Another One Bites the Dust
My only major accomplishment this week (aside from surviving wild nights with feverish coughing kids) has been to finally finish my yoke sweater!! I am beginning to think it has a curse on it or something. I swatched, I measured, I calculated. The sleeves are absolutely perfect. The neck is perfect. The body ended up fitting DD#1 who happily waltzed off with it as soon as it came off the needles and called it "fair exchange" for the White Wicker blanket. (I had to steal it out of her dresser to take a photo.)
I am really wondering where I went wrong. I think the 2-color knitting is partly to blame as I noticed, when the yoke was done and I returned to solid color knitting that the solid color stitches actually looked smaller. The fact that the neck and sleeves are the correct size suggests that too. However, the main body should reasonably have returned to the correct diameter, if that was the case but it didn't happen soooo I am thinking there is some faulty math involved too. This may explain why I seemed to have a zillion stitches and it took forever to finish that yoke. Granted it would only take 20 - 30 stitches to bring it back to the correct size .... at any rate I have mixed feelings about the end result. DD #1 was pleased to get the sweater. I was pleased to finally be finished it - even if it was supposed to be for me. My terra cotta sweater worked out just fine using the same formula of percentages so I think for my next sweater I'll have to do the obvious thing (d'uh) and measure as I go along rather than blindly rely on the instructions written out by a rather dopey rank amateur (yours truly)! I have to add here that as much as I love the terra cotta sweater and have enjoyed wearing it this winter, it is pilling terribly which makes me raging furious when I think about what the yarn cost!!!! I DO have a sweater shaver which refreshes it's appearance but to me that's not the point! $18 a skein yarn (even IF it's bought on sale) should NOT pill everywhere after only one washing! sigh! OK, I feel better now that's off my chest ....
So with all that behind me I enjoyed a little time alone with my stash last night ... fondling, squeezing, stroking .... a most pleasurable tactile relationship, no? I'm still hot for cables and textures so I settled on several patterns (a swatch will determine which) and the classic cream Finn Sheep yarn I bought from Wild Geese last year. For a while I thought I would make it into a shawl but something kept holding me back. Now I know, it's because it wanted to become an aran-style sweater. I have decided this will be a lazy no-pressure knit - I intend to enjoy every twisted and textured stitch like a long courtship. I'm working on a swatch today with 4.5mm needles.
My second project IS a shawl. I've been longing whistfully to cast one on for a while now but true to form insisted on finishing a few other things first. True, the poor Swallowtail is unfinished but it seems every time I pick it up I get interrupted and end up ripping out rows full of mistakes and mis-counted stitches .... maybe this summer... groan! I selected my most recent Wild Geese acquisition the Alpaca/Silk blend. I SO wanted to make a sweater but it resisted me no matter what pattern I considered. Then I picked up Wrapped in Comfort I got on a swap from Monika and I just knew it was the right choice! A luxury yarn for a decadent project! Maybe I am finally becoming a yarn whisperer (!!).
The pattern is called Karen's Water Turtles Shawl (short version is shown on the cover). I was considering a feather & fan type from this book but it just wouldn't show off the yarn like it deserves. I'm hoping to cast it on Sunday.
Finally I'm going to cast on a pair of socks. No decisions finalized yet, just that my neglected sock yarns are pouting and I just got some new carbonized Bamboo DPNs that I'm dying to try. Hopefully over the week I'll have some pics to share, until then, cheers all! Don't be shy to say Hi and leave a comment!
I am really wondering where I went wrong. I think the 2-color knitting is partly to blame as I noticed, when the yoke was done and I returned to solid color knitting that the solid color stitches actually looked smaller. The fact that the neck and sleeves are the correct size suggests that too. However, the main body should reasonably have returned to the correct diameter, if that was the case but it didn't happen soooo I am thinking there is some faulty math involved too. This may explain why I seemed to have a zillion stitches and it took forever to finish that yoke. Granted it would only take 20 - 30 stitches to bring it back to the correct size .... at any rate I have mixed feelings about the end result. DD #1 was pleased to get the sweater. I was pleased to finally be finished it - even if it was supposed to be for me. My terra cotta sweater worked out just fine using the same formula of percentages so I think for my next sweater I'll have to do the obvious thing (d'uh) and measure as I go along rather than blindly rely on the instructions written out by a rather dopey rank amateur (yours truly)! I have to add here that as much as I love the terra cotta sweater and have enjoyed wearing it this winter, it is pilling terribly which makes me raging furious when I think about what the yarn cost!!!! I DO have a sweater shaver which refreshes it's appearance but to me that's not the point! $18 a skein yarn (even IF it's bought on sale) should NOT pill everywhere after only one washing! sigh! OK, I feel better now that's off my chest ....
So with all that behind me I enjoyed a little time alone with my stash last night ... fondling, squeezing, stroking .... a most pleasurable tactile relationship, no? I'm still hot for cables and textures so I settled on several patterns (a swatch will determine which) and the classic cream Finn Sheep yarn I bought from Wild Geese last year. For a while I thought I would make it into a shawl but something kept holding me back. Now I know, it's because it wanted to become an aran-style sweater. I have decided this will be a lazy no-pressure knit - I intend to enjoy every twisted and textured stitch like a long courtship. I'm working on a swatch today with 4.5mm needles.
My second project IS a shawl. I've been longing whistfully to cast one on for a while now but true to form insisted on finishing a few other things first. True, the poor Swallowtail is unfinished but it seems every time I pick it up I get interrupted and end up ripping out rows full of mistakes and mis-counted stitches .... maybe this summer... groan! I selected my most recent Wild Geese acquisition the Alpaca/Silk blend. I SO wanted to make a sweater but it resisted me no matter what pattern I considered. Then I picked up Wrapped in Comfort I got on a swap from Monika and I just knew it was the right choice! A luxury yarn for a decadent project! Maybe I am finally becoming a yarn whisperer (!!).
The pattern is called Karen's Water Turtles Shawl (short version is shown on the cover). I was considering a feather & fan type from this book but it just wouldn't show off the yarn like it deserves. I'm hoping to cast it on Sunday.
Finally I'm going to cast on a pair of socks. No decisions finalized yet, just that my neglected sock yarns are pouting and I just got some new carbonized Bamboo DPNs that I'm dying to try. Hopefully over the week I'll have some pics to share, until then, cheers all! Don't be shy to say Hi and leave a comment!
It must be dissapointing to knit something for yourselve and have to give it away. But your daughter is right! ;o) I like the yoke, its fair isle pattern. I am kind of like you a bit. I have to finish off something to get to cast on new things. I finished my Tiit's socks today, and have only 1 WIP right now, the Elses shawl. Makes me very happy. I'm looking forward to see the shawl from this book, and the yarn you'll be using. I'm spinning Wild Geese Fibers, still, and loving it. I bought 1 kg, can you believe it! :o)
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I suppose you could say I am disappointed - except it made my daughter happy! I'll be more careful with the Aran-style I'm starting, that's for SURE!! All that work and have it NOT be the right size? I don't think so.....
I envy you the Cotswold! I have a sample and it's SO nice! You'll be surprised - 1 kg sounds like a lot but you'll still be calculating your yardage before you start knitting anything! LOL! No quick trip to the LYS for one more ball if you run short!! (couldn't resist to tease you!) I'm thinking maybe I'll treat myself to some for my birthday... maybe... Barb sure has an eye for fiber! We're lucky to have found her!
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