Sweater complete!

So, I finished my sweater... what? You didn't know I was knitting a sweater? It was kind of something that happened without my realization. I knit the entire body before finals week last semester, and it languished in my knitting basket until this semester's midterms. Because I was expressly avoiding what I was supposed to be doing (studying, writing papers, you know... the fun stuff), it was done in no time at all.

The yarn was originally purchased to make a different sweater (see this post), but I changed my mind and knit a different sweater from the pattern booklet.

Here it is laid out:

Front


Back


The color is all off in these pictures. They came out rather overexposed, and, in fixing that, it looks very purple. In reality, it's such a dark plum that it almost looks like a chocolate brown.

The stats:
Pattern: Adrienne Vittadini Deep Rib V Neck Pullover
Yarn: 11 balls of Mission Falls 1824 Wool in Damson (024)
Needles: US 7 20" Denise Circulars
Size: Petite

I made a couple modifications when working the pattern. The most obvious was that I added waist shaping.



The sweater was originally shaped like a box, but I am not shaped like a box. I also worked most of the body in the round, splitting for the front and the back when I got to the neck shaping, which was about two inches below the arm shaping. I was going to work the sleeves in the round as well, but decided it was more important to work both sleeves at once, so they were knit flat. I changed the sleeve increases, as the pattern originally called for a series of increases right after the ribbing, which I felt contributed to the funny poof in the pattern picture. I omitted these and instead increased more frequently throughout the length of the sleeve to wind up with the same number of stitches at the end.

The collar is knit in once piece after everything else is seamed. Picking up those 184 stitches helped to vanquish my dislike of picking up stitches once and for all. It used to be my most dreaded knitting technique, but turns out I just needed practice. Making faux round swatches is my new nemesis.

Here's a picture of it on me:


And a close up of the V neck detail in the front:


Once again, it is very difficult to take modeled shots of oneself. I took about 30, running back and forth between propped up camera and frame, trying to get something decent, and these were just the best that came out. Normally, however, I'm not a fan of the headless look.

I am very happy with the yarn. Mission Falls 1824 Wool is very soft and a pleasure to work with. It's machine washable, which was an unintended bonus. The pattern called for a wool-silk blend, so using 100% wool has affected the drape, but I'm very pleased with the effect. The sweater has been blocked once, prior to seaming and picking up collar stitches, but it needs to be blocked once more as a whole.

It's a very comfortable sweater, but it sits farther out on my shoulders than I would have liked, even after adding an extra inch and a half of ribbing around the neckline. It's a bit big on me, bigger than the close-fitting sweater I originally envisioned. However, that is not the fault of the pattern or my knitting. I'm just smaller than I was when I started the sweater, which I knew, but decided to knit on when I picked it up again, as I was already knitting the smallest size. It's worth noting that being smaller than the smallest size in many patterns is kind of irritating. I know, I have little right to complain, but it means more math on my part. Not that I have a problem with math, either, but sometimes a girl just wants to knit! I think I need to eat more chocolate.

As for my next project-in-progress, it's another hat, but it's a little more interesting. Here's a preview of the swatch (the dreaded faux round swatch):

Felt Clogs Complete!

Before:




And after:




The stats:
Pattern: Fiber Trends' Felt Clogs
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Bulky in Oregano and Aubergine.
Needles: US 15 18" Denise Circulars.
Size:Women's Medium (Size 8 feet)

This was a very fast and easy knit, although it required plenty of counting. I finished the knitting in two weekends and felted them this morning. This was my first felted object. The pattern is extremely detail, and the only error I made (and subsequently fixed) was a result of not reading exactly what the pattern was telling me to do. The shaping is very clever and employs short rows. The slipper is knit almost entirely in one piece; there is a second sole on each for extra cushioning which is knit separately, however, the only seams are straight down the center of each sole.

My only modification to the pattern was to use one strand of bulky yarn instead of two strands of worsted. I used almost entirely one skein of Aubergine (brown) and 1 1/2 of Oregano (green). Each of these skeins is 125 yards. The yarn felted nicely. I was originally going to attempt handfelting, as the thought of using so many quarters in my apartment building's expensive washer was painful. I set up a hot soapy tub and a sink of ice water, put on some rubber gloves and started scrubbing, but after a half an hour, I was tired and sweaty and one slipper was just starting to felt. My time was worth more than the quarters, so I hauled the dripping wool downstairs in a pillowcase with an old pair of jeans and a little detergent and threw them it. It took exactly two wash cycles, but this may be because these washers have extremely short wash cycles. It's only 22 minutes long with 10 minutes of hot water agitation before going into a cold rinse and spin cycles. I took them out prior to the cold rinse, so machine felting took only twenty minutes.

They fit well, although they're slightly wider on my feet than I would have liked. I do have very narrow feet, however. I originally entertained thoughts of attaching a rubber sole of sorts to them to wear them outside, but that's not going to happen. They're definitely house slippers, although that's just fine by me. They could use a bit of a shave, which reminds me that I forgot to pick up disposable razors for that purpose when I went to CVS this afternoon. Oh well. I like them a whole lot.

Two more pictures just because:

When it rains, it pours...

Holy moly, I can't believe I haven't updated in three months! Truth be told, however, I pretty much haven't picked up the needles in that long. Between moving and starting school, I've been so busy. Stress brings out the knitter in me, though, and midterms compelled me to pick up the needles again and knit myself a little sanity.

I've been to two yarns stores in Philadelphia, so far. Rosie's Yarn Cellar (cellar, seller, I like the little play on words, though it is truly below street level) was the first. It's this great little store downtown that absolutely jam packed with yarn. I bought a giant skein of alpaca called Peruvian Tweed. It's completely undyed; the color variations are from the animals themselves. The yardage is amazing, too. 600 freakin yards at $26! That's 23 yards/$1. My bank account (a.k.a. College Survival Rations) likes that. I've made armwarmers so far that I absolutely love. I've been wearing a vest, a scarf and my armwarmers outdoors, and I'm good to go. It's getting rather chilly, though, but that's okay. I have a new winter coat for this season that I'm in love with. But anyway, back the the yarn. I have a scarf on the needles in a simple lace pattern. The stitch definition isn't great and it's got quite a bit of a halo, but no pilling. I'm happy with it.

Here's are the armwarmers:


Underneath the armwarmers is a scarf. Funny thing, that scarf. It's a gifted knit that's come back home to me. When D and I first started dating over two years ago, I was really getting into knitting. I'd learned a few years prior, but that was the start of my obsession. Around the holidays, I wanted to give her something really special, so I took a trip to the yarn store that I'd passed on the highway. Prior to that, I'd bought all of my yarn and supplies at big box craft stores. So I went in and was basically overwhelmed. So many gorgeous natural fibers to choose from.

Now, big box craft stores mean a lot of crappy yarn for not a lot of money. I was making Homespun scarves with one $3 skein! I knew I was going to pay more for pretty yarn, but I was intent on getting the best possible for this girl that I was absolutely smitten with. I settled on some really soft, thick and thin merino wool. I picked out two earthy colors that I thought she would like (funny enough, they've become my favorite colors in recent years, but back then, I loved pink. She's more of a grey/navy type, though it worked out in the end), and decided to make a wide, striped, seed stitch scarf. $30 for two little balls of yarn, fifteen bucks apiece. Ten times what I spent on making my last scarf. The lady asked me as I checked out if I had enough yarn, and I said, Oh yes, of course.

You know where this is going. I started knitting with the most gorgeous yarn I had ever touched. I was in love. And it ran out when the scarf was a scant fifteen inches. Sheepishly, I went back to the yarn store and bought two more balls. (Why I thought that would be enough, I have no idea. Somehow I thought there would magically be more yardage? That a 30" scarf would suffice? I don't know.) I went back later in the week and bought a final two balls. Yeah, I spent $90 on a 47" scarf (I got an extra two inches when I blocked it. First thing I ever blocked, too). It's a very nice scarf, but it's also the most expensive thing I've ever knit. I loved that girl. Still very much do. :)

Here's a close up of the texture:


The scarf is back home with me, because D is back in Florida for a job, and while it's 39 degrees here, it's 80 degrees there. I've been wearing it everyday when I walk to school, and the memory makes me smile.

I've also been working on a pair of Fibertrends felted clog slippers for myself. The pattern looks daunting, cause there are so many words, but that's because everything is thoroughly explained. It's a good pattern, and a quick knit. I finished one last weekday and I'm halfway through the second one. Hopefully I'll finish and be able to felt them by the end of the weekend. I bought a zippered pillowcase for the occasion. The shaping in these is really clever. It's all one piece, except for the second sole (to add another layer to the bottom), which is then knit on with picked up stitches. Lots of shortrows. I really hope they turn out well. This is my first felted piece.

Sitting on the table.

Why yes, they are stuffed with my (clean) undies to show you the shape. Why my sock-to-panty ratio is so absurdly out of wack that all my socks are either in the laundry pile or on my feet, I have no clue.

And to show you how big they are:


It kind of looks like a big lumpy blob right now, but I have hope. I'm using Lamb's Pride Bulky in Oregano and Aubergine. It was yarn that my parents bought me (or paid for, I suppose) for my 20th birthday when we were in Cape May. It's been languishing in my knitting bin for over a year. I originally had a felted bag in mind, but then decided that I didn't particularly like felted bags, and the yarn's a bit too pokey for me to wear next to my skin. I like these slippers.

The second yarn store I went to was Sophie's Yarns, which is also downtown, on Fabric Row. Lots and lots of fabric stores, but only one little yarn shop. Actually it's a pretty darn big yarn shop in a beautiful old building. There are orginal hardwood floors. There's a burn mark on the floor along one wall in the distinct shape of an iron. It has character. It was so bright and sunny the day that we went, and the store was full of light. Maybe a smaller selection that Rosie's but it also felt much more serene. I bought some Manos Cotton Stria, which is soft and knits up beautifully, but is a bit rough on my hands (no give, like protien fibers).

I should post more often, huh? Then my updates wouldn't be a mile long. Hopefully I'll keep up with things. I made a hat out of the Manos, but no pictures of that right now. I need to have it modeled, and I'm shooting on location in Florida... though not soon enough. My new major is Textile Engineering Technology, and I love it so far. One of my classes is Survey of the Textile Industry, and I'm learning tons about fibers and knitted and woven fabrics. I'll get around to sharing some of the best stuff soon. In the upcoming semesters, I take machine knitting and weaving courses. I'm looking forward to that.