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…

Last weekend and this weekend (in whatever free time I have), I have been working away on a gem of a knit! I am completely in love with this one – and it’s not even my usual style!

 

I chose yarn from my stash that I did not know what I was going to do with – thankfully I had enough as this is a yarn-eater! There is a deceiving amount of knitting in the collar/skirt.

The only regret I have about this knit is that I wish I had not done the three-stitch garter border on the outside of the large cable. I just love the look of a cable border but that’s ok – I am happy with it anyhow.
 

 

Isn’t this just the coolest? It is surprisingly slimming even though it is quite bulky. The short rows cinch it in nicely and I am really looking forward to wearing this one! I have not made any modifications to this yet – and I do not think I will. Hard to believe, I know! I hope you are working on something you are thoroughly enjoying :)

muck muckin’.

My brother loves to muck around. Along with his wife, my sister-in-law, he just moved to Vancouver Island where the weather is colder than here on the mainland – mostly because they protect us from the Pacific Ocean storms! I decided that for Christmas I would knit him a simple sweater vest for when he’s working on those projects outside that he needs a little extra warmth without the bulk and annoyance of sleeves.

Pattern: My own inspiration based on more-than-I’d-like-to-admit photos of men’s sweater vests online.

Yarn: Cascade Ecological in various colours from my stash

Needles: 6.00mm

I love stripes but I decided to do big block stripes instead of 2x2 striping (or some variation of 1-3 rows before changing colours). I like and dislike the results. Because I made the vest a typical mans length (15”), I was only able to work one blue stripe. Maybe it looks like it was meant to be that way?

Unfortunately, this is too big for my wee brother who seems to have lost weight. I knit a 40” chest but it’s about 3-4” too big. Lets hope he bulks up again in the Spring when he can get out and bike!

Can you believe that the most difficult thing about this sweater was the v-neck? And it wasn’t the actual working of the v-neck that was difficult but the exact placement!

Many of the men’s vest patterns start the neck shaping at the same time as the armhole shaping but when you look at commercial sweaters (Banana Republic proved a timeless resource!), the neck shaping starts about halfway up the armhole to create a smaller opening and a more classic fit. I decided to follow this approach and I’m really glad I did!

The neck opening is neither too big nor too small. Thank goodness!

Overall, I am really happy with how this turned out. I hope it sees at least some wear! I’ve promised him another sweater that he and K saw in a window while they were travelling … they’ve taken a photo for me to design off of and I’m looking forward to the challenge. It even has a zipper! I’ll keep you posted ;)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, dear readers!

scholarly.

He is not particularly scholarly at this point as most of the time he is more interested in his hands and toes … and trying to eat them … but this is one gorgeous cardigan never-the-less!

Lisa has done it again :) I had the pleasure of testing this sweet little cardigan over the past couple of weeks and enjoyed every minute of it.

Pattern: Storytime Scholar Cardigan by Lisa Chemery *pattern to be released soon!

Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers in colour 2452

Needles: 6.5mm for the body and sleeves, 6.00mm for the collar and button band

This is a very sweet little cardigan. I love the colour on him, too. The length is perfect for the cooler weather as well since everything rids up on him at this point.

Can you see Charlie’s nose there in the corner? I am not sure if he was busy sniffing Tiny or the newly-washed-in-lanolin-and-must-be-tasty sweater … hmmm

There are a few things about this little sweater that I just love – the garter stitch elbow ‘pads’ are just darling and the 1x1 ribbed pockets are a wonderful finishing touch.

My favourite aspect of this little sweater, though, is the collar/button band – it is the reason I wanted to test knit this for Lisa. I completely fell in love with it at first sight. I just looove the combination of 1x1 rib and garter. What a wonderful idea!

It looks even more wonderful on him! I just love the subtle transition and the perfect shawl collar that it creates:

I know that I will get some questions about the yarn I chose to use. I was stash busting (again) and did not have enough of any Aran weight in my stash. Cascade 220 is a light worsted so the fabric that was produced on 6.5mm needles, while gauge to the pattern, is quite light weight and a little frustrating to seam (there is a small amount of seaming to finish the pockets) – but I expected this as I had knit with Cascade at a loose gauge before. I would have gone down another needle size if I knit this again for the button band as the garter is quite stretchy but other than that I am happy with the finished sweater. The nice thing about Cascade is that while light, it fluffs up nicely when given the chance so it worked nicely for this but if you like more substantial knitted fabric, this might not be the best choice of yarn for your project. It does not get very cold here in Vancouver so this will be perfect for Tiny through his first winter. Right, Tiny?

Right, Mommy!

Finally, here is a photo of the finished sweater minus Tiny:

Next, onto holiday knitting. I`m almost finished! Are you doing any holiday knitting? Have you finished? How is it going?

winter swell.

Due to a few different things – namely running out of yarn and Tiny being born – this took a while to finish! I was stash busting and realized halfway through the first sleeve (after finishing the body) that I would not have enough yarn to finish. Tiny was born within a day or so of my realisation and of course, this sweater went onto the back burner … for good reason! haha I am glad it is finished now, though.

Pattern: Nanook by Heidi Kirrmair

Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers in 8401 Grey

Needles: 5.00mm circs

My favourite aspect of this sweater are the back yoke increases. They were interesting to work and the result is gorgeous.

A brilliant pattern by Heidi, the only modification I made was to separate for the sleeves 1.5” shy of the pattern. I did not want a lot of bulk underneath my winter jacket. I am glad I did this because I have small shoulders and it fits perfectly with this small modification.

I also lengthened the body slightly. Size M1 (36” bust) gives me a 0” ease fit but due to the garter, it’s more like +1-2” of ease, which is perfect. The buttons are handmade and wooden. M actually chose them – I think they are perfect on this cardigan.

This cardigan is also super cute unbuttoned – I have been wearing it mostly buttoned since the weather has cooled here substantially. It will also see lots of wear in the shoulder seasons though since it is cute unbuttoned!

Overall, it is a great fit. It was a great project. I would love to make it again in another colour. The Cascade was absolutely perfect for this sweater.

What great projects have you finished lately?