Knitting for me: A Casco Bay Cardi

Pattern: Casco Bay Cardi by Carrie Bostick Hoge (collection Sparrow Sans, Quince and Co.)

Yarn: Cascade Ultra Pima in Ecru colorway 3718 (3 skeins, 660 yards. I have a tiny bit left)

Needles: US 8

Notions: 7 wooden buttons

Size: 35

Important: As the pattern indicates, swatching is vital!

I'm planning to knit down my stash for the next couple months. Now, I don't have an enormous stash but it is sizeable enough and does take up a storage box of its own. Almost all of my stash was given to me by my mother around the time of my wedding several years ago. It's high time that I start to use it. All the yarns are absolutely lovely but I suppose the reason I have waited so long to knit them up is that I'm a person that will generally pick out a project, buy the yarn specifically for the project, and make it almost right away.  I need to reverse my usual process and pick projects based on the yarn and quantity, which I can tell you, has taken quite a bit of searching on Ravelry.

So, without further ado, my first stash knitdown project: A Casco Bay Cardi in Cascade Ultra Pima.

I love garter stitch and I realized that this cardi would be just the thing to go with my Make a Garment a Month May challenge dress, Simplicity 2215. You can see the dedicated blog post here. Looking through my stash, this yarn seemed like the best bet...because that's kind of what it felt like... I wasn't sure I would have enough yarn and I was going to be using a cotton dk instead of a fingering linen held double. But I swatched and blocked and I seemed to obtain a similar gauge using a US 8, although the cotton seemed to have a tendency to shrink up more than the linen.

Even though this project was a breeze to knit, it was outside of my comfort zone because of the loose gauge knitting, which is something I had never done before. I had to keep reminding myself of my gauge swatch to reassure myself that the garment would be fine. 

I loved the integrated buttonholes which streamlined the whole process. I added some extra rows and a buttonhole. I'm glad I added a bit extra to the body length because the cotton does seem to want to shrink up, although we'll see how it does after wearing and whether it starts to pull down. 

The sleeves were the only part that I didn't enjoy as much but that's also because sleeves are not my favorite part of a garment to knit. I knit them on two circulars as I don't have double pointeds. It gave for a neat result since the magic loop method was looking too messy with the loose gauge. I didn't add extra rows to the sleeves because I was not going to have enough yarn.

There are so many things I love about this cardi such as the simple construction and neckline, paired with the fluid beauty of garter stitch. The incorporated buttonholes were so satisfying because once I was done with the body, I was done! I'm very pleased with the cardi and the fit, which is loose and comfortable without being too big. I'd love to knit practically all of the patterns from the Sparrow Sans collection, but I don't think I have the right yarns in my stash, so the other patterns will have to wait till later. And finally, I'm so happy about how this goes with my Make a Garment a month dress and it's exactly what I had envisioned. I also love that the buttons somewhat bring back the idea of polka dots and the color of the dress. Success! (Even though I look very serious in this photo, inside I'm jumping for joy!)

Knitting for L: Lucky (you)

Pattern: Lucky (you) by Solenn Couix-Loarer

Yarn: De Rerum Natura, Gilliatt (2 skeins) in colorway Poivre

Needles: US 8 for body and US 6 for ribbing

Notions: 4 buttons

Size: 2T

I had originally bought this yarn last year for a matching hat and cowl that would both go with the adult version of the same sweater, Lucky (me), that I had knit myself. (They're all in the e-book Emmitouflages) That plan fell through when I finally admitted to myself that I don't really like to wear hats and I prefer to wear cloth scarves to knit ones. So, what better than to use this yarn for my baby boy and I had just enough!

The knitting was really easy and super fast especially since I had already made the adult version of the sweater. The construction is lovely, top down, with a lovely pocket detail.

I'm not sure exactly why (probably just me), but when it came time to knit the bottom rib, the rib was off by 2 stitches and didn't line up with the knits flowing into the knits and the purls flowing into the purls on one part of the back central panel, so I decreased a bit to help fix that. No sweat.

I chose some simple 4-hole metal buttons. I wanted them to be sturdy and blend into the garment. The cardigan looks great on him and I find it kind of funny that we have versions of the same one. The sleeves are a little long so he has some growing room...although that adorable little belly of his (I can't resist tickling and kissing it), is definitely stretching the sweater when he sits down. 

During this project, L would refuse to let me try it on him while it was unfinished so I wondered if he didn't like it. However, once I had put the final button on he grabbed it and tried to put it on. So, he does like it after all! He also picked up my knitting needles when he thought I wasn't looking and tried clicking them together to knit! It was so sweet!

Knitting for me: Praline

Pattern: Praline by Gudrun Johnston

Yarn: De Rerum Natura, Ulysse in colorway 'Baleine Bleue', 5 skeins

Needles: US 4, US 5

Size: 30

Notions: 5 buttons

I'm finally done! I finished the knitting last Friday and finally got some good photos Wednesday...we've been having misty/rainy weather with just a few moments of sun. Luckily, I managed to catch one of those sunny breakthroughs. From start to finish this sweater took me almost a month but I put it down for about two weeks whilst I had some sewing projects to wrap up, my husband's birthday shirt to make, and then there was a whole week devoted to KCW. 

I'm quite pleased with the result and my husband claimed that it's his favorite of my cardigans. Isn't he sweet? I like the fit very much as it's adjusted without being too tight and I am thrilled with the shoulders. This was a new shoulder construction for me and it fits my wide shoulders really well. The sleeves are knit from the bottom up, joined to the body with decreases on both sides. Once the sleeves have achieved the appropriate height, the remaining sleeve stitches are bound off to be later seamed to the shoulders. (The fronts and back of the cardigan are joined with a clean 3 needle bind off before seaming the shoulder top.) I think I might try to incorporate this construction for other cardigans.

Based on the finished garment measurements and since my gauge swatches were spot on, I decided to make the size 30. Normally, I would pick the size above but it seemed like there was going to be too much ease and I wanted it to be rather adjusted. 

The most obvious modification I made was to leave out the pockets. The pockets were absolutely adorable but I decided against them for several reasons. Firstly, I was concerned about not having enough yarn (now that it's done, I think I would have had enough). Second, I never use the pockets I knit into garments. Lastly, and most importantly, the way the pockets are constructed, one ends up with three layers of fabric and I was not sure that it would be flattering to have that many layers.

I also lengthened the body and sleeves to more closely match my Pretty (me) cardigan. I lengthened the body to about 33 cm and the sleeves to about 35 cm. I made sure to end on the appropriate row of the little bird stitch pattern for both as indicated in the pattern so I could easily continue with the next instructions. 

Other than that, I followed the pattern exactly. If I were to make this again, I would make the same modifications again, (no pockets and lengthen body and sleeves) and I would also add an extra button or two. I find the distance between the buttons a bit large, and I would like it better to have a button at the level of the fullest point of my bust to help prevent gaping. That said, I'm toying with the idea of adding gros grain ribbon to the back of the button band to stabilize it a little more. I'm looking at different ways to help stabilize bands and I'm going to be studying the useful information on TECHknitting for bands.

I'm glad I chose a navy as it's my favorite dark neutral color and goes with just about everything I have. I've worn it twice already, including MMM Day 1, and on MMM Day 2, I've chosen to wear my Pretty (me) cardigan. Can't say these cardis don't get worn! Because the De Rerum Natura wool shop is closed until early September, (congratulations, Solenn for your future bundle of joy!) I'll be trying to knit almost exclusively from my stash. I'm currently working on a sweater for L and I'm hoping to make another cardigan for me.

And here we are, out and about enjoying a few rays of sunshine in the park.

Softly (you)...again

Pattern: Softly (you) by Solenn Couix-Loarer

Yarn: De Rerum Natura Ulysee in colorways Poivre et Sel (3 skeins) and Baleine Bleue (about 40yds)

Needles: US 3, US 5

Size: 2 yrs

Here it is, my second sweater knit from Solenn Couix-Loarer's pattern, Softly (you) (the first one is here) As you can probably tell, I really really like this pattern. And most important of all, my son adores this, well, both sweaters! There was pretty much the same reaction as the first time. "Pull, pull" (L is saying sweater in French.) He's very much into trying to dress himself right now, so of course he tried to put it on himself. Not entirely successful, but oh so cute! I wish I had a photo of it!

I used the same yarn, De Rerum Natura's Ulysse in the identical color for the main body: colorway Poivre et Sel. For the stripes, I used a navy blue, also in Ulysse, called Baleine Bleue, which I had bought quite a few skeins of to make a sweater for me, which I hope to share in the coming weeks once it's finished. What can I say? I really like this yarn. This is (counting my unfinished sweater) the third time I use it.

I have a slight preference for the yellow version of the sweater because of the cheerfulness of the yellow, but truly, they're both lovely. I'm very pleased with both, and I'm surprised by the fact that I knit the same pattern twice in practically the same colors shortly one after the other. I think there's about a week between the two! But I guess seeing how thrilled my baby boy was, was motivation enough to dive right back in!

(If the sweater looks a little askew that's because I got him dressed in a hurry for a doctor's appointment.)

Knitting for little footsies

Pattern: "it's a guy thing" by Caroline Hegwer

Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in colorway Kale

Needles: US 2

Size: 5-6 inch circumference

Ever growing footsies need socks, right? So, I brought out my big box of yarn and went through the fingering sock weight section, pulling out a few left over skeins from previous finished sock projects or from the multitude of little leftovers my mother gave me. I set to work immediately and hey, voilà! A new pair of socks for L's little footsies.

This was actually the first time I knit socks from a pattern that had a design on it. I learned to make socks as a teenager while sitting on the couch next to my mother. She would walk me through it, telling me what to do for each section, which I would do, and then she would tell me what to do for the next. No patterns, just a kind of recipe. When I moved away from home, I would refer to sock recipes like "How I Make My Socks" by Susan B. Anderson to keep me on track, but mainly remembering my knitting sessions with Maman. And since "it's a guy thing" is my mother's sock pattern, I new it would almost feel like we were knitting together again. (Ah, I miss vacation when I get to go see her!)


I really enjoyed certain details that gave the sock a crisp and clean finish, such as the garter stitch edge on the heel flap, which made for a very clean edge after picking up stitches. An improved edge from my previous socks! I'll definitely be using garter stitch on the edge of the heel flap again. I also really liked how easy it was for me to make the different sections shorter or longer to fit my boy. I'm looking forward to making this for myself and my husband.

I chose this leftover Madelinetosh subtly variegated sock yarn, which I thought would bring out the beauty of the texture of the sock. I had used this yarn to make myself a pair of socks last year, but unfortunately those socks are looking rather ragged. I suppose he'll grow out of them before they have time to look ragged though. I had 39 grams and each sock used about 15 - so, I still have a bit left, which I'll have to find a way to use.

I've already made another pair with a leftover skein from my mother. If my memory serves me right, I seem to remember her saying it was Koigu, but I could be wrong. Only 31 grams of yarn here, so it was rick-rack!

Knitting for L: Softly (you)

Pattern: "Softly (you)" by Solenn Couix-Loarer

Yarn: De Rerum Natura Ulysee in colorways Poivre et Sel (3 skeins) and Genêt (about 40yds)

Needles: US 3, US 5

Size: 2 yrs

This was one of the few knitting projects I had up my sleeve for my lovely L's Spring and Summer wardrobe, apart from socks galore. Around here, 'Breton' style sweaters and tops are really popular and remain ever so trendy for kids and adults, season after season, year after year. So, hey, why not make one for L since I already had the e-book?

I also decided to give in to my recent love for yellow by going with a yellow stripe which looks positively golden next to the soft natural color of Poivre et Sel. I can't get enough of yellow next to grey or natural colors and I'm pretty sure it's going to show up again in garments and even the house!



As with many of Solenn's patterns, (I can't believe this is her 10th pattern I've knit! They're just great patterns!) I had to go up a needle size because I knit a bit tight. Once knitting got started, it went really fast. I was racing to get to those stripes, to only be halted when I got to the sleeves. Oh, man! I had forgotten that I dislike these kinds of picked up sleeves from the armholes with short rows worked for the sleeve cap. Sadly, the project sat untouched for a good day or two as I suspiciously eyed those armholes. I knit them as directed by the pattern and I think the sweater looks fantastic despite my not being a fan of these kinds of sleeves.

There are great little details like a faux seam line made by purling one stitch at what would be a side seam or arm seam. It looks really cute!

While I was knitting the sweater, little L would come over to touch it and would say "pull, pull" knowing that it was for him. I finished it during his naptime, folded it nicely, and once he was up and saw it, he grabbed it and tried to put it on himself. Oh, how rewarding is that?! (Happy sigh and I'm already planning another one of these sweaters) He adores it, so I love it too! And I'm so happy with those golden stripes. They make for such a happy sweater! Enjoy, my little L! (In this last indoor picture, he's making his 'can we go to the playground now?' face.)

Knitting gifts

Ah, birthday season is upon us! Hurray, hurray but this means that much planning is required, and astonishingly so, I'm on schedule, with 3 out of 4 ready to be sent off to their birthday recipients! We actually have 5 birthdays coming up, but my husband's vest, which I started months ahead of time just to be sure to have it ready, is meant to be his birthday gift. (I may try to sneak in a shirt if my sewing schedule allows but shhhh.)

Up first, a knitted iPad case.

Pattern: "Cabled iPad Sleeve" by haramis designs
Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers  in colorway 2442 (a natural oatmeal-like color)
Needle: US 8
I know, it looks miniscule. How could that ever fit an iPad?! But it has been tested and approved on a borrowed iPad. I was rather nervous making this at first, since I don't have an iPad and had to wait to be able to test it out. Thankfully, it stretches out beautifully and the cables are lovely (although I reduced the number). I added two extra buttons for a total of three as I felt it would be more secure. Birthday project #1, done!

 

 Next, a beanie.

 

Pattern: "Skyping Beanie" by Halldora

Yarn: Green Mountain Spinnery Cotton Comfort in colorway Storm

Needles: US 4, US 6

 This is actually the second time that I make this hat with this same exact yarn. Normally, I wouldn't knit a pattern twice in the same yarn, but when I remembered my brother enviously eyeing my other brother's new hat, I thought, well...ok. But I was going to add at least a tiny little something and this little embellishment is jewel purpose. One, it helps tell the hats apart so no confusions arise, and two, it's his 18th birthday! I'm pretty sure he'll love this.



Lastly, another slouchy hat.

Pattern: "Starry-Eyed Slouch" by Stepen West
Yarns: Green Mountain Spinnery Cotton Comfort in colorway Storm (used throughout)
            Madelinetosh Merino Light, Iris (a deep blue) and Mica (light blue)
            Madelinetosh Sock , I think it was Composition Book but not completely sure
            Unknown yarn that was given to me, perhaps tencel?

 So, this one is for my other brother. He's quite a hip and stylish kind of guy, so hopefully this will suit his aesthetic taste. I left off the stars and the pompom but I have an idea for another one using more leftover yarn that would use the stars.





 Wait! I said 4 gifts, right? Well, the last one is for an art lover who kindly  appreciates my work. But it's not done yet!

Knitting for me: a smocked cardi

 

Pattern: "Pretty (me)" by Nadia Crétin-Léchenne from the collection Emmitouflages (used the pattern in French)
Yarn: Malabrigo Arroyo in 131 Sand Bank, 3 skeins
Needle: US 5 for ribbing
             US 6 for body
Size: xs
Notions: 10 mother-of-pearl buttons (15 mm)

This cardi was a labor of love but I am quite pleased with the finished product! I say it was a labor of love because there were some errors on my part (nothing to do with the pattern) that ended up with me undoing a half finished project. Gahhh!!! Silly, girl! How did you end up using a US 4 instead of  a US 6? I have a number of hypotheses as to how this disas...mistake happened but when the cardi started to look like it would just about fit a 5 year old I knew something was awry! Anyhow, being the person that I am, I ripped it back and started again the same day.

 

All that said and done, phew, I really did enjoy knitting this cardi. It was straight forward, simple, the smocked fronts helped keep it interesting enough, and I really am quite in love with that square neckline. I feel that it looks so elegant.

I made a few modifications on the bottom ribbing, button edges and the neckline. Instead of using a US 6, I opted for a 5 as I felt it would look a little cleaner. Once the body is completely finished (sleeves, shoulders and all) the pattern then directs to work on the neck edge but as I was feeling inspired by kathok's Farmhouse Pretty (me) on Ravelry with that lovely, clean neckline edge, I knit the button bands first. I adjusted the number of picked up stitches to 87 as I felt  it needed more stitches to look its best and I made sure to knit 3 at the neck edge so as to have a stitch to pick up into. I positioned 9 button holes on the button band. Once the button bands were finished, I then moved on to the neck edge where I picked up 8 extra stitches on the edge of each button band and 22 stitches where the pattern suggested picking up 11 stitches from the long edge of the square (153 sts total). I added another button hole to make a total of 10 button holes for the cardi. Oof, technical stuff! 

In a previous post I mentioned wanting simple but eye-catching buttons, which is what I did. 10 simple round 2-hole mother-of-pearl buttons. I love the way they shimmer and take on the tones around them.

 

The pattern uses a saddle shoulder technique which I had never done before and to be honest, I was a little nervous about whether I would like the fit. Verdict: when I first tried it on, I thought that I didn't like it, but as I've had it on a little more, it's starting to grow on me. I think I've reached the point where I can comfortably say that I like it (although one shoulder fits better than the other?) and would make another sweater with this kind of construction. Oh yes, however, thank you, Quill on Ravelry for noting it, but the pattern should read slip 1, purl 1, turn, on the wrong side of the saddle shaping!

  
I really love this cardi. My first sportweight cardi for me! I think more knitting for me is bound to happen based on this great experience and result. I am overall very pleased with the fit and the way the yarn looks and I hope it will wear well. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it won't pill too much. Aren't those smocks just lovely? And as I already said, I really adore this neckline! It sits beautifully in an unbroken line. I guess I do indeed feel so pretty wearing this!

 

P.S. I felt a little awkward having pictures of me taken like this as I'm really not used to it!

Awaiting buttons and work in progress

                         

It's almost, almost done! Done with the knitting, the weaving in of ends, blocking. It just needs its buttons and hey! There we go! I'm thinking something mother-of-pearl, something slightly understated but that will still catch the eye with a little glimmer.

I'm so pleased with the way the smocked pattern turned out. The pattern is Pretty (me) by Nadia Crétin-Léchenne from the collection Emmitouflage(s). I think it should fit rather well (I swatched and swatched and the dimensions seem right) but I'm waiting to sew on the buttons so I can wear it for the first time to be sure!

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Since I finished all I could do excepting buttons on my cardi yesterday, my hands were absolutely itching to start a new project. I knew a couple of things. First of all, I wanted to make another hat for my teenage brother. The one I made him for the holidays hardly leaves his head, so I thought another might be quite welcome. Secondly, I wanted to use some leftover yarn which led me to pick Stephen West's pattern, Starry-eyed Slouch. I'm liking the way this is turning out so far and I am so glad to finally put these odds and ends of yarn into something wearable!

Skye



 "Skye" by Brandon Mably (Rowan 52)

A new year, a new project, the first of this new year, and a very first vest (or sweater of any kind) for my darling husband.
 

I could go on and on about the beauty to be found in the Rowan 52 magazine but I'll be succint and simply say: stunning, arresting! So many of the patterns of the Hebridean pattern collection called out to me. How about "Bute" or "Orkney" and of course "Skye"? Making a sweater for my honey was high up on my list of things to do, so enter "Skye".

Sure, I've made many a sweater for our little boy but those were, well...so tiny! (and even now, I'm only making size 2T's for him!) So, a man's sweater? Huge! Daunting! And would he even wear it? "Skye" was an incredible compromise. No sleeves (yay!) and extremely rewarding and visually effective colorwork.

I made the XS size and followed the instructions to the letter except for the neck edge and the armhole edges where I somehow didn't really absorb the instructions. I had seamed everything and because of that I ended up knitting the armhole edges and the neck in the round (Note to self: read patterns carefully instead of assuming, especially when it comes to finishing).

Oh, and an important note too: thank goodness I had ordered an extra ball of the beige, Buttertubs ,otherwise I would most defintely not have had enough. I do have leftover skeins of all the others though - do I foresee a miniaturized version for our little one next winter?

                                       

I am so pleased with the vest and the fit too, especially since I did the back and part of the front whilst visiting my family and the interested party was not there. I thouroughly enjoyed myself making this as it was pretty simple shapingwise but had the very entertaining systematic colorwork - reaching the next color change became quite addictive. Oh, those colors! It fits him beautifully and I take it as a good sign that he's worn it three days in a row to work and is asking for more handknit sweaters, and a homesewn burgundy shirt to go with the vest. In fact, he even floated the idea of me making all of his clothing. (More thoughts on that later but for now...yay!)