LK Knits

Like many knitters, I am occasionally afflicted with startitis, and consequently end up with too many WIPs languishing in the basket. I have a lovely diamond lace cardigan from Interweave Knits in the now-discontinued Classic Elite Follies, in a lovely shade of winter white. It's been in the WIP pile for 3.5 years (!), and for 1.5 of those years has been awaiting sleeves. In fact, I made it to go with a very cool winter white and black stretch floral BCBG Max Azria dress that I sold on eBay last year! How pathetic is that? Problem is, no matter how spatially gifted and mathematically inclined I am, I cannot do increases in lace pattern on the fly. I tried doing so in the car on the way back from our Boundary Waters kayaking vacation last August, to no avail. Thus it sits, and awaits my charting.

I have found that for me, the optimal number of WIPs is 3: one "attention to detail" project (which is currently the Rogue hoodie's hood), one "brainless" project (I am doing waist shaping on the Ariann right now, so it's not exactly brainless), and one pair of socks. With these WIPs I am instantly prepared for any knitting situation and environment. Right now I have 5 WIPs: the lace cardigan, a pair of socks for the KP Spouse (in Regia bamboo, love it!), the Rogue hoodie, the Ariann cardigan, and an unnamed WIP that will be identified after it is gifted upon its recipient. That's 2 WIPs too many, and I am not sufficiently disciplined about sticking to the "no starting another one until this one is done" rule. But the last one is almost done, and it's a Christmas giftie, so the only True Violator is the lace cardigan.

I acquired something today that will help me finish the lace cardigan: a graph paper composition book. I'll use it first and foremost to chart those bloody increases. Then I'll use it to play with charting Celtic knots and cable patterns and ribbing. I feel more confident about doing that after having taken Melissa Leapman's Celtic knitting class at Stitches Midwest this past August. Texture, texture, texture. I'll also use it to play with copying designs from sweaters I've seen commercially. For example, there's this this simple ribbed Donegal tweed turtleneck at Garnet Hill that has front waist shaping, so the ribs move. It looks great. It's the kind of thing I would have done off of the top of my head as a novice knitter, but now I have more respect for the value of charting it out first to form some expectations as to its behavior in situ. Not that I will ever be a designer, but I do want to be capable of applying more attention to detail than is my natural inclination.

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I've been working on my Ariann this week:

I think the next time I make a raglan where I attach the sleeves and knit the yoke, I'll do the two sleeves in parallel on two circulars. It's not that I think I did them differently, but I just forget little tweaks that might make a difference as I'm going. For example, I had to keep very careful notes about when I started to introduce the pattern as I was doing the increases; I did half of a pattern at each edge after the third increase (I'm making the second size, 35.5") and then the other half after the seventh increase.

I've already attached the sleeves and started knitting the yoke, but I'll leave that for next weekend ... I am going to be out of town for work, and will only have a second bamboo sock for the KP Spouse and Endpaper Mitts in leftover Jamieson's shetland that I inherited from Nancy.

I made a lot of progress on Ariann in the week after my last Ariann post, although in the past two weeks I've been focusing on a couple of other projects (more on that in a second).

I am about halfway through the raglan decreases, I have one more buttonhole to make, and then it's the collar, tie, finishing, etc.

Soon, soon ...

I am such a sucker for a big, thick turtleneck, especially when the weather is as cold as it has been lately. I would wear a big, cozy turtleneck every day of my life if I could, and I have been wearing all of my handmade and store-bought ones during this cold snap. So the timing of my order of Beaverslide 100% Montana wool in Mountain Mahogany was propitious! It's an aran weight yarn, and very thick and lanolin-y; the gauge is 4 st/inch but I am getting 3.5 st/inch on size 10.5 needles and it looks great and knits up fast. It's a delightful yarn, and on sale I got 5 skeins for under $34. Leanne provides great customer service, and the story of the ranch and sheep that she and her husband have is great.

I'm using it to make a top-down funnelneck raglan 4x4 rib; the pattern is my own, but is loosely based on the Patons Upside-Downers top-down pattern book; I am using it to check my math.

Here's the progress I've made in the week since the yarn arrived:

It just needs about another 9" of body and a couple of sleeves, and then it's done. I hope to have this sweater done in another week, so that I'll get some wear out of it before the weather warms up!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I've started on the Branching Out scarf pattern from Knitty.

I like it. It's about double that length by now, but I've put it aside because I'm finding that I have to pay more attention to the pattern than I had originally thought I would. So it's not great TV knitting or multi-tasking knitting, and it's also not the diversion from my main detail project that I had hoped. So I'll come back to it in a month or so, after I've finished that project. I don't have any pictures of it, so I will keep quiet for now ...

Finished the reversible cable scarf (and a hat with the leftover yarn), so now the only WIPs are a pair of Jaywalker socks in Socks That Rock and this sweater:

Pattern: Poker, from Jaeger JM05
Yarn: Karabella Magrite, in a delicious off-black.

The pattern is great; the look is very Audrey/Jackie retro, and should go well with the light grey wide-leg trousers I just bought for spring! I love the standup turtleneck, and I hope I can replicate that look here. The textured zig-zag is almost rhythmic once you do a few repeats, and it's easy to catch errors in progress. The rolled hems keep it from being too stuffy, but it's still dressy enough (especially in a merino/cashmere blend!) for a variety of settings. The 3/4 sleeve is, of course, perfect.

This yarn is decadent, and I've been wanting to make this sweater for years. It took making a yarn inventory spreadsheet and spending a morning going through my pattern books with the spreadsheet open to see that I had a perfect yarn in my stash for the project! The benefits of organization ...

Of course, as is my wont, I've modified the pattern in several ways:

1. Body knit in the round

I like knitting in the round, both bottom-up and top-down. Notwithstanding how Bonne Marie rhapsodizes about mattress stitching, I don't enjoy it. It is fast and easy, but I'd rather just knit and incorporate shaping etc. with decreases and short rows.

2. Sleeves knit flat, but then attached to body at arm decreases

In making the Ariann I was uncomfortable with how stressed the sleeve stitches were when I attached the knit-in-the-round sleeves to the body to knit the yoke. The first few rows really bothered me, although of course they turned out fine. But I thought on this one that I would knit the sleeves flat (which also enabled me to knit them in parallel, since I only have one set of size 8 dpns!). That will mean some mattress stitching on the sleeves in addition to sewing up the underarm armholes, but I think it's worth it to avoid the stress I felt like I was putting on the stitches.

3. Knit yoke in the round

I really like this technique; I like raglan shaping, and I like knitting in the round, so this works well for me.

4. Shortening the armholes

As I mentioned with the Ariann, I am about an inch shorter than average from chest to shoulder. This means with raglan shaping that I have to redo the math for the decreases. Thus far I did a couple of rows of double decreases right under the arm (after doing the 5-stitch bind off on each side that the pattern required), then about 10 rows of single decreases on each row, and now I'm doing single decreases every other row. I figure that I have about 14-16 more rows on the yoke to get to the right measurement, and I should just about hit the decreases correctly.

Should be finished soon ...

5. Knit neck in the round

I prefer the smoothness of knitting the neck in the round without picking up stitches. Sometimes this costs me front neck shaping, and I end up with a pucker in the bottom of the front of my turtleneck. I'm not worried about that in this sweater, because the neck is wider, stands away from the neck, and has a folded-down knit lining.

I'm not getting the pattern to line up exactly on the row edge; I'd have to add 6 stitches, which I think would look awkward. So I may just live with it, although I'd prefer to have the pattern be seamless.

Should finish the neck tonight, and the seaming this weekend!

Progress continues on the Rebecca cotton cable polo sweater. I have very particular ideas about how I like to knit that make projects like this more difficult than they need to be. For one thing, I prefer to knit in the round, so when I get to the armholes, that means either working back and then front, or working back and front at the same time with two balls of yarn.

I also prefer to do the back and the front at the same time so that the decreases all match and the length is the same, and then I do a three-needle bind-off at the shoulders. That means carrying two working balls of yarn, and then three balls of yarn if the back has neck shaping. Lots to juggle!

And with this sweater, it's a polo neck, so that means that right now I'm carrying two balls for the front and one for the back. And yes, there's neck shaping too ...

I don't really mind, but I was kind of amused at the strange looks I got in the Denver airport while I was juggling all of these balls of yarn!

I figure I have about 4 more inches of body to knit, then I'll do the shoulders and the collar before doing the sleeves. Another weirdness I have: I like to do set-in sleeves top down. Thankfully, the plaited cable is top-bottom reversible, so I don't have to futz with the pattern.

I can't wait to wear the sweater; it'll look great with white pants and the oh-so-preppy madras platform espadrille sandals I bought this spring!

Now that I'm home, a picture of the progress I've made on the Rebecca plaited cable polo:

About 4 more inches of torso, then on to the collar and sleeves! Can't wait.

I love this Socks That Rock colorway, Cobblestone Country, which I bought about two years ago. Initially I made one Jaywalker sock, but the challenge I found with STR and the Jaywalker pattern is that STR has no nylon, and Jaywalker has no ribbing, so I had to fight to get it on my foot.

So I frogged it, and am in the middle of Retro Rib socks from the Favorite Socks book:

This is a very nice sock pattern; can't wait to wear them!

There's even a Favorite Socks knitalong and blog, that perhaps I should join; I think there are more patterns in here in my future!

The long drive to and from Minnesota created opportunities to work on Fife:

The horseshoe cable down the front is really fun, and the branching diagonal ribs are also great. I love the algorithm of this pattern; it's so intuitive that I don't even have to read the pattern.

I am going to make some modifications that I'll discuss as I do them; in particular, I'm going to do the back, front, and sleeves flat and then joint them to do the raglan yoke in the round. But for now, it's just increases up to the armholes on the back ...

So I've finished the back of Fife up to the armholes, put it on a holder, and started the front. As I mentioned previously, I'm going to knit everything up to the armholes and then do the yoke in the round. Much better than seaming pieces together!

But I do have one technical thing to figure out: the neck shaping. Do I do short-row neck shaping? If so, how? Otherwise, I can do the neck decreases as if I were knitting it flat. But this will require some thought and planning.

Of course, I've still got most of a front and two sleeves to go before I have to worry about that, so it'll be a while ...

So here's a list of what's on the needles at the moment:

1. Fife aran pullover, 35% complete
2. Retro rib socks, 35% complete
3. Branching leaves lace scarf, 90% complete
4. Baby hat w/ribs and cables, 85% complete
5. CeCe 3/4 sleeve cardigan, 5% complete

The baby hat will be done by November because it's a gift. The others need to get going! I'm at that point in Fife where it's just boring; the algorithm of the patter is routine, and I'm just ready to get the front done, get the sleeves done, and get to the point where I can put them all together and start working the yoke. Until then it's just drudge knitting. But even drudge knitting is better than no knitting ...

I'm also not loving the Rowanspun DK. It's OK, but I'm not going to go out of my way to use it again.

But I'm *really* excited about the fact that an online friend of mine has charted out the Ghost In The Machine logo for The Police! I feel a scarf in my future ... she's also got some great tips on using Photoshop to chart out a design. I'm no fan of intarsia, but this is gonna have to happen! It's either this or a tattoo ...

Making progress on the front of Fife:

Even so, it's at the point where it's still drudge knitting. I'll be glad when I get to work on the yoke!

Just at the beginning of my CeCe cardigan, which will be 3/4-sleeves, in Rowan DK Soft:

More comments on this project as it develops.

Because, you know, 5 WIPs just isn't enough ... :

I've been jonesing for a green scarf lately; it's my favorite color, and I'm surprised that I didn't have one. So ... another WIP. Oh well ...

The yarn is Louisa Harding's Ca d'Oro, and it's quite nice. The pattern is a simple k1, yo, k2tog lacy rib. I think I'll even put on some fringe!

Made some progress on Fife on the drive to and from Christmas:

I'm ready for it to be done, though. Sadly, that sentiment seems to apply to most of the projects in my life right now -- house renovation, book, sweater ... but at least on this one the join at the armhole to do the yoke is in sight!

So what's a girl to do when she's bored with her 21-stitch gauge project? Give in to STARTITIS! I have had this lovely green Filatura di Crosa 127 Print in the stash for a few years; when I bought it, it told me it wanted to be a turtleneck that was a mix of stockinette and garter stitch. It lied. So I frogged it.

Now I've decided that it wants to be a Sitcom Chic Cardi. I've made one before, in just about the same hue of pink that Bonne Marie's is in the picture, and it's a great pattern. Just the antidote to the frustratingly tedious Fife.

And I've bought a selection of interesting silver buttons from M&J Trimming for the single closure. Yay! Quick gratification! And in my favorite color!

A new year, and I am infected with STARTITIS! I blame Bonne Marie ... In the past three days I've started not one, but two new projects. Yikes! But both are quick knits.

The first is Teva Durham's Concentric Vest, from Interweave Knits Fall 2007. A 9-stitch gauge and Rowan Big Wool bought on sale is making this an instant gratification project. I knit the back in a single sitting on New Year's Day while watching football.

I took the second picture without a flash to try to highlight the cables, but it's a little out of focus.

This cozy vest is going to be a great piece to wear, which is why I'm powering through it.

The technique is short rows to get the fronts of the vest to curve. I have done short rows in socks, and in shoulder shaping, but this is the most intense short-row shaping I've ever done. I'm considering using short rows to shape necklines on sweaters knit in the round, so I wanted to get a little more experience under my belt first. This project is a great, fast way to do it.

Haven't touched either Fife or Cece since November.

Have made some progress on the sleeves and yoke of the Sitcom Chic cardi:

Have frogged my old Lobster Pot cashmere beanie and am in the middle of turning it into a neckwarmer:

And, have finally cast on for a Central Park hoodie, for a knitalong with Knitress:

The yarn is Beaverslide 90% merino 10% mohair in Huckleberry Heather. This yarn choice is a shameless copy of Cara at January one. Like Cara, I'll knit fronts and back all at once, but I'm leaving in the seam stitches and knitting the smallest size, because the second smallest size is a little big for me. Interestingly, she got gauge on size 9 needles and I got it on size 10 needles, which just shows how tight a knitter I am (and I don't pull on my stitches or anything!). Unlike Cara, I didn't necessarily plan out how the ribbing will flow into the cables at the end of the ribbing band, so I may have some futzing to do in a couple of inches ...

I also think that I will not bother to put on buttonholes and buttons; I never bother to button cardigans anyway, generally, and this is meant to be a kicky casual hoodie. So why bother?

Knit on!

Coming along, coming along ...

I wish I could get my no-flash-to-highlight-cables pictures to be less blurry ... In any case, I am loving this Beaverslide yarn! The texture is wonderful, the color is gorgeous, and it just smells so wonderfully woolly!

The CPH pattern is straightforward, and I am enjoying the symmetry of the cables. I have about another inch or two before I separate for the armholes.

I won't be working on the sweater much in the next couple of weeks, between travel and moving back into our renovated house (yay!), but it will get my serious attention in April!

As soon as I got off the plane from Maryland Sheep & Wool I wound the Brooks Farm Willow and cast on for Fifi:

It's a cabled yarn, wool/bamboo blend, in variegated gray-blue and lilac. The bamboo and the cable construction give the yarn good structure, and I am really enjoying working with it. It's also going to make for a lighter feeling garment that breathes, which is good for this project because it's a short-sleeved summery sweater.

And then there's the pattern ... I'm such a sucker for the combination of top-down construction and cables. This is my second French Girl pattern; I liked the Fantine (which I strangely forgot to blog about ... will have to remedy that!), which also has that top-down construction. Fifi, though, is in a smaller gauge (worsted) and has cables.

So far, so good; it's going pretty quickly, so I hope to be able to wear it before long!

Fifi is coming along at a nice pace:

I'm beyond the cable section at the top, and about one-fourth of the way through the bodice ribbing section. It's a nice 8-row repeat. I think I'll make it longer than the pattern calls for; I have a long torso, and I don't want it to be as cropped as in the pattern.

The Brooks Farm Willow yarn continues to be a joy to work, and the colors are gorgeous!

Should be ready for summer wear soon!

OK, so for some inexplicable reason I felt the need to take a mental health afternoon ... so I made a lot of progress on the lace bodice portion of my February Lady Sweater:

The gull lace pattern is intuitive, pretty, and fun. Elizabeth Zimmerman, you totally rock!

I've returned to my CPH this week, and just finished the right sleeve:

One sleeve, one hood, one border with buttonholes left! I look forward to wearing it as the weather cools in October.

My Brooks Farm Solana that I bought at Maryland Sheep and Wool has decided what it wants to be: Wisteria, by Kate Gilbert, in the first issue of Twist Collective. It's a lovely, organic, top-down cable yoke turtleneck, just the thing that I crave. I've got about 16 more rows to finish in the cable yoke pattern:

Love, love, love the pattern and the yarn. I am a little nervous that I won't have enough yarn, but so far, so good.

I started Nikol Lohr's Woodland Shawl on the plane on the way home from England last week:

I'm using Malabrigo Lace, in Azul Profundo, and it's gorgeous. The pattern is easy to remember, which I appreciate, because I am not enough of a lace aficionado to be interested in a deeply intricate pattern. I think this pattern will show the beautiful yarn off to perfection!