Summer Knitting

You may have guessed from the lack of actual knitting content around here that, although I've been busy with other sorts of fibery pursuits, the knitting hasn't really been happening. And you'd be correct. Summer is always a little challenging for me from a knitting perspective. I don't really like tank tops, I don't wear shawls, I don't enjoy knitting socks, and we all know my checkered history with lace. So it's tough to find a summer knitting project I'm interested in doing. And when I finally do, I'm usually disappointed with the results (see this and this). Even if I like the results, I rarely end up wearing the finished product (see this--and remind me again to do an FO post of my Unmentionables, finished for weeks, but yet to be photographed, much less worn).

So I've been looking for a great, wearable summer project for weeks. I've perused Ravelry. I've dug through the books and magazines. I've fondled stash yarns. I've even wound and swatched several balls. And still...nothing.

And then I saw this. Which I love. And I have a sweater's worth of purple Cascade 220 tweed that I picked up during the last WEBS sale. I've been waiting for a great pattern to come along for it.

But, of course, no matter what you call it, a cabled wool cardigan is not a summer sweater. Around here, it's not even a spring sweater. It is, undeniably and irrevocably, a winter sweater. And winter is a long time from now.

But it will come. And I will still be here.

So I cast on anyway! You're welcome, Winter Self.

The Scoop

So Silver Belle was a grave disappointment. I am still planning to make it, but I'm debating whether to use the same yarn and rework the pattern, or use a light worsted/dk weight and knit the size small. I found someone on Ravelry who is my size and who successfully made one, but she did the small and took out two cable repeats. I say again, what is wrong with this pattern?

Let's not dwell on that now, though. I have another project to share. I'm a little reluctant to even show you this one, because it seems to be flying under the Knitting Goddess's radar and I don't want to jinx it. It's going so nicely, though (knock on wood), that I couldn't resist.

This is my Kochoran Scoop, so named for the Noro yarn (oh, angora fuzz, how I love thee!) and the deep scoop neck. It was inspired by Kolsva, which is a Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton design using Kochoran. In fact, I bought the pattern book intending to make Kolsva. I like the simple, fitted shape and deep scoop neck. But I don't like the saggy cowl and I don't really want to knit it in pieces and sew it up, because, you know, I'm really loving the top-down, one-piece knits these days. And then, the original is really too short, and I want long sleeves, and...

So, in a small fit of pique after ripping Deep Purple, I wound up some skeins of Kochoran I had in the stash (I think I got this from The A.D.D. Knitter in a destash a few months ago--thanks, Heather!), and without benefit of pattern, plan, or calculator, I cast on with reckless abandon.

And wouldn't you know, it fits perfectly and I haven't ripped once.

Considering the fates of some of my recent, carefully-considered, well-thought out, agonizingly- planned projects (what round yoke jacket?), I'm not sure whether to be happy or annoyed. I've decided to go with "happy" for the time being.

Because, really, what's not to love?

Ripping My Heart Out

I did it. Fast, like a bandaid, so it wouldn't hurt. It did anyway.

Thank you all for the advice and support. I did email Cynthia (from the comments), only to discover that her peplum, which she thought was too big, was smaller than mine. By a lot.

Still, wanting to be sure, I took Deep Purple with me to my knitting group this morning, to get an unbiased opinion from knitters not emotionally invested in the project. They laughed. Out loud. It was suggested that it might make a good table skirt.

And in case you're still not convinced, I decided mid-rip that I really ought to lay it out flat and measure the thing, since it was off the needles anyway.

My dining room table seats eight comfortably; ten in a pinch. I could always use it as a table runner, I suppose.

I did, at least, think to take complete measurements of every part of the peplum before I ripped. I measured and noted and calculated. So I guess you could say I just made the world's largest gauge swatch.

I also discovered source of the problem. As I mentioned before, the gauge for the peplum is not given in the pattern, nor is the finished measurement of the bottom of the peplum. But there is a measurement on the schematic (in the wrong place, but there all the same) for the top of the peplum, where it joins the bodice. There is also a stitch count for the top of the peplum. If I were the sort of person who thought ahead in this way, I could have figured out the gauge for the peplum by comparing those two numbers before starting to knit. As I am not that sort of person, I only discovered this connection today. Taking those two numbers, the required gauge for the peplum works out to 7.88 stitches to the inch. This is in aran weight yarn. My gauge for the peplum in aran weight yarn on size 6 needles is 6.5 stitches to the inch. Over 428 stitches, that is a difference of 11.5 inches. Even if I had made the size small to begin with, there is no way my gauge would have given me a finished product that corresponded to the actual or perceived size of my body.

So the next time you wonder if gauge really matters, the answer is a resounding YES!

But I am a little miffed by the whole experience. The pattern, to be honest, sucks. I know; I don't like to criticize other people's creative work, either, but if I had paid for this, I would be royally peeved. (For those who don't know, this was a Vogue Knitting "cover pattern" bonus from their anniversary issue, and is available as a free download from the VK website.) But this pattern is a Debbie Bliss design, which I understand is a reprint from one of her books. If I had paid for a pattern book to get this, I would be outraged. The only gauge given is for the seed stitch part of the bodice, the schematic does not show measurements for several important parts, and some of the measurements that are given are clearly incorrect. But what really confuses me is how anyone could ever get the required gauge with aran weight yarn. 20 stitches and 30 rows in seed stitch is almost doable (although I had to use a size 5 needle to get close), but nearly 8 stitches to the inch for the cable section? Most of the successful finished projects I've seen on Ravelry used worsted weight yarn or lighter, not aran. And most of those were modified to make them smaller. So I am baffled as to what the designer had in mind with this one.

But at least I got "free yarn" out of the deal.

Giant Purple People Eater

I've got about five inches of the peplum for Deep Purple (aka Silver Belle) done, and people, this thing is HUGE! I'm not even sure how to measure it, because the stitches are all bunched up on my 40" circular, but I think it's a pretty safe bet that two of me could fit in here. That ball of yarn in the middle is what's left of a 250 gram hank of aran weight yarn. I am at an impasse. I think this is just going to be too big. And we all know my tendency to make sweaters that are too large. In this case, the situation is complicated by the fact that the only gauge given in the pattern is the gauge in seed stitch, which only comes into play in the bodice and sleeve section, and is therefore no use at all in figuring out one's gauge in the cable section. Add to that the fact that the measurements in the schematic are clearly incorrect, and I feel like I'm swinging in the wind here.

The impasse I mentioned? Ah, yes. That would be my reluctance to rip out several days of work (I did mention the 250 gram hank I've almost knitted up?) without being absolutely certain that this is going to be too big. I'm not sure exactly how much evidence I need to make that determination. Apparently the fact that I wrapped this thing around the widest part of my hips and it created the wooly equivalent of a gigantic tutu is insufficient evidence that it will not miraculously block out into something that gracefully skims over my hips without making me look like I'm carrying twins.

A couple of hours on Ravelry have alerted me to the fact that at least several other people have had similar experiences with this sweater. I suspect the reason in some of those cases, including my own, is that the required gauge is very odd. The given gauge is 20 stitches to four inches in seed stitch on size 8 needles with aran weight yarn. Seems reasonable-ish. But when I swatched, I had to go down to a size 5 needle to even get close to that gauge, and the resulting fabric was stiffer than I would ever choose to knit. I am, admittedly, using a different yarn than that called for, but it's hard to see how it could be that different. For the peplum, I used a size 6 needle, reasoning that I didn't want to struggle with cabling so tightly and it would make little difference in the finished size.

This may have been an error.

And so, my dilemma: To rip or not to rip? That is the question.

A Rose By Any Other Name

Thank you all for the birthday wishes. They really brightened my day! It's not every day a gal turns 29...uh...30...or did we agree on 35?

And these were also a highlight of the day! Are these not the coolest flowers ever? One of the guests at my little party last night was fellow knitblogger Janet of On The House. She made this bouquet of felted roses just for me!

I love how rich they look, and the soft texture of the felting.

I think the variegated ones are my favorites.

If you want to make some yourself, Janet graciously sent me the link to the pattern on the Berroco website.

I didn't have time for any knitting last night, but I did manage to finish the cast on for Deep Purple (aka Silver Belle) today. This was no mean feat. There are 428 stitches on that needle. I know. I counted them. Many times.

The pattern calls for a 24" circular. I defy anyone to get 428 aran weight stitches on a 24" circular and retain any measure of sanity. I used a 32" and those babies are on there tighter than a tick in a dog's ear. There are 50 stitches crammed between each set of white markers. I'll be moving up to a 40" on the next row.

I really wanted to show you at least one of my recent rescued projects, but it was ninety-freakin'-seven degrees here today and a woolly FOtoshoot was absolutely out of the question. Tomorrow is supposed to be significantly cooler. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. For those of you in places where fall has fallen, could you please send a little cool air this way?

Deep Purple

I think it's finally time...

I've had the yarn for this in the stash for almost a year now. I bought four HUGE (250 gram) hanks of this deep purple Kid Aran at Little Knits last fall with this project in mind. I know that's a lot of yarn, but I have had way too many experiences with running out halfway through the second sleeve, and I knew I'd probably never be able to get more of this hand dyed yarn to match.

After finishing up two lingering projects in the past two days (an endeavor that involved lace repairs, rescue yarn, and the dyepot), I feel I have served my penance for putting the Round Yoke Jacket on the shelf. (I'll show you the finished projects once I can get pictures.) After several rounds of swatching for projects in my queue and not really feeling the love for any of them, I think I am ready to tackle this one. I've been looking forward to it for a long time, but Death By Cables sort of took the edge off my cable love for a while there.

I'm planning to make this one significantly longer than the original. I don't really like cropped sweaters. I hit 5'11" when I was 14, so I've spent most of my life tugging on clothes that are too short. I have a hard time deliberately making a short sweater. I want mine to be hip-length. I think I can just add length to the peplum, but I'll have to see. For those who aren't familiar with this pattern, the peplum is knitted as one long piece, then the upper part of the sweater is worked in right and left halves, each incorporating front, back, and one sleeve. It looks to be a bit complicated to adjust sizing. Fortunately, I fall comfortably within one of the existing sizes, except for the length.

I'm hoping to cast on tonight, after my birthday party! Yes, indeed. Yarnhog is a year older today. I've been 29 for the past 10 years, so I think it may be time to turn 35.