Hello, everyone. The weekend is winding down and so am I.Â
Sally and I have been toying with the idea of starting a new project together. The timing has been tough because we are already hammering away at other things, BUT Sally said I could go ahead and start. We are doing an Eris Cardigan Mini-Knitalong. We are calling it a Knitalong because we are starting it together, but it’s “mini” because it’s just the two of us.  If you want to knit along with us and would like us to post pictures and you want to write updates in the comments, that’s fantastic! However, we just don’t want to manage a true “knitalong.”Â
About the Project:
Eris is the fraternal twin of the Rogue Hoodie. I made Rogue as my Winter Olympics project. At that time I thought I would do Eris, but got stopped in my tracks when I tried to get started. I had yarn issues and “getting started” issues, so I switched to Rogue. Now that I am committed to Eris, I see why I got stuck!Â
You start by knitting the collar and then pick up around the outside edge and knit the rest of the raglan sweater from the top down. I figured that once I got the collar done, the rest would be fairly mindless stockinette — you guessed it: my mindless take-along knitting!!
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Of course the color is not very true — it is a very soft pale green in Cascade 220. The gauge is 5.5 sts and 8 rows per inch on the collar and 5 sts/7 rows per inch on the body. You start by casting on at the center back and work the right half first. Then you are supposed to pick up sts at the back and work the left half. Sally and I could not figure out why she did not use a provisional cast on, so i did. I think it looks pretty invisible in this close up:
Yes, the sts are a half stitch off where there is a transition from knit to purl, but I think that is less noticeable than picking up into a cast on edge.Â
It is very organic, asymmetrical cabling — quite attractive I think. Once this dries, I’ll pick up the sts around the collar and hope for the best as far as the rest of the sweater goes. It could be one of those strange, impossible projects. Only time will tell.
I spent most of my day at the Mall of America hobnobbing with crafters of the Red Heart Yarn variety. The Craft Yarn Council of America hosted their own Knit Out event this weekend. It is designed to get people interested in knitting, crocheting, and buying Red Heart and Lion Brand Yarn. That said, it was fun and I got some freebies: bamboo knitting needles, a nice crochet hook, a knitting needle gauge and many free patterns — some of which were kind of cute. Lily Chin was there and other known authors. She was hawking a crocheting book, so I passed that right by. I also ran into a few knitting peeps. My older daughter saw it as an excellent excuse to do some shopping and she made the most of it 😉 ! Â
A new week starts tomorrow: Happy Monday! If you have it off for Pres’ Day, I am very jealous!
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Hello Susan and Sally!
I’m looking forward to watching your Eris cardigans come to life. I have the pattern, but I don’t think I’ll be joining you as I have to finish my Rogue hoodie. I’m
“stuck” on grafting the remaining live stitches on the back of the hood to close up that last gap (I was able to join the two halves of the hood nicely). I just can’t get
it to look nice and neat, so I’ve put it aside for now. Any suggestions you might have would be appreciated! I have Nancie Wiseman’s book on finishing, but maybe I’m
just not doing this correctly. I need to get this done before soccer and Little League start, as Rogue’s going to keep me warm at the field this spring! *g*
Nancy (aka NeptuneNancy *waves to Sally*)
Comment by Nancy — February 19, 2007 @ 8:47 am
Hi Neptune Nancy!!! I’m in SC visiting with my two best friends (other than my sister, of course, who is my bestest best friend), both of whom I met through Mr. Aiken.
Susan — I told you to go ahead and start but I didn’t expect you to get that far! Now I’m behind. Nineteen rows left on the Feather & Fan shawl. It’s killing me.
Comment by surly — February 19, 2007 @ 12:53 pm
I *knew* that the knitting from a provisional caston had to be 1/2 a stitch off but I couldn’t see it in the photo, so I assumed you had invented some magic new technique. Huh. Just careful knitting, good blocking, and Cascade 220 — who’d a thunk it? The cabling is very nice indeed.
Had I known you would be at the MOA I might have made an effort to go — not that I’m a stalker, you understand, just a star-struck fan 🙂
Comment by kmkat — February 19, 2007 @ 2:17 pm
I too will pass on the knit-along at least the internet kind. I will wait for you to hopefully teach a class and knit-along in person.
Comment by Kim LaBerge — February 19, 2007 @ 7:55 pm