From Susan
The hits just keep on comin’!! Sally and I don’t make EVERYthing that the other one knits, but pretty close. We both can get very caught up in the other’s enthusiasm for a project. Sometimes they pan out and sometimes they do not. This one is a hit.
We are both huge fans of Heidi Kirrmaier (aka Pipibird on Ravelry). She designed Summer Solstice, my favorite “go to” sweater du jour. Her designs are simple with flare — fabulous! There is always a little something unusual to add that je ne sais quoi to the design.
So, my latest Pipibird project is Harvest Moon, a seamless, topdown cardigan with a twist. The yoke is done sideways in garter stitch, the pockets are a complete jigsaw puzzle, and the pocket trims are duplicates of the cute neckline:
Yes. I am in the picture. Shocking, I know!! The reason is that Lettie (please don’t tell her I said this!) is not a great model for things that require arms. There. I said it out loud. But I will deny it if pressed!!
The yarn is Tosh Chunky in Byzantine — purchased for a failed attempt at a different pattern. The yarn is pretty but too heavy for this design. I knew it at the time, but I figured since I am the size of a normal person put in a copier at 110%, if I used larger yarn and knit a size medium, it would look the same on me as a normal sweater looks on a normal sized person. Okay, the logic is dodgey, but I did it anyway.
The color of the yarn is beautiful, but only skin deep. Like it is painted onto the outside layer. This means that splices look like candy canes and when you weave in ends, the results are awful. Plus, there is variation across skeins. People often switch off between skeins for hand-dyed yarns, but I just let the chips fall!! I do like the sweater but I recommend using a lighter weight yarn — there are many projects on Ravelry with wonderful results that you can peruse for inspiration.
As I said, we often get swept up into each other’s projects, so here is the update on Sally’s Moon.
From Sally
As Susan said, Heidi Kirrmaier is another designers whose patterns are interesting, fun, and reliable. Harvest Moon is fun to knit because of the way it is constructed. As Susan said, it’s a bit like knitting a puzzle.
My own Harvest Moon is not quite finished. I think it is in the “Waxing Gibbous Moon phase” right now. The body is completed, but I have just barely started one sleeve. It fits well, but as Susan said it’s hard to keep on a mannequin like Lucy because of her “arm issue.” The yarn I am using is the right gauge, but it’s a dense, heavy yarn due to its fiber content. Because I am always cold, I think it will be fine for me. It’s Alpaca and Silk Aran by Debbie Bliss in a smokey gray. I love the button I found for it (found in my button stash of all places!). It’s mother of pearl, and the shine on it makes it hard to get a good photograph.
So here is my rumpled unfinished Harvest Moon. This is what I call “raw” knitting: unblocked, and not even steamed. It will look much better when it’s actually finished.
PS from Susan to Amy re: the neck and shoulders — I did several things to tighten up the neck. I, too, noticed that some of the sweaters looked like they were going to fall off. I did go down a needle size on the collar section so that the neck would be firmer (and I followed the directions as written for the size I made). It fit fine, but after blocking, it looked a bit too large, so I did some “editing.” I used a crochet hook and pulled up the running thread between the collar and the built-in i-cord on the neck edge and created a chain: pulling up each enlarged i-cord loop and creating a new chain link …all the way around. At the end I sewed it down. This tightened up the neckline which brought the whole thing up. When I get a chance, I’ll share a picture of the inside.
As promised, the inside of the collar:
The red circle shows the line of “new stitches” created with a crochet hook — pulling up the running thread between the garter sts and the first i-cord stitch. I just pulled up and through the previous stitch all the way around and then tacked the last stitch down with sewing thread.
Interesting sweater…….It’s lovely to see a photo of you Susan! OK, as a Tosh newbie……the dye, splicing, weaving in…..would this be an issue for all Tosh yarns? I’m just wondering as I might possibly be handling some Tosh soon, and maybe your opinion just might help me to resist…..as I am trying to cut down my stash by having a yarn diet this year. Please give me the full low down on what you think of Tosh…..pm me if you think that would be more appropriate LOL!!!
Sally – it is always amazing to me the difference a good blocking makes to a finished piece of knitting – and this already looks good, so I’m looking forward to the “after blocking” photo – can we hope for a modelled photo like Susan?
I used to hate having my photo taken, but decided to embrace it and smile…..all us knitters love to see knits on real people. Thanks Susan…….looking forward to your photo Sally!
Comment by Anne — February 2, 2012 @ 2:35 pm
Lovely sweater – looks great on you! When looking at other photos on Rav, it seems to sit farther out on the shoulders than yours (but I like yours better). Any idea how you managed to get it closer to your neck?
Comment by Amy — February 2, 2012 @ 2:37 pm
wow, amazing how different the sweaters look in the two different yarns. Thanks for sharing!
Comment by Wool free and Lovin' knit — February 2, 2012 @ 6:23 pm
Susan your sweater looks lovely on you. The color is marvelous.
Sally I love the color and softness of your sweater. I will be looking out for the finished product.
Comment by Beverly — February 2, 2012 @ 6:52 pm
Two great sweaters! And Susan, fond as I am of Lettie, it’s really good to see you in one of your sweaters. I really like seeing people in the sweaters they’ve made. It’s so helpful, when deciding on a sweater for yourself, to see it on some real live people. Thanks!
Comment by Pam — February 2, 2012 @ 7:22 pm
Whoops – really too many really’s in that comment 😉
Comment by Pam — February 2, 2012 @ 7:23 pm
I just finished a Harvest Moon in Mission Falls 1824 Wool, which is, sadly, discontinued. I still have to block it, and hope that the bottom edge with its I-cord bind off will stop rolling when I do that. It looks like Susan’s did. Great pattern!
Comment by Marcy Wallace — February 2, 2012 @ 7:41 pm
Susan, the sweater looks beautiful on you. I love the way you tightened up the neck. It bothers me when something I wear for warmth leaves my shoulders bare.
Sally, your sweater looks wonderfully soft and fuzzy. I’m looking forward to the finished product.
Comment by technikat — February 2, 2012 @ 9:39 pm
just a shout out to Susan that she looks really good in that picture. Susan, more pictures with you in them, please.
Comment by chloe — February 2, 2012 @ 11:43 pm
Love BOTH your sweaters. That is indeed a pattern worth doing and it looks great on you!
Comment by Kathy — February 3, 2012 @ 2:17 am
I have had this sweater in my queue for some time now. Both of your versions are inspiring me to move it up the line! Lovely. And, Susan, the sweater looks fabulous on you! 🙂
Comment by Kym — February 3, 2012 @ 9:13 am