New year, new sweater

I’ve begun a new sweater for myself, the Cerisara that I saw knit up at Cloverhill Yarn Shop in Baltimore.  I’m using Berroco Ultra Alpaca that I bought there at the shop.

I was very, very good and swatched with 3 different needle sizes.  I even blocked the swatches.  To my surprise, I saw NO change in gauge after blocking.  I guess the wool keeps the alpaca in line (alpaca is known to grow quite a lot and I expected this yarn to change gauge, too). This sweater is knit in one piece, but the construction is a bit tricky.  So far, so good.  Here is the back lace piece almost done (this panel is only 8” long and it runs across the upper back of the sweater): Note that the bottom edge is sporting a provisional cast-on – those stitches will be picked up later to knit downward on the sweater.

Next, a small section was cast on (again, provisionally) and attached to the top left of the back.  It is in the process of becoming the neck band and the top of the left front.  It doesn’t look too sweater-y at this point, does it?

So far I think I’m doing fine with the pattern.  It’s graded “advanced beginner” but I think it’s a fairly advanced intermediate, if not downright advanced.  The lace pattern is a simple little 8 row repeat, but at times you have to read the wrong side rows beginning in the middle of the chart (depending on what size you’re making).  If you are new to reading charts in the first place, this would totally blow your mind.  And the provisional cast-on wasn’t something I had encountered yet as an advanced beginner.  Then again, I was mired in socks…

I’m proceeding slowly and carefully, reading and re-reading every step in hopes of staying on track.

Anyway, so far, so good.  As usual, I’m amazed at how quickly the fabric can grow when you use something thicker than sock yarn.  I hope to wear this yet this winter.  There shouldn’t be much, if any, finishing to slow me down at the end.  Not even buttons!

A soft sweater for a sweet boy

My youngest caught a whiff of the yarn fumes at this spring’s Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival.  He picked out this very soft merino-angora 2-ply at Jamie Harmon’s booth: There’s a chill in the air, and it seems like a good time to whip this sweater out.I’m using the same top-down raglan pattern that I used for the Bada Bing sweater last fall.  It’s going quickly.  Here is where I was last weekend: This photo looks kind of strange since I plopped the ball of working yarn in the neckhole… but you get the idea.

I have the body done now:I’ve decided to rip that sleeve back and begin again, decreasing more quickly.  My little guy has skinny spaghetti arms, and this sleeve already seems too flappy for him.  Perhaps I shouldn’t have made the raglan seam quite as long, but (a) I was hoping this would fit him for two winters, and (b) I want him to be able to get this on and off on his own, or else he won’t wear it at all (like the last pair of socks I made him).  So I erred on the size of large.

The colors in the first photo are truer than the ones in the second photo.  I had to shoot the second one in the pre-work wan light of my front porch today.  Outdoor photo opps are harder to find this time of year!

KDO Part 2 - Seven Things That Can "Make or Break" a Sweater

My Saturday morning KDO class was Margaret Fisher's Seven Things That Can "Make or Break" a Sweater. Margaret was one of the guest teachers this year. She is another one of the designers who has been participating in Cat Bordhi's "Visionary Retreat" called "Self-Publishing for Knit Designers." (If you haven't heard about it, you can listen to Cat explain all about it in episode 84 of the CraftSanity podcast.) Margaret's book (same title as the workshop) was published one short month ago. Here's a picture of Margaret showing her book to the skeleton in our classroom (classes were on a community college campus - I guess this is a biology room?). It was clear that Margaret had taught this workshop many times before - she had it down to a science. The visual aids were great (combination of flip charts, diagrams on the white board, and actual knitting on giant needles that she held above her head, back to the class) and we got through everything on the agenda.

This class was all about the details... things like how to increase invisibly in various places, picking up stitches for banks, buttonholes, and other bits and pieces. For the details, you're gonna have to buy the book! Here is what my swatches looked like after class:

I felt especially empowered by the buttonhole she taught. Here is the right side:
Here is the wrong side (which I prefer the look of - so now I know to work my buttonholes on the wrong side of my bands):
I will use many of her tips as I continue to work on the Must Have Cardigan. I'm really glad that I took this class!

(And yes, I bought the book ... The Mannings booth had it down in the market.)