Cotton Candy Cardigan: Crafting the Perfect Sweater

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/alice-blue-cardigan

My favorite type of sweater is what I like to call "a classic cardigan."  I love cardigans that have kind of a classic 1950's shape, with tight ribbing at the hem, a flattering fit, and buttoning up the front with some interesting design around a crew neckline.

I came across this free Red Heart pattern, the Alice Blue Cardigan, and thought it was almost perfect.   Just one major problem:  the pattern's smallest size is a 36" chest which is a little too big for me.  So, now I have a new project - to alter this Alice Blue Cardigan into a great fitting "classic cardigan".

  
First up:  the yarn.  I fell in love with this Jojoland Splatter Dash merino dk yarn in a beautiful variegated pink-rose-lilac color.  This yarn is a little more pricey than I usually like to pay, but I wanted a pink cardigan and I love the subtle color change of this yarn that makes it a little more sophisticated and interesting than just your basic pink.

The plan:

1.  Change the rib hem to a tighter k2, p2 ribbing.

2.  Knit this cardi in one piece to armpits, then break into front and back pieces.

3.  Change the button band to garter stitch so I can knit it along with the rest of the sweater, instead of picking up stitches when I'm done.  I like to have as little finishing as possible.

4.  Cast on for my wider hips, but then add shaping to bring the chest down to 34".

5.  To narrow the chest, I'm going to have to omit one column of lace detail on each side of this cardigan.  I'm also going to probably raise the lace detail by not starting this design until I'm past my waist shaping.

I'll be posting my mods and photos as I go.  To be honest, I haven't figured out the calculations for the lace yet, so I've got some work ahead of me.  Wish me luck!

Very Shannon Summer Sweater KAL: Wisterious

Ta-da!  I finished my Wisterious lace top in time for the Very Shannon Summer Sweater KAL, and I love the final results!!

I bought this Juniper Moon Findley Dappled (50% merino, 50% silk) for another project, but the gauge just wasn't working.  After a quick search through Ravelry, I found the wonderful Wisterious by Jennifer Dassau and my yarn (held double) was perfect for it.

Here are my notes:

1.  The sizes are a bit limited on this pattern.  I decided to make this top as a size 38, but only blocked it to about 36" around.  I think the fit is good and it will probably drape more with wear.

2.  You may remember that I wasn't confident that I was on gauge when I started.  The only fix for this was to trust and continue knitting down to where I joined the body under the underarms.  Then I tried on what I had to see if it was going to fit.  If it didn't, I had two choices:  1) cry; or 2) rip it out and start over in a larger size.  Luckily it fit.

3.  I only made a few modifications along the way.  I made the length of the top only 22" by doing only 2" of ribbing.  I was a little afraid that I would run out of yarn (silly - I have a fair amount left over).

4.  To accomodate my larger hips, I cast on an additional 28 stitches around before starting the rib border.  I also only went down one needle size for the bottom border hem.

5.  I was thinking of omitting the buttonholes and just sewing the buttons in place - but don't!  The neck opening is not large enough to fit your head without unbuttoning the neckline a bit, and making the buttonholes is super easy and super fun!

6.  Although the instructions don't mention it, I think you really need a set of dpns to do the armhole ribbing.  My smallest dpns were size #4, so that's what used.  I think they worked fine.  Because my ribbing wasn't as tight as the pattern called for, I omitted two rounds of the border.  Then I just bound off in pattern.

Love the finished top!  Thanks to the other ladies in this KAL for their vote of confidence on my coral/orange buttons.  I think they are the perfect choice :)

Summer Sweater KAL: Wisterious Update

I haven't talked much about it, but I am still hard at work on my Wisterious Top for the Very Shannon Summer Sweater Knit-a-Long.  I'm actually pulling in to the home stretch - it doesn't look like much but I just have to do the sleeve edging and block it, and then I'm done!  I didn't think I was going to make the KAL deadline of Sept. 24, but I think I will pull it off :)

I've done only some minor modifications that I'll list when the top is blocked and finished.  I only have one decision left to make:  BUTTONS.  I love vintage buttons (someday I'll have to do a post about my collection of vintage buttons).  And one of the things that drew me to this knit top pattern was the cute button detail around the neckline and shoulders.

original pattern photo by Jennifer Dassau from Ravelry

So - decision time:

I have four good choices right now.  1) some little white buttons (on card) with cute detailing around the center (hard to see in photo), 2) these corally-orange buttons that I kinda really love, 3) these light blue buttons that are shiny on one side and more opaque on the other.  I could use these with either side facing up, or 4) these vintage pearl buttons with a shank that might work better with the buttonholes in my top.

I'm leaning towards at least starting out with the coral-orange buttons.  I can always change them if I don't like them later.  But I'd love to hear what YOU think?

Summer Sweater KAL: Beginning with Helpful Hints

It's that wonderful time of year again:  time for Very Shannon's Summer Sweater KAL (knit-a-long).  I participated last year in Shannon's Summer Sweater KAL and really enjoyed it.  If you've never joined a KAL, it's a great way to try or finish a knitting project that's been lurching in your heart or mind (or maybe in the back of your closet).

"Wisterious" © Jennifer Dassau

This year, I've selected the lacy and light Wisterious pattern by Jennifer Dassau.  I must admit the thing I love most about this pattern is the little button detail on the shoulders - I have the perfect vintage buttons already picked out for my top.

But before I get to the buttons, I have a lot of knitting to do:

I'm using Juniper Moon's Findley Dappled lace weight yarn (50% merino, 50% silk) in Cloudbank (held double) for this top, and for the first time in a long time, I'm not sure of my gauge (sad face).  I did a swatch, but had a beast of a time counting my stitches.  I went with a larger size to give the top some positive ease, and I think (and hope) it will work out when blocked.

But here's a helpful hint:  you might notice the ziploc bags in my photo.  I saw this on Pinterest - Since I'm working with two balls of yarn as I knit with my yarn held double, I put each ball in a baggie to keep my yarn from getting tangled.  I just pricked a little hole in the bottom corner of each bag, and ran my yarn through the hole.  The bags are big enough for each ball to move and spin freely, but it keeps them separate and neat.  So far, it's working like a charm!

I'll keep you posted on my KAL!  In the meantime, don't forget to enter my Mosaic Blanket and Yarn Giveaway!!  I'd love to have loads more people enter!  The fun ends on Friday, August 8th at midnight EST.

Summer Sweater Knit-A-Long Round Up

I finished my sweater for Shannon's Summer Sweater Knit-A-Long a few weeks ago. 

The KAL was a lot of fun and definitely motivated me to finish this sweater before the start of Fall.

Now Shannon has posted photos of all the participants' finished sweater on her blog luvinthemommyhood.  Check out the finished projects here !!  So many great sweaters!

What's in Your (Knitting) Bag?

Shannon at luvinthemommyhood suggested that everyone in our KAL post a photo of what was in their knitting bag, so here it is!

Nothing really exciting.  Just the usual tools and supplies.  I always have this stuff nearby if I'm knitting at home, but I don't carry all of it when I'm traveling.  And my most important tool - easily my chapstick :)  Love it!

Summer Sweater Knit-A-Long: The Barney Effect

My Peterborough cardigan for the luvinthemommyhood Summer Sweater Knit-A-Long is complete!!  I worked overtime during the Labor Day weekend to get it seamed and finished :)

 I'm really happy with the final result of all the modifications I did to the pattern.  There's only two things I might change if I were to do it again:

1.  The finished sweater is a bit big in the hip area.  I lost some weight this spring, but used my old measurements when selecting the size of this sweater.  I still think it fits fine.  Right now I can cross the front pieces and wear it belted.  In the winter, I will be able to layer heavier items under it (and I will probably have gained some weight back by then).

2.  The sleeves are still a bit long.  I made them a 1/2 inch shorter than the pattern called for, but I think I could have taken off a full inch.  But, again, this leaves some room for layering.

I'm a bit surprised at how much I love this sweater.  Yes, Norah Gaughan's pattern is beautiful (they always are), but I was a bit worried about the color.  A few years ago I went into a local yarn store to buy yarn for my first sweater.  I wanted to make it in purple, but the store owner warned me against it.  She said, "Purple can go really Barney on you, really quick" in reference to the big purple dinosaur character.  Ever since then, I've shied away from knitting a full sweater in purple, thinking the garment and color might overpower me.

But in reality, I think the color can be easily managed and balanced.  I think I can wear this sweater with many things and a lot of other colors (maybe avoiding wearing head to toe purple).  I think it's a beautiful sweater design in a great color that I will wear a lot during the cooler months.  I'm happy :)

I've really enjoyed doing this knit-a-long.  It has been wonderful to meet and chat with the other knitters doing this KAL.  I've learned a lot and I am constantly amazed and inspired by their knitting projects :)

Photographing Your Knits

As part of her Summer Sweater Knit-A-Long, Shannon at luvinthemommyhood has been featuring a number of really interesting guest posts on a variety of knitting topics.  One of my favorite posts was about photographing your knitwear by Michelle at My So-Called Handmade Life.  

Taking good photographs of my knitting is something I struggle with.  Most of my photos usually look boring and stiff.  I never seem to capture the feel and atmosphere that I'm looking for. 

So after reading Michelle's post, I found the perfect opportunity to put her advice to use.  It had been raining most of the day, but around dinnertime the sun came out.  Our neighbors have recently moved and so hubby and I had complete privacy in our backyard to play around without an audience.  We went to work and captured some great images (I think).

watching the hummingbirds fly by

Here's what I learned:

1.  Our work backyard fence makes an interesting backdrop for these photos.  I like the textural element it adds to these pics.

2.  My most recent haircut is distinctly lopsided.

3.  My husband is a great photographer, but not a great fashion stylist.  I need to train him to tell me when my bra strap is showing and when to suck in my gut.

We'll keep working on the photos, but I think there is great potential in our backyard to take some interesting shots.  BTW - this shawl is my latest free pattern:  The Crossroads Textured Shawl.

Summer Sweater Knit-A-Long, Update 3

Yea!  Hurrah!  I'm almost done with the two fronts of my Peterborough!! (Celebration ensues).

But, of course, with progress comes more modifications.  As I was knitting the first front piece, I realized the original pattern called for another rib band across the waist in the front.  I had not read through the entire pattern before starting (again) and did not realize this was part of the design (I partial blame the photo with the pattern that hides the ribbing with a belt - but then again, I should have checked what I was getting into before starting).

I didn't really like the ribbing in the front and hadn't planned on it.  However, if I omitted it, I would have to do more decreases on the front pieces than I had done on my back.  Luckily, I realized I could work in the additional decreases that I needed along the Stst edge by the cabled collar.  This actually solved two problems - I could add in the additional decreases and still match my back piece AND I could create a slight v-neck on the collar that would pull this itchy wool yarn a little bit away from my neck. 

I ended up doing 5 decreases at the lace edge.  I'm hoping with a good blocking, they will be unnoticeable in my stitches.


Next up - the sleeves.  There's nothing really interesting to say about sleeves.  I'm planning to knit them in the round, instead of flat, by casting on only 60 sts.  Hopefully, I will have them both done by September 1!!

Summer Sweater Knit-A-Long, Update 2

This post could be subtitled "Ah, Bugger!!!"

Well, I've finished the back section of my Peterborough for the Summer Sweater KAL.  While working on the back of my sweater, I was granted the opportunity to re-familiarize myself with one of the most important tenets of knitting:  ALWAYS READ THROUGH THE PATTERN BEFORE BEGINNING!!!

Alas, I had not.  I thought I could cast on for a larger size in the hips and just do more decreases to make the chest and shoulders a smaller size.  But I didn't realize (and didn't read) was that for the back rib band, the pattern calls for more increases as you start the band, and then decrease stitches as you finish the band.  This screwed up all my math and calculations.  And I had already knitted half of the back of my sweater :(

I was able to remedy this by doing *no* increases before starting to knit the back band, and doing more decreases as I was finishing the band.  And the math worked out. Yea!!

So, I'm moving on to the front sections of my cardigan, along with the lace and cable collar.  As with all things, this collar is proving more difficult than expected.  But more on that in my next post.

If you haven't seen it yet, check out my latest free knitting pattern - the Crossroads Textured Shawl.  This is my first shawl pattern and I'm pretty pleased with it :)

Til next time...

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!