theraineysisters knitting and so much more

This has been in the works for a while!  It just seemed to take forever to get to the finish line!

I took Pagan Sky, which is a pullover, and converted it to a cardigan.  The conversion meant a lot of extra finishing: steeking, front bands, etc.  I had planned on using buttons…even found some pretty good ones.  However, after trying every buttonhole I could muster, I just did not like any of them!  I knit swatches and the right front band dozens of times!!  I threw in the towel and opted for snaps.  My other issue was gauge.  My gauge was much tighter, even though I used the identical yarn as the original (I loved hers!).  I had to go up two sizes to get to my real finished size.  I lengthened it several inches as well, adding a-line shaping.  And of course had to lengthen the sleeves.  All of this meant a lot more knitting!

I used grosgrain ribbon to reinforce the bands and provide a sturdy backdrop for the snaps.

The little dots are seed stitch in the gold color.  The yarn is Rowan Moordale (70% Wool, 30% Alpaca; 251 yards/100 grams; colors Ash and Turmeric).  I liked knitting with this yarn.  The pictures don’t quite capture the gold: it’s really kind of a soft gold that is brighter in direct sunlight.  It goes with nothing I own, so I am going to the yarn store today to buy yarn for an under ‘tank’!!

A suggestion for those who make this as a pullover: the beg of round is in the center back.  I would mark the center back for reference for the short rows, but actually move the BOR to the left back shoulder (two repeats over).  That way the “jog” would not be as noticeable.  I obviously moved my BOR to the center front from the center back without any issues.

The amazing thing is that it fits pretty well!  Yay!!

PS to Elaine: I did swatch the one-row buttonhole and all other combinations I could come up with.  Part of the problem was sizing (small BHs looked better, but were too small for the button), or larger ones just looked too big and disrupted the band.  Not a big fan of the tulip.

You know how something bugs you?  It may not bother anyone else, but you just don’t like it.  That’s how I felt about the leaf motif on my Mulled Cider pocket.  It looked like a drawer handle to me!  Once seen, it cannot be unseen!

So, I changed it!

I like it much better (I don’t think either picture captures the real color!).  I also sewed cotton lining into the pocket.  So now I can say this is D O N E ! ! !

Out here in the still snowy Rockies, it’s Sunday morning for another few minutes — the perfect time to post about my Sunday Morning pullover designed by none other than Carol Sunday.

This is another very wearable sweater.  I’ve been gravitating towards those in between more challenging knits.  I worked on this over a few months while watching TV or taking a break from color work knitting.

The pattern, as one expects with Carol’s designs, is very clearly written.  Her patterns just always seem to work.  This one is a bottom up raglan, knit in pieces and seamed.  The raglan shaping is done with decorative cables.  It has a split hem and a folded knit neckline.  I made no real changes to the pattern except for lengthening it a few inches.

I used Carol’s newest yarn, Heaven, which is 100% cashmere.  Need I say more?  It’s luscious to knit with and creates a wonderfully soft, warm fabric.  My photos don’t truly capture the rich color — Fog is a deep, bluish gray.

I will be wearing this sweater a lot — especially if our weather stays as wintry as it’s been.  (We’re getting more snow tomorrow!)

Chloe — I didn’t deliberately draw the neck in (although I am happy with the fit).  I think mine has less ease than the one on the model.  If I’d made a size up (which I did consider), it would probably fit more like that.

Gretchen (aka Stashdragon) asked me to share how I added the pocket to my Mulled Cider Cardigan.  I am happy to oblige!!

The first thing I did was decide on the location of the pocket.  This is the main advantage of an afterthought pocket: you can try on the garment and place the pocket where you want it.  I also wanted the pocket to end at the top of the ribbing.  Most pockets are placed closer to the side “seam” than to the front edge.  I outlined the pocket position in white thread, which I removed once I decided on exact placement:

The pocket was 28 sts wide.  You simply snip the yarn at the top center point of the pocket, and pull out the sts, placing both the top and bottom sts on knitting needles or holders (or waste yarn).  Also, I recommend marking the same 28 sts at the bottom of the pocket with clip on markers or waste yarn.

My plan was to rip out four rows and then reknit these rows in 2×2 ribbing using a smaller needle, increasing 2 sts to make up the gauge difference.  Then bind off using new yarn.  The following picture shows the two sets of live sts and the strands of yarn I pulled out to reknit in ribbing.

I did all of that but didn’t like the way it looked…so I ripped it out again and knit it back up in reverse stockinette.  Then I added new yarn to knit a ribbed band at the top.  I added the same 2 sts as before for gauge and two additional seam sts on the sides.  This made the pocket a little higher.  Once done, it probably didn’t look any better than the first go around!!  🙁

I seamed the ribbed pocket band to the sweater.  I then attached yarn to the other set of live sts and knit the lining.  I did not count rows, but rather went by look.  When it was long enough, I bound off the sts and sewed the bottom edge along the transition point from ribbing to reverse stockinette.  I sewed the side edges as invisibly as I could using sewing thread.

A note about reverse stockinette: it’s not as easy to work with as regular stockinette IMHO.  It’s usually harder to get a nice seam and it’s harder to sew down a pocket.  There aren’t any bumps to sew into like I did on my Ouzo:

On Ouzo, the pockets were not done as afterthoughts, but the lining still needed to be sewn down.  It is much easier to do when you can use the bumps as camouflage!

I also thought a fabric inner pocket lining would be nice, so keys, etc. don’t poke through the knit fabric.  I will get to that when I get to it!! 🙂

:groan:  Yes, I am finished with Mulled Cider!  After blocking, the Harrisville WATERshed (color Cheshire) got really soft.  If I could have managed it, I probably should have gone down a needle size, but I had trouble knitting this as it was!  I made too many mods to count, but here is the final:

This next picture is closest to the correct color:

I decided that a jacket needs a pocket:

So I cut and added a pocket:

Someone had used leaf toggles on her version, and I had the Nicky Epstein book (Knitting Beyond the Edge), so I added the leaves to my pocket!  I used my “bead as shank” method on the buttons, which worked perfectly.

This isn’t my favorite sweater, and certainly isn’t a showstopper, but it qualifies as a workhorse.  We need a few of those for every day wear!!

As in Tippi Hedren.  As in The Birds, my husband’s favorite Hitchcock movie.

Anyway, I love birds and I’m a sucker for knitting patterns that feature them.  When I saw the Swallow Sweater (designed by Maschenwunder Manja Vogelsang) I was smitten — it was an immediate must knit.

I started this while recovering from foot surgery; it took my mind off being confined even more than usual under Covid.  The main color is Biches & Bûches Le Cashmere & Lambswool.  This yarn runs thick and thin and my knitting looked horribly uneven.  After wet blocking, it plumped up and smoothed out.  The final fabric is soft and wonderful.  The knitting looks a bit rustic but it feels fabulous.

For contrast, I used a beautiful merino and silk sock yarn I picked up at knitting camp a few years ago:   Fangirl Hand Dyed Yarn Silk Merino in Black Purl.   The Black Purl is a subtle mix of gray, purple, and green that to me mimics the iridescence of bird feathers.  The color is hard to capture in photographs but up close in person it works.

The pattern is well written and clear, but it’s complex to knit.  There are multiple repeating charts and extremely long floats.  To mitigate the floats, I used Susan’s invisible stranding technique as explained in her It’s Not About the Hat pattern.

I made two small changes to the pattern.  Instead of a crew neck, I knit a funnel neck with contrast ribbing.  I lengthened the body with a curved hem and shorter ribbing than the original.

It fits beautifully and I love it.  This, like most yoke sweaters, looks better on a real body than on a mannequin but these photos will have to do!

P.S.  I’m glad your daughter is safe, Kathy.  We are safe but devastated by the shooting that occurred in Boulder.  We live in a different part of town, but Boulder is small enough that it still feels close.  I used to frequent that shopping center because there was a nice, large yarn store there until last year (Shuttles and Skeins).  It’s very sad and unsettling.

I finished up a languishing project that is one of those that makes your ask yourself, why?  I think it’s cute and liked the pictures in the magazine…but, why?

The project is Cape Neddick by Martha Wissing for Vogue Knitting, Winter 2020-2021.  I used the yarn called for, Tahki Dakota, color Pinecone, and it took much less than expected.  I have enough left over to make another!!  My yarn is on Ravelry for sale for $20, plus shipping!!

From Vogue

I was thinking this would be a cute layer when it’s cold and snowy…finished just in time for Spring!!  😎

In my chain mail!!

Hi, All!  Are you surviving the winter doldrums, the COVID isolation, the endless “Groundhog Day” movie reel??  I am on the tortuously slow knitting journey on a coat-like cardigan, called Mulled Cider.

I started this a while ago.  I selected yarn that I had used previously and LOVED: Harrisville WaterSHED (for my beloved Roosevelt Cardigan).  I had color cards, so felt confident about my color choice.  But, alas, the yarn is not the same as it used to be.  It is bigger, rougher, not as easy or fun to knit.  Though disappointed, I just couldn’t bear continuing my search, so I kept the yarn.  It does make the knitting slower because it just isn’t that enjoyable.

I am making major changes to this pattern, which also slowed me down.  I don’t really like set-in sleeves for a layering cardigan — doesn’t seem roomy enough.  So I am dropping the shoulder and adding short rows for shoulder shaping…when I get there!  It also bugs me when ribbing doesn’t flow into the pattern:

It was a very simple fix!  I also made the front motif match the back.  Would you like some cheese and crackers with that whine!  Anyway, I hope to get this done before the August thaw!! 😉

Yay, it’s Surly’s birthday!!  There will be merriment and cake involved, I’m sure!

Surly is my peepiest knitting peep and biggest supporter.  I know she would face the threats of COVID (i.e., fly here!) if I needed her.  She is always in my corner and has my back.  Plus, she makes me laugh!  Happy Birthday to the surliest sister ever!!

Remember in Bridget Jones’s Diary when Bridget’s mother starts selling cheap costume jewelry?  And how she and her orange boyfriend tout certain pieces as being “all rounders”?  (Excuse me while I briefly fantasize about Colin Firth.  Ok.  Done.)

I recently finished an all rounder sweater that checked all the boxes. The pattern is Beyul designed by Justyna Lorkowska.  A simple knit with some nice stylish details.  Interesting top down construction.  Casual, comfortable, and wearable.  In fact, I’m wearing it right now! Let me stress the wearable part.  Sometimes I knit things that are so interesting or complicated that I never wear them.  I love the sweater but can’t find things to go with it or don’t feel comfortable in it or it’s too dressy for my so called lifestyle.

Bonus:  I used stash yarn.  I knit it out of Miss Babs Yowza in a bright (for me) purple called Tulipa.  The yarn has been languishing aging since Susan and I went to Rhinebeck years ago.  The pattern was clear and well written and the yarn was really nice to work with.

The photos are not great.  This is one of those sweaters that looks better on a human than a mannequin.  Sure, I could have asked my husband to take photos of me in it, but his poor photography skills are legendary.  If only he were home — he could model it!  Sigh.

Surprise!  I slipped in a selfie.

Susan mentioned showed off some yarn she’d bought for a Pink Fizz, a future project.  As usual, it’s monkey see monkey do.  In fact, I think I was the first monkey in this scenario!  Here’s a photo of the yarn I bought:  La Bien Aimée Cashmerino in Highland and Mohair Silk in Sansa.