Thanks for all of your fabulous comments about the Kauni. It did dry, and I did finish the inside edges. I tried it on and the neck isn’t as tight as it was before blocking, so it will be fine. It will be a wearable sweater with jeans and turtleneck (gee, that’s a new look for me!).
Here is Lettie doing the modelling. I know, I know — maybe I’ll add a picture of me in it later with buttons ;).
And the back:
Marina asked me about why I grafted the sleeves and how — here is the response I sent her:
Warning: Esoteric knitting blather ahead
The mattress stitch I tried using to sew the sleeves in just did not look right. So I decided to try grafting the sleeves in instead.
Looking at the right sleeve as the example, I ripped back to one row after the red squares (a yellow row). I picked up around the sleeve opening with red, and then used yellow for my grafting yarn. This created the second row of yellow after the red squares. When I picked up around the armhole, I used a size 5 needle instead of the 4’s I would have used for the straight knitting portion (I switched between 2 needle sizes throughout my Kauni: 4’s for the single color rounds and 5’s for the stranded rounds). I did this because the stitch was going through the fabric and I wanted the red line to be visible.
The button quest will now begin…dum de dum dum DUM!!
It’s BEAUTIFUL! I love it!
I think pewter or silver buttons would look great. Or maybe pearl ones? Hrm…
Comment by suzanne — December 17, 2007 @ 1:27 am
Lovely. I think my favourite parts are 1) the elongated chequerboard edging; and 2) the mitered square neck. You did a really beautiful job on this.
Comment by Shannon B — December 17, 2007 @ 1:33 am
Love the colors and the neck and — well, everything. Good luck on the button quest.
Comment by AuntieAnn — December 17, 2007 @ 2:08 am
Beautiful at every phase. Square Fimo or Porcelain buttons could work, too.
Comment by painterwoman — December 17, 2007 @ 2:14 am
Beautiful !!! I love the colourway you chose and the collar.
Comment by Dominique08 — December 17, 2007 @ 4:51 am
It looks marvelous! I love the neckline. I would have known that was your Kauni … the front and neck bands match the hem 😉
Comment by Marina — December 17, 2007 @ 7:26 am
Susan- I’m so happy you finished it. The colors are so bright and happy.
I’ve been looking for the right size buttons, one in every color- let me know
what you find.
Oh, and you mitered the collared, you clever minx!
Comment by Lorraine — December 17, 2007 @ 10:02 am
Absolutely wonderful! The mitered collar gives it a smart, crisp look…I love it!
Comment by Angela — December 17, 2007 @ 10:54 am
It looks mah-velous.
Comment by surly — December 17, 2007 @ 11:02 am
Hi, Susan! Love the sweater. (That Kauni yarn is amazing — cannot believe you got that lovely effect on the button/neck band with the colors holding true for the whole length of it.) And I loved the mental picture of you doing the dance! Here’s why:
I’m working right now on a very, very short seam (actually two seams, each about two inches long) on my Grant Avenue vest (Alice Starmore). They join the two checkerboard bands on either side of the vest’s side-slit openings to the bound-off stitches above each steek. Basically, it’s vertical checkerboard garter stitch being seamed to horizontal stockinette, with everything in two colors. It looks like crap.
I am thinking you may be just the role model I’m looking for — I think I’d really enjoy doing that dance.
Comment by Judi P in Cleveland — December 17, 2007 @ 5:12 pm
It’s beautiful. I love the way you adapt your patterns. I think you’ll enjoy wearing it. I get many interesting comments about mine. Your sleeves came out similar to mine – one sleeve matches the bottom of the sweater and the other sleeve matches the top. Enjoy.
Comment by Claire — December 17, 2007 @ 5:16 pm
I love this sweater, of course, but in particular a few details: I love how the boxes in the pattern are echoed by the shape of the collar, and how the button band matches the bottom band. Those I think are the piece de resistance!
Comment by Kim — December 17, 2007 @ 5:40 pm
I love your finished Kuani. What I like the best is the garter stitch border and neck band. How did you do it????? cg
Comment by Cathy Goldman — December 17, 2007 @ 6:30 pm
Wow! What a gorgeous sweater. I have the yarn. I have the pattern, but I don’t have the mojo. You’re inspiring me.
Comment by ruth — December 17, 2007 @ 11:06 pm
Another gorgeous project! I want one too!
Me I’m still on Hemlock – was cruising along so smug at row 47 when I suddenly realized after switching to longer circs so I could actually see the project that I had screwed up horribly back on row FIFTEEN and had to rip that far back. Aaarrgghhh! I’m not sure it will get done by Christmas now because my tendonitis is acting up again. I got back to row 23 before I gave up last night and hope to get another 5 tonight if I am lucky after I get home from my meeting. Not sure I can squeeze out a total of 21 rows and the bind off in time to block for the big day… We’ll see.
Comment by Evie — December 18, 2007 @ 10:30 pm