #8/5.0mm for all else.
Modifications:
- CO on 93 sts (20 less) on 4.0mm and switched to 4.5mm for the yoke.
- Knit 2 rows. Increased 10 sts using M1L (KFB is better for garter stitch in retrospect). Knit 4 rows including a button hole row. Incresed 10 sts. K1 more row then began with short rows.
- Did standard short rows.
- For the yoke, I added two additional rows between button holes since my gauge was different.
- Switched to 5.0mm for stockinette. After initial stockinette inc row, I did M1L, K1, SlM, K1, K1R.
- Inc a few additional stitches for bust after separating sleeves and body.
- 4.5mm on yoke, cuff, and hem.
- Did one extra decrease for waist shaping but maintained same waist increases per pattern
- Picked up 6 sts at underarm, decreased them, knit about 2.5-3”, then began sleeve decreases: k1, k2tog, knit around to the last 3 stitches, ssk, k1. Repeat every 8th row until only 40 sts.
Tools/Notions: 9 wood buttons.
Cost of Project: Less than $20.
Would I knit it again? Doubtful. If I were to do it again, KFB for the yoke as pattern says and I won’t be so careless with blocking and button sewing next time.
Have a good weekend! For more FOs, go to Tami’s Amis.
Posted on April 11, 2012 in Knitting & Crafting
Progress on my blue Garter Yoke Cardigan:
Taken on the new iPad 3 and Instagram since I wanted to test both features.
I finished one sleeve yesterday. While I was doing the body, I didn’t want the sleeves to take up my remaining yarn so I put the body on hold (it’s beyond the waist shaping now) and started the sleeves. That way, I can make this a fairly long cardigan. I am really liking this royal blue from Patons Classic Wool.
Let’s be honest, I’d have finished this sweater in less than two weeks given my situation. I’ve been very slow with it and spent a few days not even knitting a bit. I know knitting hasn’t been on my radar as much lately because of that and the fact I haven’t been on Ravelry much. I was a bit sick the other week and distracted with other things. I also haven’t been watching shows or movies that much and I almost always knit during those times. I don’t really sit and knit; I’m usually watching something while doing it. Even with lace!
In any case, the Crazy Zauberball I mentioned a few weeks ago, I bought as a birthday present to myself. Yay! Except I have no idea what I will do with it yet.
I’m nearly done this cardigan and due to my lack of knitting mojo, I haven’t really been excited for my next project. Maybe I will take a break and knit some hexipuffs. I haven’t done that since last year; I can make a couple and then plan my next project.
Do you ever feel you lose momentum during projects and why?
Check out other WIPW at Tami’s Amis.
Posted on March 21, 2012 in Knitting & Crafting
I have resolved to blog more about knitting so I will be doing Tami’s WIP Wednesday and Finished Object Friday when I can. Lately, I haven’t been knitting too much and to be honest, the last project I did, I hated. Rarely do I hate the end result as much as I did this Andrea’s Shawl I was working on. It wasn’t the pattern’s fault really, mostly it was one of the yarns. Anyway, I have something else on my needles now.
The Garter Yoke Cardigan from Knit.1 Fall/Winter 2008. I wanted to make this for a long time. I can’t even remember why. I finally got a copy of the pattern. Here’s my tiny amount of progress:
I started this project last week, and I usually knit faster than this, but I’ve been doing other things lately so I haven’t been knitting as much.
I am using Patons Classic Wool. I got it on sale at Michaels the other week. I noticed that Patons changed their yardage so now you get twenty less yards per skein. Three of the skeins I got still have the old yardage, but this change is Patons way of adjusting for higher wool prices. I don’t dislike Patons, but to be honest, I do feel I should just save up and buy better wool. When it goes on sale, it is very cheap and affordable, but now with the shortened yardage, I will probably not buy this yarn for pullovers anymore.
I have been struggling not to buy yarn these days as there has been a Crazy Zauberball calling my name. I shouldn’t since my yarn stash is overflowing. I can’t live beyond my yarn means especially given my tenuous situation. Is the yarn calling and you must say no?
Since I am a knitting monogamist, that’s it for me this week. The weather is warmer so I am less sitting around knitting and more cleaning and exploring.
Have a good rest of the week.
For more WIP Wednesday posts, go to Tami’s Amis.
Posted on March 1, 2012 in Knitting & Crafting
I love Kauni Effetkgarn. In 2010, I bought three balls of the EQ colour in Switzerland. I used up two that summer, but I had one left to save for the future.
In February, I finally used the third skein in two projects. First, I wanted to make a sweater with the yarn. I picked Margot and decided to stripe it and make it short sleeved. My Margot on Ravelry 
.
Secondly, the Stripe Study Shawl. It was inevitable for me to knit this striped shawl. My Stripe Study Shawl On Ravelry
Both projects have been striped with Briggs & Little Sport in natural/undyed which is the right weight and has the same rustic appeal as the Kauni wool. Also, the B&L was inexpensive. I used 1.5 balls of the B&L for both projects.
This is the last of the Kauni I have and since it isn’t sold locally, I am not sure when I will buy it again. If I do, I’ll probably stock up. I get a huge kick out of knitting with this yarn and it is easily one of my favourite yarns.