A Sorta Sorta

Sorta good, sorta bad, that is!  This one is another of my own designs, again made some time ago.  It was a lovely ribbon/tape-type yarn, the first time I worked with anything like it.  I saw it in a Patternworks catalog, along with a photo of a sleeveless sweater I really liked, so I ordered the quantity they specified for their version. 

First mistake! I ran out of yarn which I didn't understand.  My design & theirs were very similar, so I think they had a typo in the quantity needed.  Fortunately, I was able to get another ball of the same dyelot.  Whew!

I'm mad at myself for that mistake, because I have a yarn calculator that I always use, this was the first time I didn't use it.  I never made that mistake again!

So anyway, I chose a stitch pattern that would highlight the yarn.  In the close up you can see the v-stitches, it really shows that the yarn is a flat ribbon/tape thing.  I also carefully calculated the amount of stitches needed for proper fit.  It was great!

Until I got to the shoulders.  I had knit the body in the round, separated for the armholes & neckline, & knit to the shoulders.  I chose to knit them together (I hate to sew!), & the first side went together very well.  The lines of the stitch pattern didn't match up on the second shoulder.  Argh!  I didn't think of that when I was designing it! 

I tried to figure a way around it, make the neckline shorter or fudge it somehow, but in the end, I just knit them together.  I'm disappointed in the way it is, but its not really noticable while being worn.  Mistake #2.

I do like the way the collar turned out.  It is open & comfy, & I think rather feminine.  I also LOVE the buttons I used.  The pictures don't do them justice, they are a lovely marbled mother of pearl.  I trimmed the sleeves in a reverse single crochet, which turned out nicely, I thought. 

All in all, it was a great fit, I loved the feel of the material & all.  However, this is a very heavy yarn & while it is meant to be a summer sweater, it is heavy & warm to wear, even though it is cotton.  Mistake #3, Live & learn.  I still wear this sweater occasionally, on cooler spring days!

From Under The Rock

I'm Baa-ack!  Almost to normal, too!  Ugh, the doctor said it could have been the start of pnuemonia.  No wonder I felt like I was run over by a big truck! 

Anyway, let's continue with Spunknit's flops.  In the pictures above is a vest I made some time ago.  I found this fabulous white & black marled yarn, I just had to have it.  It was so soft & I loved the play of the black woven throughout.  It was a number of years before I decided what to do with it, though! :)

I decided on a vest, which is not something I wear very often, but I figured it would be a good accessory piece for the wardrobe.  It would be my own design, how hard could it be to make a vest?  I played with stitch patterns, cause I didn't want plain stockinette.  I settled on a basket weave stitch, which I absolutely loved (still do!).

I made the body in one piece to the armholes, & kept working to the top of the shoulders.  I knitted the shoulder seam together, which worked well on this piece.  Then I trimed the whole thing in a black yarn attached I cord.  However, now I think the black is just too dark.  Flop #1.

As you can see, the vest is a basic rectangular shape.  Ack, bad move on the old bod!  It made me look frumpy & shapeless.  It obviously needed some body shaping.  Rather than frog & re-knit, I've thought about adding a back belt/strap/tie-thing that I have on a store-bought vest.  I thought it might pull in the sides a bit & give it some shape.  I just haven't done it yet. 

Why not?  Because the shoulders also needed shaping.  They are finished off straight across the top, which made me look like a linebacker for the Cleveland Browns.  Hmm...not quite what I was going for. 

All in all, I just don't have the heart to frog it, I just figure it is a lesson learned in my "designing" phase.  I guess I keep it as a reminder...don't do THAT again!!

Just Shoot Me

To be continued when I return to the land of the living.  Currently, I am way sick, so see you when I feel better...ugh! 

Two Good Ones

Shown in the pictures are two successful sweaters.  The pink one is older.  It was made from a published pattern, in a heathery pink cotton yarn.  It is a great fit, still looks terrific after 12 years or so, & it is fun to wear with jeans or dressy clothes.  The first picture shows the actual color, the other two pics make it look very orange! 

The pattern called for the sleeves to have the same lacy blocks knitted on them as well, but I chose to work them plain.  The bottom is reverse stockingnette stitch, the top & sleeves are regular stockingnette.  A fun, easy lacy stitch adds a lot of interest.  The only thing I don't like about this sweater is the boat neckline.  It sort of chokes me when I wear it, but that is the nature of that type neckline.  I've worn this one very often on more casual days.  One of my favs! 

The green sweater was probably the first I made using the EZ method.  It is knit in the round from the bottom to the top, using the percentage method.  I threw in the black diamonds to add interest, otherwise it would have been really boring!  It has a raglan type sleeve, which is shown in the closeup.  I like the way the decreases look "feathered". 

It was a great fit, longer to cover the backside (it was the style back then!), in a very soft yarn.  A very cozy sweater, sadly it doesn't fit anymore...sigh. 

I was very careful to follow the percentages & I felt it was a success for a first try.  I felt encouraged to do more, then the trouble began.  Stay tuned to see some fabulous flops in the next few days!

Trial & Error

Once upon a time, everything I knitted came from a pattern.  I followed the directions exactly, knit the back first, then the front, then the sleeves.  I sewed (!) the pieces together using backstitch.  I never deviated from what I knew to be the "rules".  Then I read about Elizabeth Zimmerman. 

I found her in a roundabout way.  I ordered Jacqueline Fee's book, The Sweater Workshop.  It is based on EZ's knitting theories, & I loved the idea of doing my own designs.  I bought some of EZ's books & I was hooked!  So, to tie all this babble together, I'm going to discuss & show a few of my sucesses & flops.  The success part is easy, the flops are a little harder to bear! 

So without further ado, featured in the pictures above are 2 of the first sweaters I ever knitted.  The green one is a success story.  It was done from a pattern, following the "rules", made with Tahki's Cotton Classic in a pretty jewel green.  The pictures don't do the colors justice!  It is an openwork pattern, 2 rectangular pieces sewn together, then collar & sleeve ribbing added.  It came out wonderfully, I wore it all the time, it was one of my favorite sweaters.  Got lots of comments about the openwork, too, as it showed flesh & undergarments!  It is about 14 years old, & the yarn is just starting to fade.  Not too bad! 

The fushia sweater is a semi-flop. It was made about a year after the green one, but before I found the EZ method.  Already, I was trying to experiment!  I wanted another sweater from the same yarn, in the same body style. I used the green one as a guide for measurements. I chose a lacy pattern I loved from a stitch library, & went to work. 

When it was done & sewn together, it was too narrow in the body.  I didn't realize the stitch pattern would pull in the sides.  I wasn't about to frog the whole thing, so I improvised.  After unpicking the seams, I knitted narrow side panels.  Then I sewed them between the front & back to give the extra width I needed.  It worked great & isn't too noticable.  Another of my favorites, I wore this all the time as well, but it is not fading as much as the green has.  

Sadly, I no longer wear either sweater, cause they don't fit me anymore.  Sigh!

A Test Of Strength

My daughter had to do a school project, which involved a trip to the craft store.  We went to Michael's because it is so close to home (so she could practice DRIVING!).  Needless to say, I just HAD to make a stop in the yarn section. 

Oh my!  They had loads of new stuff...it was really exciting!  They've been rather stagnant with their selection, but they added all sorts of Fun Fur & Boa, plus a few others that I don't remember the name.  Some of the colors were so gorgeous.  I just loved the feel of the Boa, it felt like very soft feathers.  I'm sure it would be heaven to work with.  They only had that one in 2 colors, but both were lovely.  They had probably every color in the Fun Fur, it was everywhere (maybe an upcoming sale?!?!).  It just looks so...fun!

I am so proud of myself, though.  I walked out of that store with NOTHING for myself.  Sigh.  It was tough, but I perservered!  However, seeing those lovely yarns really makes me want to break my yarn fast & go on a spending spree.  Thinking bad thoughts!