You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘sweater’ tag.
You guys, packing is stressful. I have to cull everything I own until I can fit it all in a minivan, and I have a lot of stuff. A LOT of stuff. Mostly yarn and clothes. I have four plastic bins and a cardboard box full of yarn, plus I have yarn or unravels-in-progress stuffed in every tiny nook and cranny of the rest of the bags and boxes and bins. Probably 80% of my stuff is either craft supplies or clothes, both of which are things I enjoy frequently and can get for very cheap. The other 20% is books. Maybe there’s 1% “other stuff”. Mostly clothes and books and craft supplies and books. I like books.
ANYWAY, I made a sweater. It looks like this:
(Do ignore my blurry arm meat there.)
Pattern: My own. Thinking about writing it up.
Yarn: Recycled mercerized cotton from a Ralph Lauren pullover (I have lots left)
Needles: US 3/2.75mm straights and a US 5/3.25 circular for the ruffles
Please appreciate that it is approximately five hundred degrees outside, into which I ventured to get pictures of this sweater. (The actual temperature is like 97 but at a certain point it all just feels HOT.) I jumped into the pool right after (I changed first) but still. HOT.
I really like knitting summer sweaters and tanks. They’re fast and I can wear them pretty much year round (though with a shirt under for the winter), unlike a sweater, which is really only good when it’s cold enough.
So I love this thing. I knit it in a strip like the Carousel socks from Knitty that I made a couple weeks ago. I do love the strip construction. It keeps my attention for the whole project so I never get bored like I do with things that are just long rows of stockinette.
In further life news, if I have no said exactly so yet, I will be moving to Fairfax on Tuesday. You might not hear from me for a little while after that while I settle in/job hunt. I’ll almost certainly be on Twitter frequently though, so feel free to drop me a line. I almost always respond on Twitter. I love Twitter.
Happy Independence Day, Americans! I’m safely back in Virginia Beach for the week and am knitting again. I only have two things on the needles and they happen to be red, white, and blue!
There’s the Roundabout sweater:
I’m just over the bust at this point so I’ll need to figure out how I want to do sleeves/straps.
Then there’s my TARDIS socks, which are half done:
I haven’t yet cast on for the second sock, so I guess these aren’t really OTN per se, but I’ll get the other one on there soon.
In life news: Much of this week will be spent packing. I’m hoping to have an actual moving date of Monday for when I’m going up to Northern Virginia to move in with my boyfriend. I’ll keep you posted on the job status but for right now, my only income is my Ravelry pattern store. I’ll start looking in depth when I get up there.
But today’s for drinking and knitting and fireworks and whatall. And watching Independence Day, natch.
I currently have two things on the needles, both of which have made some progress since I last showed you them.
The vanilla socks:
I’m two stripes away from the heel on the second sock. I keep these in my purse at all times so they get worked on fairly regularly.
And the design I’m working on, tentatively called Roundabout:
I took this picture this afternoon and had since picked up stitches around the bottom to work a ruffle. Mostly to stop it from rolling up, which bugs me. So yeah.
I’ve also recently done some dyeing:
The skeins came from different sweaters but have similar compositions, wool/nylon blends, perfect for socks (that I’ll have to handwash). There’s a little bit of difference in the weight but I kind of want to do striped knee socks or some sort of two-color shawl.
I dyed the green in my crock pot and the purpley/rust colored one in a pot on the stovetop. I used a combination of Jacquard Acid Dyes and Kool Aid.
I did another two skeins too but I had to dip them a second time and they’re currently drying. I’ll have pictures of that later.
On a personal note, my younger brother is graduating from high school tomorrow. Allegedly. So, y’know, whoo or whatever. : )
Whoo, I finished Ophelia the other day.
(Please ignore my grumpy face)
Pattern: Ophelia
Yarn: Recycled cotton tape
Needles: US 8/5 mm
Mods: Well, it’s in the round. I followed (sort of) the directions until the eyelet round and then I just sort of made it up as I went. Y’know.
I really like how it came out. There are some flaws of course, since I don’t swatch or consider anything in advance.
I really like how the back came out. And it was just good luck that I happened to have a cute blouse with spots almost the exact same shade of lavender. And the yarn is quite soft and very comfortable.
I had to wear something with sleeves under the tank cause I wore it to work, but when the summer temps hit the nineties I’ll just wear it over a cami. The fronts decrease away from each other a bit too much for me to wear it on its own, plus the v dips down too far. I love it though.
And in case you were wondering, this is sweater number five for the year. Not that I need 12 sweaters. I do like making summery tops though. As you can see. : )
I am currently working on my fifth sweater for the year, a modified Ophelia
I’m using some recycled cotton tape yarn that’s super soft. I’m a little worried about how much yarn I have but I think I can make it. I’ve worked the bottom in the round for more of a vest than a cardigan. I’m also working the top part differently since when I started it (I’m a bit further along than the picture shows) I couldn’t concentrate well enough to follow the lace so it’s just stockinette.
I also have some vanilla socks in the works:
I do like stripes.
I knitted a sweater so quickly I didn’t even have time to tell you I’d started. Ravelry tells me I started it on May 3rd. So that’s a five day top. Aww yeah.
Pattern: Frock Camisole From the spring 2008 IK (and also free online)
Yarn: Recycled Cotton/Ramie
Needles: US 7/4.5mm
Mods: Surprisingly, knit exactly as written for the smallest size.
I’m not completely happy with the fit, but I like it well enough. And it’s certainly comfortable. Probably a great top for lounging about in. Not too sure how long it’ll stay this white, but you never know.
In case you were wondering, this is my fourth completed sweater this year. If I can crank out one more by the end of May, I’ll be back on track for 12. Not that I need 12 sweaters. Although two so far were for other people.
This was a pretty simple knit although if I were to make it again (which I probably won’t), I’d make the skirt part slimmer, maybe a little fitted. I like the rouching at the top.
I’ve already cast on for sweater number five, an Ophelia tank I’m going to knit in the round. Also, there are socks. I love knitting socks.
I actually finished knitting this sweater like a week ago but then KCBW happened and pictures got pushed back. Anyway, it’s all done.
Pattern: Hexagon Petal Tee from IK Spring 2011
Yarn: Takhi Cotton Classic
Needles: US 6/4mm
Mods: None. Worked as written.
I quite like how this sweater came out. My mannequin is a bit smaller than the recipient, so this isn’t the final fit. Once I figured out how to work the damn hexagons, it was pretty smooth sailing. The motifs make it seems like it’s going a lot faster than it probably is. It was a fun knit.
I’m thinking I might make another for myself but I haven’t decided yet. I would make some mods for me, namely that I would leave out two hexagons for purposes of fit. I think this top is supposed to be a bit loose and that look doesn’t always work for me.
I’m still working on my Carousel socks and am just starting a new sweater in some sock yarn. Also, I have to post what I received from the Whedonverse Swap, and it is completely awesome.
So I’ve been working on this top for a WWFY swap. It’s a pretty easy knit once I figured out how to read the dang pattern. It’s going pretty quickly and I intend to make one for myself when I’m finished. Here’s what I got so far:
Here’s what the back looks like:
In life news, I am leaving for Florida tomorrow, where I will be for two weeks. I suspect I’ll get a lot of knitting done but I’m not sure I’ll be able to post as much as I’d like. So there’s that. I have several other things on the needles so I’m sure I’ll have lots of things to show off either while I’m gone or when I get back.
In fandom news, I am about halfway through season three of the X Files and I am LOVING. IT. UST for real, but it’s so good. I’m also about halfway through The Girl Who Played With Fire and I’m really liking that so far too. And yes, I will probably do some X Files crafts at some point. It’s kind of a thing now.
You know, I really don’t mean to go off the radar for weeks at a time. Anyway, I’m working on things. First up, socks:
I frogged the blotchy socks I was working on before (they were coming out too small) and restarted with the Carousel Sock pattern from the latest Knitting. The structure is really interesting and holds my interest for the entire sock. Plus you only have 12 stitches at a time, so that’s nice.
The next project is a Hexagon Petal Tee from the IK Spring 2011 in Tahki Cotton Classic. I’m making it for a WWFY swap except, as I have more than enough time, I received two back issues of IK, Inspired to Knit, and Whimsical Little Knits Two. Because you can never have enough knitting books, right? Right.
I’m sure I will have a full WIP post about this last project if for no other reason than I’ve restarted the damn thing five times. Apparently I have trouble with charts. IDEK.
It looks like this now (plus a few more rounds if I haven’t ripped it all out in frustration/inability to count when you read this):
Oh, and also, I bought a Kindle Fire. It is amazing and I’m currently reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which I got through the library. Excite. Also, it’s fantastic for knitting patterns and charts.
So that mohair wrap sweater I’ve been working on? It’s totally finished and in the mail to its owner.
(The recipient is bigger than me so I’ve got Elizabeth II on a larger setting.)
Pattern: Airy Wrap Around Lace Sweater by Stephanie Japel from Fitted Knits
Yarn: Knit One Crochet Too Douceur et Soie held double
Needles: US 11/8 mm straights and a 10.5/6.5mm circular for the sleeves
Mods: Added a slit in one side and made one front wrap shorter, as requested.
I really like this sweater a lot, and the fabric the yarn made is super soft and nice. The sweater’s recipient seems to like it thus far; I hope she likes it when she actually gets it. It was actually really fun to knit and working on 8 mm needles made it seem to fly by. It actually took about a month, but I was knitting other things at the same time.
Incidentally, this makes sweater number one for the year. And yes, I’m participating in the 12 sweaters/12 months challenge on Ravelry again this year. I made it to ten last year. I’m thinking I can probably make 12 this year but I probably don’t need 12 sweaters. Maybe I’ll make some for other people/swaps. I probably have 12 sweaters I want to make for me though.
I really think I might make a version of this sweater for myself out of some recycled merino/angora/nylon/cashmere. I’ll probably make a few changes (make the body longer, forgo the cables, full sleeves, more stitches for the fronts for better coverage. I think I’ll have enough yarn. And I really love wrap sweaters.
Stitch, Brinn, Stitch! 