FO: Sligo

At long last...Sligo:

You may remember when I started this one, in a frenzy of enthusiasm, way back in the spring. I fell in love with the pattern at first sight, and I had the perfect yarn, hand-dyed for me by the amazing stitchjones, just waiting for the right project. But alas, the path of true love did not run smoothly (is this a theme, or what?).

I struggled with the stitch pattern, which incorporates complex cable stitches along with (shudder) lace. I struggled with gauge issues that caused me to rip and reknit the back three times. I struggled with my ability to follow the pattern, causing me to rip out half the front. I struggled with the yarn, when I ran out and had to have Sharon attempt to match the earlier dye lot, a process that eventually required the sending of swatches up and down the West Coast to achieve something that would work. And then, in the final crowning inglorious moment, I realized I had sewn shut the side slits, and in attempting to reopen the seam, I cut the wrong thread and the lace hard-won lace began rapidly unraveling across the front. This last crushing blow was it for me. I stuffed the entire sweater, completed but for the edging on the side slits, behind the sofa. And there is has remained.

A few days ago, as I was working on a remake of another project that displeases me, I abruptly decided it was time to finish Sligo. Before I could reconsider, I pulled it out and set to work. In less than an hour, I had the side seams open, the lace repaired (or at least confined), and the side slit edging picked up and knitted. I wove in the last few ends and put the whole thing in a warm bath to soak. A gentle blocking, an overnight drying, and it is done. I can't believe I waited so long to address the problem, and how little trouble it was to fix. I'm going to look on this as a much-needed reminder that it is better to face one's demons than to hide them away behind the sofa.

The damage to the lace and the subseqent repair is barely visible. See?

If you look carefully, you can see on the lower left edge that the left side of the lace repeat is incomplete. This is the part that I mistakenly cut, and the best repair I could manage was to tie off and weave in the cut ends and then pick up and knit the edging. I figure no one will ever see it, so I can live with it.

The details:

Pattern: Medallion Pullover (Ravelry link) by Gayle Bunn from the Spring/Summer 2008 Vogue Knitting
Yarn: Stitchjones hand-dyed superwash worsted in the colorway "Sligo" (about 1500 yards)
Needles: Size 6 and 5 KnitPicks Options circulars
Mods: I made mine a couple of inches longer than the original, both in the body and the sleeves.
Thoughts: I can't say I really enjoyed knitting this one. The various problems I had with it made it more a matter of determination than pleasure. But I do like the design, and I do think I will wear it. Mostly, I'm just glad to have this albatross off my neck!

FO: Sahara

I'll be honest with you: this project was a disappointment. I love this pattern (Sahara, from stitchdivas). It is beautifully written and fun to knit. And I love the yarn, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted. I suspect my lack of joy is, once again, the variegated nature of the yarn (this colorway is called Glenwood). I was so excited to get this yarn. The colors are so cheery and pretty. Alas, this finished fabric also looks like colorful tv static to me.

I also ran out of yarn and had to make short sleeves. I generally don't like short sleeves, because my arms are so skinny. In this case, they are particularly unflattering because they are so wide. I would probably like this project better if I could lengthen the sleeves to at least a 3/4 length, but that would require buying more yarn, and I'm not sure it's worth it.

The details, such as they are:
Pattern: Sahara, by stitchdivas
Size: Small (about 1" negative ease--I could have made this smaller)
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Glenwood
Needles: Size 6 Knit Picks Options circular
Modifications: None, really. I made mine longer, but that's not really a modification, since the pattern calls for custom length. I also left off the beads on the edging, since the yarn was busy enough.

I suppose I'll have to give this one some thought. Perhaps we'll revisit it later.

FO: Ribbed Lace Bolero

I feel almost obligated to show you a successful, drama-free project after yesterday's post.

So I will.

This is the Ribbed Lace Bolero by Kelly Maher. (The link is to the free pattern on her blog.)

This was another simple, quick knit, made extra relaxing and pleasant by the yarn I used, which is a heavy worsted weight, single ply, hand-dyed silk I got from Destash last year. I think I used about 300 yards for this project.

I have no complaints about this project. If I were to do it again, I would probably use a slightly smaller needle for a little less relaxed gauge, but this does fit well. I've worn it several times already.

FO: Retro Ribby Twinset

I will confess, I don't love this project.

I started this twinset (The Retro Ribby Twinset, from Knitting Lingerie Style, by Joan McGowan Michael) last spring and really enjoyed knitting the camisole.

I didn't like my choice of yarn, though. It is superwash wool, which just doesn't make for a great summery top. I think my love affair with variegated yarns also started to wane with this project. I love variegated yarns. I cannot resist them. But I rarely like the way the look knitted up. This fabric actually reminds me of a tv test pattern. I don't buy variegated yarns anymore, although I do like a nice almost-solid yarn.

So I didn't cast on for the shrug part of the twinset right away. In fact, I didn't cast on for it until this spring.

I got the entire thing knitted in short order, but when I began sewing it up, things did not go well. I tried repeatedly to make it work out, and finally, in utter exasperation, called it quits for good. But I didn't rip. I don't much like the yarn anyway, so I stuffed the whole thing in the back of the stash closet, never to see the light of day again.

At least until the previously-mentioned post-Dickinson cleanup. I came across it and thought, "Well, it's almost done. It just needs a little sewing up. Maybe a good blocking with fix the odd fit." And so I pulled it out, sewed it up one more time, and blocked the living daylights out of it.

I still don't like it. It is just a poor design. The fronts are made in a way that they simply don't fit properly. Every version I've seen on Ravelry shares the same problem.

Even though I'll probably never wear this set, I don't consider it a failure. I learned quite a bit from knitting it, including short-row bust shaping, the fact that I don't like variegated yarns as much as I thought, and that, sometimes, even professional design are a flop.

FO: Gathered Pullover

Next up in the FO parade is the Gathered Pullover.

This was a really simple, fun knit. It is worked in the round in one piece to the underarms and then split for the fronts, so there isn't much seaming--always a good thing in my book. The cable is interesting and well-charted and serves the dual purpose of creating a focal point and adding shaping under the bust. The only caveat I would add is that there is a lot of plain stockinette. I consider this a plus, since I actually really enjoy plain stockinette, but if you're one of those people who find it about as much fun as sticking a dpn in your eye, you might want to skip this one. I have a lace sweater I can send you to work on instead.

Pattern: Gathered Pullover from IK
Size: I followed the directions for the 32" size, but used a slightly larger gauge, for a finished size of about 33.5". This is about 1.5" of negative ease.
Yarn: Jaegar Roma (nylon/viscose/angora). Nine balls.
Needles: Size 9 Knit Picks Options circular.
Modifications: I added 4 inches in length to the body, including an extra inch above the cable to lower it and raise the neckline, and about two inches in length to the sleeves. I also added waist shaping to draw in the waist about 4 inches. I left out the eyelets at the bust, because I couldn't understand why I would want little holes running across my breasts.

This sweater was an experiment in negative ease for me, and I am pleased with the results. It is clingy, but not tight. I am considering doing another of these in wool in a bit larger size for winter wear. It was enough fun that I wouldn't mind doing it again!

FO: Tahoe

I finally got around to doing a FOto shoot of all my unblogged FO's. Being a prudent blogger, however, I'm not going to show them all at once. One a day, people, just like candy bars. Let the FO parade begin!

We'll kick this thing off with one I've never even blogged at all. But there's a good reason for this. I've mentioned this project a couple of times in passing (I believe I called it "the ugliest thing I've ever made"). I made most of it while we were skiing in Lake Tahoe in February. It was supposed to be Juliet, but that...didn't quite work out. It was only after knitting and ripping the bloody thing four times that I finally got it working--and realized the design didn't suit me at all.

Not wanting to waste all the effort, I ripped back to the yoke. There was no way I was going to rip that sucker out after knitting it four times, so I thought I'd just wing it and come up with something on the fly. In the car. On winding, icy mountain roads. With the kids and the dog in the back and my husband demonstrating his winter driving skills with great enthusiasm and little concern for my utter lack of interest in seeing how neatly he could pull out of a slide or my complete devotion to reciting every prayer I'd ever heard while keeping the car on the road by sheer force of will.

Needless to say, I was less than pleased with the result of my design efforts.

When we got home (in one piece, praise all gods that be), I tried it on and then promptly stuffed it behind the sofa in utter disgust, where it has remained, awaiting frogging, ever since.

And then, in my post-Dickinson project clean up, I came across it again. I pulled it out to frog and it occurred to me that it wasn't as ugly as I remembered. And the yarn was soft and pretty. So I tried it on again. Not one of my better works, certainly, but not--I thought--beyond hope. It did fit pretty well. A little modification to the body, maybe. A couple more inches of length. Maybe some sleeves, and one of those left-over buttons from the CPH...

And you know, I think I like it!

The details:
Pattern: Mine, mostly
Yarn: RYC Soft Tweed, 7 balls in Sprig
Needles: Oh, maybe a 10 1/2. Knit Picks Options circular

In Search of a Cure

I have a brand new knitting disease. It's so rare, there is no known treatment or therapy. There isn't even an official name. The good ones, like startitis and second sock syndrome are already taken anyway. You all can tell me what you think it should be called. The symptoms are a complete inability to get around to taking photos and blogging about FO's. I don't have any trouble with project monogamy and there isn't a UFO in the place (in fact, if you look closely at the picture below, you will see that I have finished my new Noro jacket--in less than a week). But there are six FO's waiting for photographs and blog posts! Six! And I'm not talking dishcloths. I mean full-on sweaters! Don't believe me? Look here:

All of these have been finished in the past couple of months and not one of them has even been photographed properly, much less blogged. I laid them all out on the bed this morning so that I would have to deal with them today. I even made arrangements with the resident FOtographer to take modeled shots this morning. But the phone kept ringing and there was lunch to be had and laundry to do and work to handle...and now the FOtographer is on his way out the door, not to return until after dark. I'm starting to worry that my neglected FO's are going to develop insecurity issues. Doesn't she like us? Is there something wrong with us? Aren't we good enough?

So to deal with my mounting guilt, I did this:

Yup. Cast on for another sweater. 'Cause there is no problem so bad that it can't be made worse with wretched excess. This will be a lace-ish cardigan, ala this pattern. I started with it, but I'm using a different gauge, and I wanted to knit it in the round, and I didn't like the way the lace pattern in the original didn't match up at the sides, and I want mine to fit differently, so...you know. I've got 207 stitches on size five circs. This will probably take a little longer than the bulky Noro jacket. Maybe that'll give me time to deal with my new disease. Hey! I know! It's (wait for it...) a FObia!

FO: Death By Cables

Just in time for summer, I've finally finished Death By Cables! This sweater has the dubious distinction of having taken me longer to complete than any other project ever. It's been on the needles since October of last year--that's seven months; longer even than Icarus. Mercifully, the temperature has dropped from its 100 degree high two days ago to an absolutely lovely 69 degrees, just in time for my photo shoot.

Pattern: Dickinson Pullover by Kathy Zimmerman from the Fall 2007 Interweave Knits (my favorite issue of any knitting magazine ever).

Size: I followed the pattern for a 40 inch finished bust. Mine is not actually 40 inches. I'm not sure how to measure accurately because the ribbing and cables draw in the fabric so much, but I have a 35 inch bust, and as you can see, the finished sweater is fairly clingy. (This may change. I haven't washed and blocked it yet, which is also why the cables are a little uneven looking.)


Yarn: Berroco Softwist Bulky (wool/rayon) in burgundy. Seven skeins, I think. The yarn is beautiful: drapey and soft, with a gorgeous sheen from the rayon. I will never, ever use it again. It was the biggest pain in the world to knit with. The rayon is not only incredibly slippery, but splits like nothing I've ever seen and snags on everything. Working numerous cables and textured stitches in this yarn was like slowly peeling off my own fingernails. The only yarn I have ever disliked working with as much is Berroco Cotton Twist, which is a cotton/rayon blend, and for exactly the same reasons.

Needles: Size 8 (for the body) and 6 (for the collar) Knit Picks Harmony circulars. They were perfect for this slippery yarn.


Mods: I made the body two inches longer and the sleeves 3/4 of an inch longer than the pattern called for, to accommodate my height. I'm very happy with the finished length of both body and sleeves. Other than that, I followed the pattern to the letter. There's a first time for everything, I guess! If I were to do this again (and I won't--not ever), I would leave out the textured stitches on the sides of the large cable motif on both the body and sleeves and knit those sections in plain stockinette. I like the textured stitches, but they added four whole charts to the pattern, and those charts were not in sync with the cable charts and were impossible for me to memorize. Without those, the pattern would have been much, much easier for me to follow, and I would undoubtedly have been able to finish months ago. So although I like the way they look, I wouldn't knit them again.

Do you think this finally gets me off the hook with the KG?