another knitting blog

happiness

I'm calling this sweater happiness because right now it's one of the few things that makes me happy. And, it just looks happy. It's a sweater that smiles at you.

This was a product of my own imagining and can hardly believe that it actually turned out.

It started with the block I knit for Lizard Ridge. Knitting that block, I absolutely fell in love with Kureyon 126. I didn't just want it as part of an afghan that sat at home; I wanted it with me all day long.

I looked through my few Noro pattern books for possibilities, but didn't find what I was searching for. I did see Lockwood in the Simply Noro book--it has a fairly boxy shape [bad], a v-neck [good], and stripes from alternating two colors of Kureyon [good]. That had potential.

I considered other patterns that call for Kureyon like Rosedale. Nice, but also not what I had in mind. [Although...I have another Kureyon color I'd love to work with...hmm].

I went to my closet and pulled out some of the sweaters I wear the most. They all have v-necks, set-in sleeves, and are close-fitting without being tight. I took their vital statistics and, perhaps not surprisingly, all have approximately the same dimensions.

I knit a gauge swatch and plugged the numbers into Sweater Wizard. That gave me the basic pattern that I then tweaked a little to get me exactly what I wanted--a hip-length, v-neck sweater with slight side shaping and set-in sleeves.

Onto that basic shape, I added stripes formed by alternating separate skeins of Kureyon 126 every two rows. I wish I could say that the striping was completely effortless; however, occasionally they would drift into a muddy pool, and I would have to switch skeins, or remove sections of a color run, or resort to some other trickery to keep the magic going.

Then, there was the problem of the neck opening. The stripes had to match on both sides, and that could mean only one thing: a steek. I've steeked before, so it was hardly unthinkable. But still, it took an extra day of staring at it before I could cut. Happily, Kureyon is a very sticky yarn; I don't think those stitches will be working themselves free anytime soon.

I designed and knit this sweater in just a few weeks. For me, who dawdles over every project, that is astounding. That it fits precisely as intended is even more amazing.

I finished it on Sunday and wore it to work unblocked on Monday. I couldn't take the time for blocking; I needed it right away.

more 126

distant hills

Noro Kureyon; color 126 (discontinued)

Lizard Ridge; Knitty Fall 2006

I had to put the Philosopher's Wool sweater aside for a bit.

Instead, I am knitting something out of Kureyon. It's not Lizard Ridge.

Still not knitting socks.

yup, that's about it

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
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ambitions

OK, so maybe in time for Christmas.

The sleeves went so quickly, but the body is taking forever.

Each row, I knit and knit and knit. Then, I check how far I've gone, and I'm only half the way around. So, I knit and knit and knit, and the next time I check I'm three quarters the way around. So, I knit and knit and knit, and I'm still not to the end.

ARGH!!!

I'm not completely discouraged yet, but I can feel my attention starting to wander.

I'm still not back to knitting socks.

socks, not

So, were any lesson learned during my Socktoberfast?

Well, with nowhere else to turn, I was able to complete, or make significant progress, on several stalled projects; for example, the Lopi blanket. I also 'finished' the 'never-ending' stole.

Giving up socks for a month was not as traumatic as some predicted it would be. The craving was strongest the first week; after that, the compulsion faded and I only experienced occasional pangs. However, keep in mind that I didn't pick up my Sundara Petals Collection yarn from the mail room until the month was over. I wasn't sure I could be trusted.

Although, as it turns out, maybe I didn't have to be so cautious. It's three days into November and I still haven't picked up a sock. I'm still totally engrossed in my non-sock knitting.

Last Saturday, I dug a half-finished sleeve from a Philosopher's Wool Colour Your Own sweater out of the bottom of a basket. I had abandoned this project way back in February '05 after my first go at the sleeve [following the pattern] hit a very poofy wall. This time, I made the sleeve increases at a more gradual rate and I'm liking the results.

I feel compelled to finish this sweater this year. I'm shooting to have it done by Thanksgiving. Then, I can knit socks my entire Thanksgiving vacation.