Crossing the Finish Line

I finished my Ravelympics sweater!

I won! YAY! I WON! What..?...oh wait... I didn't win anything....nevermind...

Well, I think it turned out pretty cute! The pattern was written very very well and was easy to follow. You could describe this project as simply ideal. It was a joy to work on! It worked up quickly and the pattern well... it was just fun to knit.

As far as the finished sweater goes, I really like the style and I look forward to wearing it when the weather permits.

Ya know, it's not all that comfortable modeling an angora sweater in 90 degree weather.. ahhh the things I do for this blog. :)

Another awesome thing about this project is that I used up some yarn that I had already which makes me feel very good about myself. I am such a good person.... Now I can go buy some more...

I sewed on a hook and eye closure to keep the fronts together until I find the perfect buttons. This sweater is a unique color and style, so it needs just the right buttons to look appropriate. Does anyone have any button suggestions?

I used size 9 needles to make this cardigan and needed 8 skeins of Elsebeth Lavold Angora to complete it. The Angora I used is similar to the yarn Lush that this pattern calls for and is a perfect gauge match!

I definitely recommend the Lush and Lacy Cardigan pattern!

Ravelympics Day 12

The Lush and Lacy....Its Growing.....

I have 5 days left and I just have one more sleeve,

the button band and all the finishing to do...

I love it!!

NeverNotKnitting Podcast : Episode 3 : The Tale of The 3 First Sweaters

Shownotes:

Ravelympics

Team Central Coast

Lush and Lacy Cardigan

Lush and Lacy progress

Retro Redux Shrug

Scarlet Skeiners Group on Ravelry

The Dad Sweater

Interweave Knits Fall 2008

New Pea Coat

Whisper Stripe Pullover

Braided Pullover

Michele Rose Orne

Winter Wonderland Coat

Inspired to Knit

Kate Gilbert

Twist Collective

Vogue Knitting Fall 2008

Scary Vogue Sweaters #1, #2, #3

Design #26

Design #28

Green Autumn Mittens

Elizabeth Zimmerman

My First Sweater (the one still intact)

Knitting Pretty

Simple Sweater

Island Cotton

* To enter the NeverNotKnitting drawing please leave a comment on this post according to the specifications mentioned in Episode 3. Don't forget to include which magazine you would like to receive if you win the drawing. Thankyou!!!

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Retro Redux

The fastest shrug of all time....

I finished this Retro Redux Shrug over a week ago now, and finally bribed my husband into taking some pictures for me.

I finished this shrug in like 5 days. It was so quick and easy.
So much for the "knit-a-long" idea...

I am really glad that I made this project because I think it will be the perfect accessory to throw over a tank this summer when evening comes or if I'm in some heavy air conditioning.

I ended up changing the pattern a tiny bit, I made the sleeves longer. I think sleeves are a bit more flattering elbow length than when they end at the mid upper arm, which is what the pattern calls for.

I used 4 balls of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran and still have most of that fourth ball left over. If I hadn't made the sleeves longer, I could have easily knit this shrug with only 3 balls. That is a pretty inexpensive knitting project!

The pretty lace stitch is just a two row repeat, making it a pretty mindless pattern.

We all need "mindless" once in awhile...

The Dad Sweater

In a previous post, I had promised you complicated, scary sweater projects.

This one may not be complicated, but it is scaring me a bit...

Meet the "Dad Sweater"

I started this sweater for my Dad a few weeks ago now and I like the pattern quite a bit.

The simplistic ribbing with the tweed is a perfect combination in my opinion. It's just a nice, plain, masculine sweater that should be very versatile to my Dad's wardrobe.

My Dad is a salesmen and I think that this sweater will keep him warm when he is on the job and look good over a nice collared shirt paired with the tan slacks he always wears.

Why is this sweater scaring me? The pattern, although a nice design, has some pretty glaring errors that make me apprehensive about how this will turn out. Also, even though it is easy to work on (How mindless is ribbing, right?) It is ALOT of ribbing. This thing is gigantic! I've never knit a man's sweater before. What a huge size difference!

This taupe was actually not my first color choice. I had originally had my eye on the dark chocolate brown that I had used to make my Dad's hat. Guess what? Discontinued.

So I decided to go with this color because it is very neutral, and I'm glad that I did. The color is right in between gray and brown so I think it will work nicely with both colors.

I can't wait to give my Dad his finished sweater. I am excited because I think it will make a very special present.

My Dad is very important to me and I feel like handknitting a sweater for him is just a small thing I can do to show him how much I care about him.

.....plus, I finally forgave him for never wearing the socks I made for him 2 years ago....

Ravelympics Day 5

It's day 5 and I'm still going strong!

I am making good progress on my Lush and Lacy Cardigan.

The back has been completed!


Oh... I finished one of the pockets too, but didn't bother to photograph it. :)

I decided to go ahead and use up the yarn that I had originally purposed for this sweater. Elsebeth Lavold Angora. Yes, I happen to like this crazy shade of green.

So far, I love making this cardigan. The lace panels keep it interesting, and since the pattern is worked on a US size 9 needle, it is going fast!

I have been seriously neglecting my blog lately and I have several projects to share.
One is finished and two more have been cast on.

This week I plan to post every other day to catch up. ...hopefully...

Let the Games Begin!

I signed up for the Ravelympics!

I am competing with Team Central Coast on Ravelry in the "Sweater Sprint" event. The idea behind Ravelympics is that you have to cast on a project in the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics and cast off during the closing ceremonies. You are supposed to start a project that would be a challenge for you to complete in 17 days.

I have been planning on starting the Winter Wonderland Coat out of the book Inspired to Knit, but knew that there was no way I could knit that in 17 days. Unless I didn't eat, bathe, or use the restroom.... So I decided to make the Lush and Lacy Cardigan my Ravelympics project.

It is a much more manageable sized sweater.

It will be a challenge, but I will finish it.

I've been wanting to make this sweater for awhile! I'm really excited to start!

NeverNotKnitting Podcast : Episode 2 : The Horrors of Late Night Knitting

Shownotes:

Amelie Sock Pattern on Ravelry

My Finished Giselle

Evening Stockings

Retro Redux Shrug

The Scarlet Skeiners group on Ravelry

Panda Silk Sock Yarn

Apres Surf Hoodie

Liesl

Karabella Aurora 8

Cascade Venezia Worsted

Lush and Lacy Cardigan

Elsebeth Lavold Angora

Me Buying the Angora at Stitches West

Green Gable

Winter Wonderland Coat

Inspired to Knit

Audrey's Green Hooded Jacket

Simply Baby

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(Sorry everyone about the background noise in the first segment. My two year old was playing with a train toy in the other room while I was recording and the microphone picked it up. oops!)

Giselle Completed

Giselle is finally off the needles....

...thank goodness! This knit has been such a pain!

I thought that the endless stockinette stitch on the body was bad... little did I know what I was in for with the edging. I had to pick up and knit.. get this... 476 stitches around the perimeter of this top! 476 stitches evenly spaced! 476!!!

I had wasted so many hours of my life picking up these stitches, I just had to count them.

After all those darn stitches were on the needle I then had to bind them off using the picot bind off method. Talk about time consuming. Two full evenings. Gone.

But of course, it was worth the work. The picot edging really finishes it off and adds a nice feminine detail.

Even though it wasn't that much fun to work on, I am very happy with the finished product. The top fits very well. Also the yarn has a beautiful drape and sheen making it a perfect top for dressy occasions.

One tiny little issue though, I found it hard to make the top stay where it was supposed to and not gape open at the front as wrap tops can sometimes do. So I added a button to one side and that fixes the problem quite nicely.

Of course this top has been modified from the original pattern. It was originally designed to include these flared, renaissance looking sleeves that I wasn't sure if I was completely into, so I decided to leave them off. The short sleeve version fits my style much more and will be great in the spring/summer, the time when I will be wearing this the most. Since the yarn (Berocco Seduce) is a linen blend, it is more suited to the warmer months.

All in all, I really like the Giselle pattern...

...But wont be knitting it again any time soon.