New Sweater On The Needles

Last week, I opened my email to find the latest version of Tuulia Salmela's Tailored Sweater Pattern. My friend K & I took a class from her on this method of knitting sweaters from the shoulder to the hem early last spring. Since then, I found an error and she wanted to make some improvements. I was so happy to see the new file come out. I own the book "Custom Knits" by Wendy Bernard. Preferring Tuulia's method and yet loving the "Slinky Ribs" pattern in the book, I merged the two patterns together, but am using the recommended yarn, Silky Wool. I took my own measurements and a some from the finished garment diagram and created a new pattern with Tuulia's spreadsheet. So far, it is working quite well. The biggest problem I am having is that I want to keep knitting on this one, instead of finishing a stealth project that I am working on that has a deadline! I started this one last Thursday evening and only managed to get the back about halfway to the point where I needed to start the front shoulders. However, I worked on it all day Saturday, too. By the end of that day, I had the underarm increases about one third finished. I am looking forward to finishing to the point where I can knit in the round instead of knitting rows. There are also no increases or decreases to worry about at that point, but rather when and how to go from the 2x2 ribs to stockinette.

Newest Project

Ta-da! Here is the vest that I started on 1/25/09 around midnight, after arriving home from the Seattle to Portland Yarn Train. I was so excited from the day that I pulled out my swift and ball winder to make the yarn ready to knit. Of course, I couldn’t stop there, so I cast on and knit a few rows of twisted 2x2 ribbing. I am reminded of why I love this yarn, Elsebeth Lavold’s Silky Wool, every time I pick it up to knit! At the gauge in the pattern the garment has that crunchy silk feeling while still having a bit drape and softness. I am knitting from Knitty’s pattern Honeycomb. The pattern gauge is a little firmer than the ball band suggests and I love it!

Still No FO

I'm dying, here...I really want to get this shawl (the Flower Motif) done so that I can move on, but its just taking forever! With time to knit tonight, it will get done. :) While I was at the Village Yarn & Tea last Saturday, I found some beautiful Silky Wool from Elsebeth Lavold. Of he color that I liked best, a bright turquoise, there were still 8 skeins in the same dye lot. I had a project in mind, a sweater, but when I looked at my book on Saturday night, I realized that I miscalculated how much I would need. 8 would not be enough, but I needed more like 12-13. So, on Sunday, I made a quick trip back, arriving just 5 minutes before closing. I knew that they had more in the color Charcoal, which is almost black. Fortunately, they did still have 13 even though it is on clearance. I still have too much to get done to cast on for another sweater, now, but I sure want to! If the whole truth be told, I actually want to cast for about 5 sweaters and almost as many socks! Ravelry, where I found the patterns, could be the death of me.