Crop Sleeve Raglan

I don't usually knit a pattern exactly as written, but this sweater called to me. "Crop Sleeve Raglan" by Gayle Bunn, from Knit 'N Style, August 2005. Yarn: ggh Bali, a cotton/acrylic blend. Usually I avoid acrylics, but this was on sale and also it didn't feel squeaky or icky. It had the added advantage of being sproingy and lighter than 100% cotton would be, so a good mix.
This was a fun sweater to knit. Of course, I knit it in the round and seamlessly, despite it being written in pieces, as I love the possibility of trying it on as I go along.
After establishing the pattern, it was very easy to keep track of and turned into my favorite summer drag-along project. The yarn I used was very stretchy, so it was a challenge to get gauge. I tried it on every inch on the way up the body to make sure it would fit! I modified the pattern to be knit seamlessly in the round, and used seed stitch instead of moss stitch on sleeves and ribs, adding a bit of width in the bust area, and 2 inches in length to the sleeves for a bit more coverage. .


A very comfortable summer project!

J&J Sweater

I was very pleased to finally finish this sweater. It is a combination of many influences, which began when a customer came to my shop with a photo of a cardigan that she wanted to make. As I didn't know of a pattern, and wanted to knit a similar sweater myself, I offered to design and write up the pattern so we could do it together. The first thing we decided was to use a worsted weight yarn and make it a pullover, which was a departure from the sweater in the photo. I chose Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted, and a size 7 needle, and went to work swatching the large cable for the yoke. As I couldn't find one in Barbara Walker's Treasuries that fit my specifications, I modified one that she had, and knit the yoke cable first. I then picked up for the yoke and knit that, ripping it out twice to get the effect I wanted. I originally went with reverse stockinette, but later decided on a wide ribbing, which pleased me. The body and sleeves were picked up and knit downwards, so I could customize length and shaping. I narrowed the sleeves on my version to provide a tapered look, and went up to a size 8 needle for the hips. I added a section of wide ( 3X3) ribbing at the hem, which balanced the look and provided more length to the body. I am very pleased at how the sweater turned out, and I love the feel of the yarn.

Frost Flowers and Leaves Cardigan

I finally finished my Frost Flowers and Leaves Cardigan. I'm so pleased at how it turned out. I used the basic structure of the lace from the square Shawl by Eugen Beugler in "A Gathering of Lace" , but first adapted it for a triangular shawl from the instructions worked out by Kat LeFevre and documented in the Yahoo group on the web, : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/frostflowersandleaves/ . It was knit with 9 skeins of Cotton Classic on size 6 needles. The design is based on my diagonal sweater pattern, but here I used the FF&L pattern to create the fabric, so the knitting is on the diagonal. I wanted the leaves motif to run down the front, back, and top of shoulders and sleeves, so the construction followed the pattern nicely. The biggest puzzle was how to create the opening for the neck, and I was delighted to discover that the gague was such that I could move the start of the neck over one repeat, and then short- row along the shoulder edge to get the fronts to line up with the back. Once I understood how the pattern worked, it was fun to figure out how to knit it in the round as well as flat, but it took a lot of concentration and was not something I could do while watching TV. LOL. I really enjoyed making this sweater, and learned a lot during the process. I suppose my only regret was using a garter stitch edging for the front neckline, as it doesn't stretch as much as the rest of the fabric. I am too lazy to try to redo this, but I was tempted! It is comfortable to wear and a great summer concoction. Will I do it again? Perhaps....