Almost there

 

One more detail and then it’s done — I’m waiting on delivery of some buttons to finish things off.

I’ve surprised myself by how (relatively) quickly this has come together. Very glad that I went with a different stitch pattern from my inspiration piece as the v-neck shaping was not too difficult for me. I was able to find a stitch pattern for the trim that mimicked the squares in the main pattern and also provided spaces for eventual buttons — so, no worries about buttonholes either.

Keeping things simple in both stitch choices and garment shaping has allowed me to come up with a piece that fits my original idea and will be a pleasure to wear. It has also provided me with a pleasurable activity for much needed respite from the craziness we find ourselves in these days. 

Details: Yarn - Silk City Fibers Cotton Bamboo & Linen, color - denim. Sport weight on 1.1 lb. cones - 1,650 ypp. Used 1 cone with leftover yarn. Main stitch pattern - #86 from “Crochet Patterns Book 300” Trim stitch pattern - Block Edging from “The Crochet Stitch Bible” by Betty Barnden. Crochet hook size E (3.5mm)

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Thought it might be of interest to add a screenshot of the original cardigan which inspired my recent project. Not too great to see details, but it was the best I could find.

A "Quick" Knit

One good thing about moving, you never know when some forgotten project bobs back up to the surface.  I had two pieces of this sweater completed (except for ribbing) when it got shoved into a project bag and ... nothing, totally ignored for months.

Time to get this one done, and into the finished column.  This was a machine knit project, and naturally I had neglected to label my nice big swatch with the machine settings I used to achieve the gauge of the original pieces.  Amazingly though I did have the Sweater Wizard generated pattern I was working from -- small victories.  At any rate, taking a guess (and crossing my fingers) I went with my best estimate.  Whew, must be a good guesser, as it worked out to be a matching gauge.

Specs:  Machine Knit (Silver Reed LK-150) drop shouldered pullover worked in Silk City Fibers Stretch Cotton, color Blue Jeans.  Waist, sleeve and neckline ribbing handknit in a K2, P2 rib.

Sizing cotton sweaters tends to be a real headache for me -- make it exactly  the finished dimensions you require then watch it sag and grow.  I'm hopeful the little bit of Lycra in this yarn will help with that -- we'll see. 

I was working with two cones of this yarn, and still have a good bit left -- wonder if Mr. Monty would like a hoodie to match?

Dansez

All assembled, and ready to be put away as cooler weather approaches -- Dansez, from the book "Knit to Flatter" by Amy Herzog.  Knit in Silk City Fibers Stretch Cotton, color Sand. 

Alterations:  neckline brought up a bit higher, and short row bust darts made, in addition to the vertical bust darts called for in the pattern.

  This pattern is a scoop neck, three-quarter length sleeved pullover with set in sleeves.  Worked in stockinette stitch, with a simple lace pattern at the hip and lower sleeve.  The neckline has a simple rolled edge finish.  Knit in pieces (back, front and sleeves) and sewn together.  Actually, I used a crocheted chain stitch to join the pieces, as I wasn't sure about sizing, and I thought it would be easy to 'unzip' the seams and re-do if necessary.  The fit seemed fine, and the seams looked good, so the crocheted seams stayed.  I love when things work out that way!

As can be surmised from its title, Amy's book is all about fit -- by identifying our particular body type, then choosing styles that will best flatter each type (she profiles three types --  top-heavy, bottom-heavy and proportional).  She gives instructions for techniques to customize to your individual shape, and there are patterns for sweaters -- geared to each of her three types.  I haven't studied the book well enough to give an in-depth review, but I have liked what I've seen so far.  I think it would certainly be helpful to any knitter who is interested in customizing, and adding shape, to their knitwear. 

Amy favors what she calls vertical bust dart shaping -- basically the front is knit wider than the back at the bust (hip and waist measurements remain the same), but she also covers how to do short row bust darts.  I like that she advises waist shaping done in the interior of the pieces, rather than at the edges, a technique I first encountered in a Lily Chin class years ago -- it's a sleeker look I think.  At any rate, take a look at this book if you are at all interested in learning some basic fitting techniques for knits.

Catching Up

Humming along, getting things done, but not as much time to post. Here are a couple of projects, one knit, one crochet, that have made it into the Finished pile.

First up -- Ribby Shell from the wonderful Bonne Marie Burns at Chic Knits . Yarn is Sahara from Stacy Charles, color 'citrus' -- a closeout from Elann. I'm a big fan of the Chic Knits line, and this is the best fitting shell I've ever made.

Next, how about a little crochet love?







This is Diamond Sweater from the British crochet magazine Inside Crochet. Yarn used was Silk City Fibers Soft Stretch -- a 96% cotton/4% Elite blend in the color "beach". This one was modified from the original pattern somewhat. I'm not a big fan of straight-across boat necks, so I did a little shaping on the neckline. Also shortened the sleeves just a bit. I worked the front/back as separate pieces since I wanted side vents at the bottom hem -- of course, I could have joined them later and worked in the round, but I was steaming along nicely by then and didn't. I really enjoyed working with this yarn -- I don't know if it's widely (or even still) available, but it's a nice, light cotton and stretch blend that crocheted like a dream. And, since it's on a cone, it really cut down on ends to work in. Not sure how it would be categorized as to yarn type (i.e. fingering, DK, etc.) but it's a fairly light 1600 yards per pound. I had a 2.15 pound cone, and used a little over 9 ounces for this sweater, so this yarn will be turning up again!

There's sewing too -- but that's for later -- much too hot here for posing/changing/photographing.