twylem.

It is overdue but it is finished! I started this test knit back in early February. It was moving along very quickly but we had some weekends of rough teething (we are officially up to 3 teeth!) and my knitting was laid to the side. Do you experience a lull in momentum on a project when you constantly have to put it aside? I know I do.

I have wanted a new black cardigan for a long time – unfortunately this is going to be way to warm for a summer-over-the-shoulders-cardigan but it will be perfect for the rest of this winter and then the fall. It is almost more like a jacket due to the collar.

Pattern: Twylem by Vanessa Smith

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Worsted in colour black

Needles: 5.5mm for the yoke, collar and body; 5.00mm for the sleeves; 4.00mm for the belt

I really wanted to test this because of the super cool collar. The construction was interesting – I loved working the top-down collar with the yoke, then picking up and working the ribbing. It makes the collar bulky. I think that was very smart that it isn’t double layered all the way to the bottom of the cardigan – it would have been a lot of heavy fabric and warmth.

The seaming on this is minimal – the collar join at the back of the neck is a 3-needle bind-off. But the one seam is the double collar edge to the lower single ribbing. It was challenging to figure out how to seam it to get a clear line all the way across. Vanessa’s tutorials are fantastic and the finished edge looks perfect.

While I was knitting this I lost 10lbs. So by the time I got to the sleeves, it was too big. I did decide to size down the sleeves, though, and knit the 34 1/4” size sleeves instead of the 36” sleeves. I’m glad I did as it actually helped with the rest of the sweater even though it is too big. I should have knit the 34 1/4” instead of the 36”. It’s only 2” but in this case, for me, it made a big difference. And here I was concerned about whether I should knit the 38”! It would have been huge!

That’s the difficult thing about knitting while you are pregnant or just postpartum – everything for me felt too tight and now that I am getting back to my pre-pregnancy size, everything is too big! It is a small problem to have but when knitting sweaters, it is a little frustrating :)

How have you been doing with fit ‘issues’ lately?

weekend work.

“What’s a weekend?”

-The Dowager Countess of Grantham, Downton Abbey, Season 1

The weekend seems to be the best time for me to work on my various crafting projects as I usually have some quiet time to myself. I thought that going forward, I would continue to share some of this ‘weekend work’ with you as I am able since I tend to mostly share finished projects rather than works in progress…

 

Last weekend, during a bout of teething, I was able to continue working on a test knit that I am very excited about. It is going really well and I can’t wait to share the finished item with you once the pattern is released. The construction is ingenious – I’ve been really enjoying working on this one.

 

 

A sneak peak for you! I hope you are working on something stimulating, interesting or just plain enjoyable as well :)

classic.

My first sweater of 2013 – finished! And I’m only posting this now … I was distracted with other things like Opposite Pole. I actually started this back in September but I was distracted by other projects. I decided in early January to push through and finish it for our annual Tofino trip. Unfortunately, I did not finish it in time but that was ok – I have it for camping this summer.
 

 

Pattern: Ladies Classic Raglan Pullover by Jane Richmond
 

Yarn: Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool in colour Brown Heather
 

Needles: 5.5mm for the body, 5.00mm for the ribbing
 

 

I was inspired by Kelly’s versions here and here. Both of hers turned out beautifully. And as others have noted, the pattern is great. Another easy-to-follow and clearly written pattern from Jane. I like that it is an item you can dress up or dress down. Old jeans? Definitely. Black jeggings and boots? Absolutely.
 

 

A small confession that I have to share with you, though, is that by the time I finished the yoke I was sick to death of plain old knit stitch. While I worked the body, I worked a simple right twist down each side. It just gave me a little sparkle to look forward to! Silly, I know.
 

 

Modifications:

• lengthened body by 2.5”
• lengthened sleeved by 1.5”
• added 3 extra increase rows in the hip shaping to finish with the 40” bust size at the hip (too narrow for me in the 36” bust size at the hips)

 

I don’t think that pullovers are very flattering on me. I’m not very tall and I always feel, even when lengthened like this one, that they are boxy and shapeless on me. Even with the waist and hip shaping, I feel frumpy. What I really wanted a pullover like this one for is to wear with my down-filled vest and wellies when we are camping. Often I find myself wanting something warm and far-from-fitted when we are mucking about around the campfire and whatnot. I think this definitely will fill that bill!
 

 

How do you feel about pullovers? Do you have a good track record with them? Any favourite pullover patterns to share?
 

ps. I’m sorry for the two low quality photos – M was my photographer per usual and we had to use artificial lighting in some of the photos as it was getting too dark.

wonder-pole.

Knit in less than a week, this will definitely be one of my favourite sweaters going forward. Simple but interesting construction to keep it a little spicy, this cardigan is surprisingly flattering. I have to admit, I was a little sceptical when I read peoples’ comments about how flattering this sweater was – I am a convert!

It really is as flattering as they say – it hugs where it should and drapes where it should.

Pattern: Opposite Pole by Joji Locatelli
 

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool (Worsted) in colour Mercury
 

Needles: 5.5mm
 

 

Those who know me, know that my two favourite colours are grey and yellow. So what could be better than a comfy yellow t-shirt under this cozy, chunky-ish knit … my favourite scarf of course!
 

 

Yup, I`m in love! I made no modifications to this cardigan. The only thing I would do differently next time is knit the next size up sleeves. I chose the bust size 36-38” and while that is perfect, I just always need that extra inch or so in the upper arms.
 

 

However, because this is a little bulky, I would not want any more bulk in the sweater body itself. The length is perfect. The oversized collar is awesome – have I mentioned how much I love big collars?!
 

 

While this project was all about stash-busting and I started it on a whim when I was home alone last Tuesday night (yup, it was a 7 day knit!), I kind of want to knit it again … and again … and again …
 

 

Lovely pattern, Joji – I really enjoyed this one!

weekend work.

“What’s a weekend?”
 

-The Dowager Countess of Grantham, Downton Abbey, Season 1
 

The weekend seems to be the best time for me to work on my various crafting projects as I usually have some quiet time to myself. It is nice for me to have some small breaks from the routine of the week. And it is even nicer for M to have some catch up time with Tiny and enjoy some father-son bonding that he misses with his weekday schedule! What has sort of ended up happening is that I get a chance to work on my knitting. I thought that going forward, I would continue to share some of this ‘weekend work’ with you as I am able since I tend to mostly share finished projects rather that works in progress.

This weekend, I have been working with some Berroco Remix in my favourite colour: Yellow. The colourway is called Buttercup but between you and I, I don’t think it looks at all like the colour of buttercups. Never mind – I love this yarn! I find cotton really hard on my wrists so I don’t work with it. This recycled yarn is lovely because it contains fibre (like cotton) that I don’t normally work with and I am really enjoying the results.

 

I have been thinking about this sweater for a long time and over the past few weekends, I finally had a chance to cast on. I had written out the pattern back in the summer but I never had the chance to actually start. In my head, I am calling it “Irish Heart” since I love the cabled Celtic sweaters. I only have the sleeves left to work … and I have to find one more button. Can you believe that even though I always buy extra buttons for a project (usually 2 extra) that I am short 1 button? Unbelievable.
 

Have a wonderful weekend!

toques, toques … & more toques!

The majority of the Christmas knitting this year was of the toque variety. Everyone got a toque this year … it was a good exercise in stash busting. It was also nice to have items fly off the needles without hours and hours of commitment!

 

This actually isn’t the whole pile but I had to mail a couple off quite quickly for them to be there in time for Christmas morning in Ontario.
 

Let me show you the various patterns and designs for each recipient.

The first set of toques went to my sister-in-law and her fiancé.

 

I decided to knit my favourite men’s toque pattern for J, which turned out perfectly. There is something so satisfying about a fully reversible toque!
 

Pattern: Botanic Hat by Stephen West
 

Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers in Grey (8401) and Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball in Grey (1507)

Needles: 4.00mm circs
 

For L, her favourite colour is baby blue so this was a no-brainer. I picked a pretty blue out of my stash and proceeded to find a colourwork toque for her that would have a little slouch to it as she looks great in beret-style toques. Just a side note, I looooved the decreases for this pattern – brilliant!
 

 

Pattern: Seasons Toque – slouch version – by Jared Flood
 

Yarn: Knit Picks Palette in various colourways
 

Needles: 3.00mm
 

The second set of toques were gifted to my brother and sister-in-law.
 

 

My brother, P, is always easy to knit a toque for since he loves them so much. It is so great to see him wearing the myriad of toques I’ve knit for him over the years. He looks best in blue so whatever I chose for him would be blue.
 

 

Pattern: Windschief by Stephen West
 

Yarn: Cascade Wool 220 Heathers in colour
 

Needles: 4.00mm
 

I used the same pattern for K as I did for L since the first one turned out so perfectly. Instead of the slouch version, though, I knit the beanie as K has a great beret from me already. I thought this would be more of a warm winter toque for her.
 

 

Pattern: Seasons Toque – beanie version – by Jared Flood

Yarn: Knit Picks Palette in various colourways
 

Needles: 3.00mm
 

Lastly, I gifted my mom and dad (aka Nana and Gramps) with toques.

 

For Dad, I knit off the top of my head (sorry for the pun!). He has a large head (25.5” diameter) and he likes his toques loose. I cast on 24” worth of stitches and just knit. I had picked up the ball of yarn on a whim at my LYS and I wasn’t wrong: It is perfect for him. I knit 3” of 2x2 rib, then 3 garter ridges, then straight St st until the toque measured 8” from the brim. I then worked decreases at 5 evenly-spaced points. Easy-peasy!
 

 

Pattern: My own inspiration (see above)
 

Yarn: Berroco Quasar in colour 8220 Ultraviolet
 

Needles: 6.5mm
 

Lastly, Mom’s toque was the most premeditated of the bunch. I had knit the same toque for her dear friend who is battling cancer in Halifax, NS, and we had mailed it off in November 2012. When Mom was trying (but having a lot of difficulty) choosing yarn for her friend’s toque, she kept showing me yarn that she liked. This particular skein she kept returning to, so I went back and bought it a week or so later. She loved the toque I knit up for her friend so much that I knit her the same one using the yarn I’d returned to buy.
 

Unlike my first version, I made this one the full length as Mom looks great in slouchy toques.
 

 

Pattern: Molly by Erin Ruth
 

Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Rios in colour 139 Pocine
 

Needles: 4.00mm
 

My only regret is that I didn’t get a toque knit for my husband – I literally just ran out of time. We are headed on our yearly retreat to Tofino, though, and I’m thinking I might get one finished for him while we are there. Wish me luck!
 

 

Merry (although belated!) Christmas!

Fourteen in Twelve.

Happy New Year!
 

I hope the holidays have been wonderful thus far for you and your family/friends. We celebrated the new year in Tofino, our favourite place to go for quiet and restoration. Unfortunately, we had to cut the trip short and head home today (rather than Thursday) because tiny tuna came down with croup. He sounds worse than he is but after some sleepless nights, we decided to head home. The place we stay, though, put on quite an impressive fireworks show on Long Beach to ring in the new year and we were able to see it all from our ocean-front cabin. That was great!

While I was thinking about the year 2012, a few things came to mind that have defined the year:

• Although our dear friend’s cancer returned (which he continues to battle), they celebrated each other & decided to get married,
• We welcomed our first child into our family, and
• After much trepidation, my brother & sister-in-law decided to try something new and move to Vancouver Island.

At the beginning of 2012, I set a goal for myself to knit twelve sweaters. Amazingly, I ended up knitting fourteen! This was partly due to the month off in June while tiny tuna continued to ‘cook’ and decided he wasn’t ready to be born!

I thought I would quickly reflect on each since I learned much this year about my knitting.

1. Gamine. I was so excited about this vest & knit it in a big frenzy. The buttons I chose for it though are too heavy … and I haven’t changed them yet so this hasn’t been worn as much as I had hoped. Lesson learned: Fix what you don’t like (if you can) as soon as possible!

 

2. Hooray. This is a super cute cardigan but I didn’t love it … right from the start. After wearing it a few times, I figured out why: It’s ever so slightly too small so I’m constantly pulling at it. Lesson learned: Knit with (+)ive ease! I prefer a slightly looser fit!

3. Tinder. I absolutely love this cardigan. I’ve worn it a ton – it’s pilling under the arms and I’ve had to shave it a few times. The change in gauge and size meant it was exactly what I wanted; therefore, I ended up loving the results!
 

4. Truffle. Hmmm. I just love this jacket. It makes me feel warm and wonderful when I wear it. It’s incredibly warm, though! I’m also mad-proud of it as there were countless design elements that I had to work out and re-knit over and over. I learned an incredible amount from this jacket, including appreciating the pricelessness of a dress form!
 

5. Inuit Jacket (Drops 109-8). Again, I changed the pattern to work it up the way I envisioned. I love the results but it’s hot hot hot. Way to warm for an average day here in Vancouver … my favourite thing about this jacket/cardigan? The buttons and hood.
 

6. Audrey. This was a quick knit that I felt very inspired by at the time but I haven’t worn it. I’m not actually sure why. I love the yarn and the finished results … I just haven’t thought of it. Lesson learned: Figure out what I will wear something with/for before casting on! Yarn/cardigans sitting in the closet make a lot of work for naught.
 

7. Creature Comforts. This was tedious to finish – the cable chart felt like it was never going to finish but the results? Totally worth it! I love the finished project … although I haven’t worn it yet. I think mostly because I wear my Tinder so much!
 

8. Gathering Stripes. This pullover is super cute. But it’s way too big. I never took the time to sew the seams, either and I need to. Lesson learned: Finish things right away! Before I burn out on them (and move on to other projects!)!
 

9. Acer. By far my most favourite cardigan I have ever knit. The combination of yarn and pattern was just absolutely perfect. I’m thinking about making another one in 2013…
 

10. Abalone. This was all about stash busting. I held two yarns together to create a soft, grey-ish hue that compliments much of my wardrobe. It is a little too long – I think next time, I’ll shorten it by about 2”.
 

11. Atelier. Oooh this is such a beautiful pattern. The yarn was beautiful too. But for whatever reason, I just didn’t love the yarn knit up. It’s just too busy for me. I was sooo excited about this pattern too. Lesson learned: You can’t make yourself love something!
 

12. Woodstove Season. My first test knit ever! I love this cardigan. I wear it a lot – it’s warm and comfy. The yarn has held up really well thus far and I’ve actually bought some more that was on sale to make another worsted weight sweater I’ve had my eye on for a while.

13. Nanook. Love love love this sweater. I’ve worn it a ton. I will be making it again with a couple of changes: Mostly a little bit more room in the yoke. I like the boat-neck quality of mine but I think just a little more ease will suit my tastes.
 

14. Patrick’s Vest. This was a quick knit for my brother … who has lost weight and it’s now too big for him. Herumph. Thankfully, it still looks good and he’ll be able to wear it to muck around in!
 

In a lot of ways, while I love knitting sweaters, I think working on a few that I really love and wear is important at this time in my life. My time has become, as many new moms find, a bit of a precious commodity! What do I most want to spend my time making? Items for my family and myself that will be worn, used and loved. I hope your crafting adventures in 2012 were as enjoyable as mine.

Thank you for another wonderful year!
 

Cheers and many best wishes for 2013,

rachel