If Sally’s Whale is the long of it, then mine is definitely the shortie!
I totally got sick of my Whale…I had to think hard with the conversion to contiguous and then think hard to mitigate the tail and then think hard to decide on my closure and then I gave up!! I convinced myself (and my argument was quite sound actually!) that I needed a summer sweater. I don’t have very many and this would look cute with short sleeves over a shirt or long-sleeved tee. The beauty of it was: NO SLEEVES TO KNIT!! D.O.N.E! I could really get used to this!!
Here is the back of my Whale. No one ever shows the front. Why? It is boring. Mine is even MORE boring because I omitted the cute cables at the bottom. Again, too much thinking involved and I was sick of thinking.
I made mine out of Cascade Venezia Sport in color Cranberry. Merino (70%) and Silk (30%), 307 yards/100 grams. The color is deeper than it looks in these photos. It is pricey ($17-20/skein), but my project only took 4 skeins. Unfortunately, I bought eight. While knitting this thing, I thought my knitting looked horrid — very uneven. It blocked out better than expected, but I still see its many flaws.
Sally was asked about the contiguous sleeve method. Basically, it is a top-down method that creates a set-in sleeve as you go (rather than a raglan or circular yoke).
There are a few ways of doing it. Friday Again uses one stitch to separate the “every row increases” used to create the shoulder line. Many use 2 sts to separate the increases, which Sally and I did on our Whales. If you are interested in this technique, there is a Ravelry group devoted to it, and more patterns being designed all the time, many of which are free. I would recommend either making one from a pattern or start with the mini-sweater that describes the technique. Once you understand the method, converting patterns is not too bad.
The fit is superb if done correctly. People often make the shoulders too wide. The secret is to make sure they don’t extend past the bone at the top of the shoulder.
Thar she blows.
It’s lovely!
Comment by Cheryl S. — August 21, 2012 @ 11:23 pm
I really like the color!
Comment by surly — August 22, 2012 @ 9:55 am
Beautiful! And thanks for the info.
Comment by rebecca — August 22, 2012 @ 11:24 am
Just as breathtaking as Sally’s, and I love the short sleeve option.
Comment by Chloe — August 22, 2012 @ 7:04 pm
You two are truly amazing. How fun both of your sweaters are different and both are beautiful. Love the colors. It must be so satisfying to be able to finally wear whale.
What did you use for closures or is it open?
Comment by Holly Love — August 22, 2012 @ 7:44 pm
I love it! Some day I’ll give contiguous a whirl.
Comment by Penny — August 22, 2012 @ 8:30 pm
Oh, lovely!! I have some of that yarn! But mine is bright blue. I may copy your idea a bit. Or not. It’s far more likely that I’ll earmark the yarn and just pet it and dream for a while. ;^)
Comment by Lisle — August 22, 2012 @ 11:32 pm
Very pretty color!
Comment by Wool Free and Lovin Knit — August 23, 2012 @ 2:29 pm
As I’ve said before, I am in complete AWE of you two. This Whale is just gorgeous! I love the color and the beautiful details. All of your ‘thinking’ paid off beautifully. Thank you so much for sharing this with us – you never cease to inspire!
Comment by Barb — August 23, 2012 @ 2:58 pm
Flaws? It looks PERFECT to me and I’m persnickety. Someday I’ll try that top-down sleeve method…when I get bored of socks ;o)
Comment by Terry SailingKnitter — August 23, 2012 @ 3:52 pm
Great sweater and thanks for the tip on the shoulder fit!
Comment by twinsetellen — August 23, 2012 @ 9:51 pm
How beautiful in this amazing color !!! It is such a nice pattern !!! Congrats !!!
Comment by lo de lille — August 24, 2012 @ 1:51 pm
I love your sweater and yarn. The yarn is just the right color not too pink or purple. I’ve been studying the contiguous method for a while. I love to see the examples used in fabulous projects like yours. Thanks for the sleeve tip.
Comment by Beverly — August 28, 2012 @ 10:18 pm