Sunday, July 28, 2013

Summer Sweater Knit-A-Long


I've joined my first knit-a-long, sponsored by Shannon from luvinthemommyhood.  A knit-a-long (or KAL) for those who are unfamiliar, is when a group of people get together to knit the same item (or type of item) at the same time.  This is an online knit-a-long through Shannon's website and Ravelry, and (obviously) a sweater knit-a-long.

This KAL came along at just the right time for me.  I was planning to start my next sweater project anyway :)  I had bought a bag of Ella Rae Classic Wool in purple at SAFF.  I bought this yarn for another project, but have gone back and forth with it and finally decided to knit a cardigan.

I finally settled on Peterborough by Norah Gaughan (from her Berroco Vol. 8 booklet).  This cardigan might just be perfect for me.  I love the cabled collar with just a little bit of lace detail.  I think it will be very wearable with a lot of different outfits.

I'm going to try to keep my modifications to a minimum:

1.  I'm shortening the overall length from 28" to 25".

2.  Because of this, I'm raising the back ribbing belt to 11" from the bottom cast on edge.  I want it to sit at my natural waist.  

3.  I'm also casting on for a bigger size in the hips, then doing more decreases to make the chest and shoulders smaller.

I'm going to post regular updates on my progress here as part of the KAL.  Wish me luck :)

Oh, and I'll be posting a new knitting pattern for my first shawl in the next few days.  Be sure to stop by and see!

Saturday, July 6, 2013

New Knitting Pattern: This Way Up! Chevron Cowl


Here is my latest FREE knitting pattern - This Way Up! Chevron Cowl.  
 
This pattern is a quick and easy peasy knit, and perfect for a great gift and/or using up some of your stash yarn.  The pattern consists of only two rows and you can make the color chevron blocks as wide or as narrow as you want, or just knit until you run out of yarn :)  I've made mine long enough to double around my neck and hang a bit, but you can change the length to suit your style.


The pattern is available on my Hubpage, along with my other knitting patterns and articles, and other craft tutorials.  I hope you enjoy this pattern!