Thursday, August 21, 2014

Honey Wickerwork

Honey marmalade sweater
More photos on my ravelry page.
I finished my first sskal14 sweater! Hurrah! I didn't follow the pattern at all, just took the stitch pattern and ran with it. The end result is nice and comfy (not yet blocked, so the body will probably be even comfier after blocking when there'll be a bit of positive ease), so I'm extremely pleased with it. All my other sweaters have been knit using zero ease calculations, so this is a nice deviation from all those, especially with autumn coming around soon. I believe it's my first time mattress stitching a sweater together (instead of backstitching) and I think I did a pretty fine job, if I do say so myself.

Detail of the side seam - can't even tell!
The side ribbing was a nice detail, I think, and I'm glad I deviated from the original design. For the sleevecap calculations, I used the formula from LeeWards Complete Library of Needlecraft since I just knitted the armhole for the body until it was about long enough. One thing I wish I did differently (not enough for me to rip it out and reknit it though) is that I knit the ssp incorrectly. I slipped them the wrong way before purling them through the back loops. Oh well.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

SSKAL14

Sherwood. Since 2013.
I forgot to mention that I am participating in Very Shannon's Summer Sweater KAL this year! It's my first KAL, and I really hope that this will be the motivating factor for me to finish up a sweater or two (I'm looking at you two, sheep sweater and Sherwood). If I had to be honest with myself, I think the sheep sweater may never ever get finished. The body has zero ease whereas the sleeve I'm halfway done knitting has about 3~4" positive ease maybe? I haven't taken measurements of how big it is, but it's pretty roomy. So I might even just scrap the sleeves and make it a vest in the end. Not that I wear vests - ever - but as long as it's off the needles, I'd be chuffed. Sherwood stands a chance, since it knits up pretty quickly once I actually pick it up and start knitting. The problem is that before I start knitting, I have to spread out the chart so I can read it, which requires me to clear my little drawer-top. The little drawer-top that happens to have a bunch of little stuff on it that I use to make notes a I'm knitting other stuff or even just planning other stuff to knit in the future. Clearing that off - and keeping it cleared - will not be a fun task.
Sheep sweater. Since... 2012.
I don't have more recent photos of the main sweater I'm working on right now, which is a Wickerwork inspired sweater, but it's coming along quickly enough for me rethink knitting with fingering and lace-weight yarns all the time. I am one sleevecap and collar away from being completely done the knitting portion and starting on seaming, blocking, and weaving in ends, and I only started this in July! The colour reminds me of honey whenever I look at it - those dark honey biscuits shaped like a bear - and it's really a lovely yarn. A bit difficult once you poke through it and split it, but if you don't try to stab it in the back, it won't do the same to you, so I think that's fair. I got 12 balls of this yarn (Sublime Yarns Cashmere Merino Silk DK) at Loop last year, and while I was knitting up the body, I was afraid that maybe it wasn't enough, but the sleeves are eating up much less yarn than the body did (no duh. Stockinette vs. Cables), so I think there'll be just enough with one ball left over, even! Phew.

Honey marmalade sweater. Started July 2014. Almost done.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Photo Evidence

Oops. Didn't quite make it.
That's what my photo sessions typically consist of. I don't post the behind-the-scenes stuff, so you don't see it, but that's what happens when you do self-portraits with a haphazardly angled camera sitting precariously on two stacks of books to aim it at the right level.
Here's some photo evidence that I actually did finish some stuff!

 
Drunken stupor blanket for Dad.
My first large project.
  

Swathed in brick!
And all of this was with newly acquired yarn, so I think you can safely say that there's no way I can possibly fulfil one of my new year's resolutions already. Ha! As if there was any chance to begin with. But well, at least I did get to tick one of them off with my published pattern! So all's well.

Friday, August 1, 2014

Pattern Highlights (Ravelry)

So ravelry has pattern highlights that show you a bunch of patterns you might be interested in based on a couple of things, right? Guess what showed up on my list as something I might be interested in immediately after I published my Frost Flowers Dress pattern?

VERY INTERESTED.
Very interested, yes.
Just thought that was kind of funny.