Mandy’s Sweater update........ It's Finished!

It's finished my sweater from our knit-a-long that we were doing! And I'm wearing it!

I knitted the bottom and was working the sleeves, but didn’t think I had enough yarn to knit long sleeves so I made them short. And I still had a lot left of extra yarn left over! That bugs me a bit to have some left over but not enough to knit anything else, then you just have it sitting around taking up room in your stash! I try very hard not to have any left over! My sister suggested that I make the bottom longer. So I knit the bottom until there was none left! Yea!  

We decided to take picture when we went for a walk! Yes, that is Kerri waiting for us! Our favorite place to take them,  it was a little gloomy out! Thank you sister for taking super pictures!      

Don’t you like the way the yarn changes color ? Here is  a close up of the cables that run up the sides and……….

………up over the shoulders. 

I love the cables! They help add some detail and I think some shaping to the sweater, but you do put some increasing on the sides.

The back is pretty much the same as the front.

Me and my wellies!

 If you have missed the other posts about my sweater upates you can see them here. 

Knit a long 

update 1 

update 2

update 3

Sweater Update- Heide's Sweater Finished!

 Yes it is done!! There is always a certain satisfaction about finishing a project. It also makes we want to cast on three more projects, I get so motivated!

Overall I would have to say I am satisfied with this sweater. The different dye lots aren't really noticeable, especially from afar. The only thing I am not happy with is the fit under the arms. It doesn't show up in the pictures too bad, but it tends to bunch under the arms/high chest area because of the pleats.(If I don't button it, it is not too bad.) I was reading notes on ravelry and it was suggested that knitters size up to avoid this problem. Of course, I didn't read this until after I was in the middle of knitting!

 The pleats are so pretty. I love them!

Oh, and the buttons I picked up at the fabric store because I loved them and they where on sale. Even though they don't match exactly, I think they go well. This sweater was all about not matching!

 Very generous pockets for carrying the day's necessities.

And the back view. You can see there is a bit of swingy-ness to it. I have not as yet wore it anywhere. Too cold out for a cotton sweater! But I am looking forward to its debut and planning what it will go with in my wardrobe!

Sweater Update-Heide's Sweater or What To Do When You Run Out Of Yarn!

 

Yes! Crisis! I ran out of yarn! I know too many exclamation points, but when you are talking crisis, you have to have them.

I really should have know better. As I stated in my first sweater update, I wasn't sure if I was going to make it with only five skeins. But that is me, the eternal optimist. I really should have know better. First of all, the yarn is cotton. Cotton is heavy, that means less yardage per skein. Second, the pattern I picked out takes EXTRA yarn then a normal sweater. It is a longer, fuller length, there are tucks and pleats, the sleeves are full and it has cute pockets. Those are all features that use up yarn. So now that you have heard the full story,

What does one do?!?

 

1. Tear the whole thing out and bury it in the bottom of your yarn stash until you can come up with another brilliant project to make with it.

 

2. Comb the internet and all remotely local yarn stores for a few more skeins in your dye lot.

 

3. Incorporate a new color of yarn in your sweater, design your own sweater!

 

4. Unravel something. Make it short sleeved, three quarters sleeves. Take a bit of length off the bottom. Decrease a bit somewhere.

 

I know some of these options sounds a bit crazy and you might be thinking yes, she is an eternal optimist, but I have actually used all three of these options on projects gone awry.

Once you think about them, they are not as crazy as they seem. For the first option, of course you are not just going to chuck your whole project in the trash. Yarn is way to expensive for that! And letting all the emotion and worry die away before you think about it again helps. On the second option, it is not as hard to find matching yarn as it once was. The internet is a huge place and now with Ravelry you can even see if another knitter has a few skeins in her stash she is willing to part with. The third might take more brain work then anything. Maybe you could use a contrasting edging or different colored sleeves or knit a few stripes into the bottom of the body and sleeves. Option four is pretty self explanatory. And if you are just a wee bit shy, this is better then hunting down another skein to end up using 3 yards from it.

 

I am sure by now you have figured out I found more yarn. It took a bit of hunting and there was a scary moment when I found out it was a discontinued color.

It is not very visible in the picture, but another thing I had not realized until my hunt, there is no dye lot. This yarn is kettle dyed (which means each skein can vary in hue). Naturally, I did not notice this until half the sweater was knitted up. But I am not letting it worry me, even though you can tell where I started a new skein and one sleeve is lighter then the rest, I am embracing the whole look! The best way to avoid this look (so they say), is to knit one or two rounds with one skein and the next one or two with another skein. This method drives me nuts. Once I am settled in watching a movie, who remembers to change yarn after every row?!

Aside from the slight set back of lack of yarn, my sweater is coming along fine. I am working on the icord bind off around all the edges and then the pockets and it will be finished!

Update on Mandy's Sweater

 So I got done with all my Christmas knitting and decided to start knitting my sweater again! 

I'm on my second ball of yarn and have been knitting it non stop since then! 

 

 

I love the pattern (Do I keep saying that?) and the yarn the way it self stripes. 

 Last night I tried it on and it fit very good, I think it will be perfect when it's done.

  

  Don't you love the cables? They started at the neck and they will go all the way down the sides. 

 Just enough to keep me from getting bored with it!

 

What are you knitting after the holidays?

 Or are you picking up were you left off after knitting your Christmas gifts?

Sweater Update -- K-Dee's Sweater

 

Well this isn't much of an update as I hit a wall of knitting math!  My sweater is the Breakwater by Cecily Glowik MacDonald from Winged Knits.  She has some pretty good instructions in the pattern if only I can remember if I'm on an increase row or knit row.  I was working away at a good clip when I realized I had not counted stitches for awhile.  When I counted I realized that I was terribly off. 



Arm increases

So instead of ripping out I just fixed the amount of stitches on the next row.  After knitting a bit more I realized that I had not actually counted all the stitches.... so I sat it to the side for time when I had a whole brain and a calculator.  This combination did not come together until the Sat after Thanksgiving.  :)  I think everything is now even and correct.  I did not rip back just evened things up and am praying that it will all turn out alright.  Maybe by the next update I will have a body done!




Sweater Update - Mandy's Sweater

 This is the first time I have knit a Top-Down sweater and I love it!! For this pattern, you knit back and forth for a few rows after you cast on then join and knit in the round.

I also love my cables!

My sweater is coming along pretty nicely, but I am getting distracted my other projects. So it is not going quite as quickly as it could.....



Sweater Update- Heide's Sweater

 It is looking pretty good, isn't it? I love knitting sweaters seamlessly, it always goes faster. Instead of knitting two fronts and a back and getting tired of the plain knitting, you get it all in one lump!

So, as you can see, I have been speeding right along! I just finished knitting the left sleeve and yes, it is longer then the right one.

 Here is the story. When I knit the right sleeve I was worried about having to use more then one ball of yarn on each sleeve and was so excited when I got to the end of the yarn and it was also the right length! For the second sleeve, I didn't worry. I cast on, knit the cuff detail and settled down to watch Downton Abby. I blame this all on Downton Abby. Last night I decided to measure it as the sleeve was starting to look rather long.... It was 2" too long!! What happened?! As you can see I didn't run out of yarn yet! Yet on the first sleeve I did. Apparently there is more yardage in the second ball then the first. It couldn't have been my gauge. And I put the two sleeves together to make sure I hadn't accidentally made one skinner then the other, but they are the same. Anyway, now I have to rip back 2" on the right sleeve and I can attach the body and sleeves and start on the yoke!! Hopefully it won't take more then one ball, as that is all I have left!

 

Does everyone have their knitting needles out? This is perfect knitting weather!!

Sweater Update #2 Looking Back

 I am always amazed when I can create something wearable from a ball of yarn and needles. I am also amazed that I already finished the back of my sweater! I have a few secrets to share: 1. I completely disregard knitting a swatch and checking for gauge. To me its always a waste of time as I never have the same gauge as when I cast on and knit in the round. I also just get impatient to get the real project so I risk it and just knit! This has led to quite a few disasters but I like knitting on the edge. In these pictures you will also get a good view of the quilt I made with primary colors. My sister calls it my kindergarten room quilt.

In this last, very badly taken picture I was trying to see if my guesses at gauging were successful. I can't tell, can you? I really have to knit the front, stitch them together and put it on to see. What suspense!! I really hope its not going to be too small. The real suspense is that I have several Christmas projects to work on before I can start on the front of this sweater. I love watching old musicals when I am knitting and I thought this was a fun link from youtube.

 

Sweater Update #1

Here is a quick update on The Great Sweater Knit-A-Long! We all got off to a slow start as our gauge was not turning out right. Other then having to swatch and check gauge at lest five times, we all had a great time!!

 Even though Joy didn't join us in our sweater knit-a-long, she did join in the knitting.Her project was a simple scarf knit up with a scrumptious Misti Alpaca yarn. It is now finished! Yey!

 Mandy's sweater is coming right along. Lovely red color!

 K-Dee had a few false starts but is now on the right track!

Don't be distracted by the orange edging on Heide's cardigan! This is a provisional cast on and will be removed before finishing.

We all had a wonderful knitting weekend in front of the fireplace with the New Mexico mountains for a back drop. What could be more perfect!

Sweater Knitting 101

Since we are embarking on a Sweater Knit-a-long, I thought I would answer a few questions about getting started on a sweater.

 

How do you chose a pattern? If you are a beginner, obviously a basic pattern is a good choice. This doesn't mean you have to do plain or boring though!. There are plenty of patterns out there that have little design details that would be simple to knit and not be overwhelming. Look for a textured stitch around neckline, cuffs or hem. Small details that are sewn or knitted on after the sweater is finished and won't confuse the main construction, like bows or ties at the neckline or a picked up and knitted on ruffle. Another thing to look for is weight. For first sweaters, worsted or bulky weight sweaters will knit faster. Thus be finished faster and you will be less likely to get bored or bogged down.

 

How do you choose yarn? With so many many choices and variations this can be a hard one......or easy! Of course, if the sweater is for you, there will always be a yarn that will jump out at you! If you have already chosen a pattern read the yarn requirement and gauge. This will tell you how much yarn and the weight. Sometimes patterns don't clearly state what weight to use. If you check what gauge the pattern uses that helps narrow it down too. (If you are unsure what weight a certain gauge would indicate, here is a handy chart to help.)
There are a few other things to consider when choosing sweater yarn. If you are warm blooded a wool or alpaca blended with a synthetic like polyester or acrylic and cotton is a good choice. If you are going for warmth, all wool or alpaca is the best. Do you want to put your sweater in the wash or is hand washing fine? If the yarn is labeled as "super wash" it has been treated to not felt, this means it should not felt in the washer or dryer, but a gentle cycle is still recommended. Beware of fluffy or soft spun yarn, the fiber is more likely to felt and special handling is required.

What about knitting a swatch, measuring gauge? Gauge is very very important when knitting a sweater. By taking time to check, you make sure it will fit properly when finished. There are two methods. Knit a swatch, a small square about 25 stitches by 15 rows. Unless you will be knitting your sweater in the round, then you most probably need to swatch in the round. Gauge can be very different from knit-purl rows to knit-knit rounds. The other method is just to cast on and knit a few inches on your sweater and then check your gauge. This is for yarn that is crying out to be cast on with! Unfortunately, with this method if your gauge is wrong, you have to rip out. But I have found this method to give truer gauge.
How do you actually take gauge? It is really not as mysterious as it sounds. Gauge = stitches per inch. The best way is to measure over a four inch width and then divide by four. It is always a good idea to measure in a few different places, just to make sure you are getting it accurate. And always measure on a flat surface, not stretching your knitting. It doesn't sound like it would matter, but a half a stitch can throw things off. If you think about it, a half a stitch times one hundred fifty adds up to seventy-five stitches which could equal fifteen inches!! Very big differance.

Are you ready to knit a sweater now? Just remember, a sweater isn't nessasarily more complex. It is just a lot of plain knitting with a few increses and decreases thrown in!

The Great Sweater Knit-a-Long

Since K-Dee has never knit a sweater before, we have decided to all do a knit-a-long with her!! We are all so excited to help K-Dee on her adventure.
 So what is a knit-a-long? A group of knitters get together and knit either the same pattern or the same type of project. There are meetings every so often to encourage the knitters and discuss problems or questions. It is a great way to tackle something new that you might not feel you need a class for, just a bit of encouragement.
Since this is a long distance Knit-a-long, we are all going to post updates here and on our Ravelry group page. The exciting  part is, Mandy and I will be in Texas to help get K-Dee started!! We are so looking forward to that! After much, much, much debate and discussion, we all came to the conclusion that we would never all agree on knitting the same pattern. Mandy wanted cables...Heide wanted a cardigan....Becky wanted something cute.....K-Dee just wanted something easy! We have now all chosen different sweater patterns.

 

K-Dee decided on Breakwater by Cecily Glowik MacDonald. She loved the neckline detail and the fact the pattern is knit from the top down. So hopefully she will have all the tricky bits done while we are in Texas!
Yarn:  Berroco Vintage DK a acrylic/wool/nylon blend in Denim Blue.

 

Mandy chose the Bayside Pullover from Coastal Knits by Alana Dakos and Hannah Fettig. She was looking for a basic sweater with a bit of cables and this fit the bill!
Yarn: Araucania Ranco Solid, wool/nylon blend fingering weight in a rich red.

 

Becky's sweater is going to be the Striped Pullover #13 from Knit Simple Magazine. She chose this pattern because is a basic sweater that fit her yarn.
Yarn: Cascade Magnum, super soft bulky wool in buttery yellow.

 

Heide's pattern is Manu by Kate Davies. She has had her eye on this pattern for awhile. When individual patterns were decided on and this yarn was found at a discount store the Manu seemed the right project!
Yarn: Araucania Ulmo 100% cotton in a rich berry color.

 

We will keep you posted in our progress! If anyone would like to join us, feel free! We will posting on our Ravelry Group too.