green tweed

A few weeks ago, after the last session of the BSJ class I took at Stitch Your Art out in State College I had a hankering for some tweed. Boy, did they have some good choices. But the Debbie Bliss Donegal Chunky Tweed in this awesome green color (292111) couldn’t be ignored. I wasn’t sure how much yardage I would need since it was a chunky weight. This stuff is a bit pricy, but oh so pretty… I asked Cynthia how many hanks she thought I should get and she pulled out the knitters handy pocket reference (I can’t remember its exact name, it has a chart based on gauge and bust size to tell you about how much yarn one would need). My only griped about the chart is… it says I have the chest size of a 8 year old.  Srsly, I know that I don’t have much up top, however  I didn’t need a laminated chart to tell me that.  I’m going to try to look at it as a good thing cause it meant that I would need a little less than 6 hanks.  And cause I’m ok with my body image.  Now yarn usually hangs out in my stash for awhile before I start something with it, but with this I was worried about having enough yarn. A part of my brain kept saying “650 yards for a sweater?! No way.” I had to cast on right away, and finish it quick, quick, quick. Just in case I needed more, it would be easier to find.

So ater I finished up Kailey’s BSJ (yeah, its done. I’ll show you. Soon. Its hard to get decent “action shots” where you can actually see the sweater not a colorful blur). I knit up a little swatch, measured it, washed it and hid it from my children just in case I would need the extra yarn. Swatches are usually stolen to be used for doll blankets, doll house rugs or pirate eye patches. Yes, my children can be very imaginative. They are also driving me freaking nutters, is it Spring yet?! I got a crick in my neck and my eye won’t stop twitching.  Gesh, they have cabin fever, b.a.d. Anyway, I don’t know why I knit a swatch really, maybe to see what the yarn did after it hit water? It did help me choose what size needle to use. I loved the fabric on the US 10.5 (6.5mm) US 11 ( 8mm) seemed way to loose. The yarn does really bloom up and drape after a good soak. But it didn’t help me figure out how many stitches to cast on for the yoke, I get raglan construction now. That I’m done with this sweater, cause yeah I’m slow like that.

I searched all around ravelry for a pattern to use for this yarn. Couldn’t find anything that spoke to me. I absolutely wanted something super simple in this yarn, to show off the friggen gorgeousness of it. I envisioned a garter yoke cardigan and my vision wasn’t wavering. After I searched and searched. Tried one of the raglan calculators, didn’t agree with it. 40sts for the collar? Um, no. I had my oh-duh-aha moment. I thought about the shalom sweater and how high it sits up on my neck. I thought about how many I cast on for that and thought well, maybe a couple more would work. (Very mathematically scientific, right?) So I CO 64sts knit 4 rows. And used a bit of EZ genius I put buttonholes on both sides (just like the bsj) so it would be easier when it came time to sew on the buttons. My button hole rows (which I repeated a total of 6 times, ever 8th garter ridge) k3, y k2tog, knit to last 4sts k1, yo k2tog, k2. kit one row. While doing this I increased to 70sts and then placed my raglan markers (k14 pm, k13 pm, k16 pm, k13 pm, k14) for no better reason than I thought I should, and so the collar area would be a bit smaller than the yoke area. Yeah, makes no sense. I know.  I increases before and after each marker (increases where next to each other making a visible “line”) I kept increasing until just under my shoulders. (30 sts for each front, 41 sts for each sleeve, and 42 sts for the back.) after I put the sleeves on hold I casts on 3 sts for each underarm. I’m not to sure how I feel about the increases being very visible, granted this might just be something that I see.

It wasn’t until I was almost done, way past my waist that I thought of waist shaping. I probably could have used some, but its ok with out it.  For the bottom hem I worked 7 rows garter. Cast off on the purl side. Cause I just like they way it looks, it looks so much cleaner. And started sleeves, while I trolled around etsy searching for the perfect wood buttons. I searched through so many pages, and pages and pages of wood buttons. There where many choices. And I wasn’t quite sure how big my buttonholes would end up being. I feel in love with Jay at Wooden Treasure’s buttons. Really, how could I not? I ordered a set for this sweater and another for a future, while I was waiting I worked on the sleeves. And for the sleeve decreases I k5 rows, decrease 2 sts 8 times (started with 47 sts, decrease down to 31) and knit it till I came to about 1″ before my wrist. Worked 4 garter ridges, using the jogless garter technique. (Kathryn Ivy explains it well right here.) And again I bound off on the purl side, that would be right after the last ridge.  It didn’t take long for the buttons to arrive and they are perfect, beautiful and extactly as pictured.

pattern stats:
2nd NaKniSweMoDo sweater.
pattern: my own. if you want to go that far.
yarn: 5.42 skeins (590.8 yards)Debbie Bliss Donegal Chunky Tweed Colorway 292111
purchased at Stitch Your Art Out in Pine Grove Mills, Pennsylvania
needles: US 10½ / 6.5 mm
started: February 17 2009
completed February 24 2009
raveled here. With the notes too.
notes about the yarn: of the 6 hanks that I wound, 2 had knots where 2 yards where added on to make the correct yardage. (gr) Still a lovely yarn to work with, blooms beautifully and surprisingly soft!

Final notes: green + tweed + wood buttons = L O V E
Cynthia, I ran outta yarn….. I think I need more ; )

PS. Lest you think I’ve been having a good run with sweater luck, last week I casted on for Wisteria. Hoping that if I dropped down needle sizes I could get a smaller gauge using yarn that I purchased for it at Rhinebeck. No such luck. The smallest size is a 37″ and for my apparent 8 year old chest, that’s ubber big, I’m going to need some dk weight yarn. Cause the solana, isn’t going to work.

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driving-thru

I’ve been a little slow lately showing the kids finished sweaters, better at showing works in progress. Still, need to show the sweaters.
One night I dreamt of a sweater, since ya’ll are knitters you don’t think I’m crazy. But really, this sweater was in my subconscious, I’ve been thinking of a great tweedy sweater and couldn’t get it out of my mind. I wanted to knit a tweedy sweater for my son, with a bit of colorwork bits on the yoke. Good thing the next day was a Tuesday and one of my LYS’s was open, cause I knew just the yarn I was going to use too.

Too bad it was the wrong weight for the pattern I chose. It’s ok, right? I know a bit of math, I can figure it out. I measured the kid, figured out the cast on for the sleeves and the body and all that. It was good till I got up to the yoke. Worked one row of the color change and the colorwork got lost. Because I was using a lighter weight yarn. Things needed changing up a bit.

I worked the first color change row as written, reversed it, then worked a few rows before changing colors. I love how this sweater turned out. Its fantastically tweedy with a bit of color. I have to say that Bryce loves it too.

stats:
pattern- Drive thru by Wendy Bernard
size- to fit a 25″ chest
yarn- Queensland Collection Kathmandu DK
MC: 7 skeins color #433 (foresty green tweed)
CC1: barely 25 yards of color #434 (tomato red tweed)
CC2: barely 20 yards of color #432 (dark brown tweed)
CC3: barely 20 yards of color #415 (light brown tweed)
needles: US 7 (4.5mm)
Started Sept. 9
Finished Sept. 20, two days after picture day. Retakes are tomorrow. ; )

I desperately love this sweater, and want one of my own. The color is just fantastic, I love that green! But wouldn’t it be just a bit to, um.. odd for my son and I to have a matching sweaters? It seems very freudian crazy my son and I having matching sweaters at any age (even though I think that man was a quack). And trust me, my kids have enough to talk about if they ever decide to go to therapy! (Next time your kids are in the car and your pumping gas make silly faces at them. The giggles will never stop! Makes pumping gas a little bit more fun too!) But it wouldn’t really be that horrible, a matching sweater, would it?
And because these little guys are just too cute, the kids convinced me (read Corra) that life isn’t crazy enough over here we need more animals,

welcome bandit and Salt and Pepper little 8 week old baby kittens. Just what I needed.

almost on time…

I had a sinking feeling when I casted on for Bryce’s picture day sweater that I wasn’t going to be done in time. When I told Bryce that it was a good possibility that his sweater wasn’t going to be done in time and I told him not to worry there will always be retakes (yeah, I’m totally going with the idea that my 7 year old son is waiting with incredible amounts of enthusiasm to wear a sweater for picture day that his mother made for him. Sarcasm escapes me). And Bryce replies with “Don’t worry Mommy, I’m just happy that your knitting a sweater for me.” Kid totally knows how to ham up his Mom. (And how to get lots of handknits.) Yesterday he told me that he is glad I’m not a “mean” Mom. (I’m pretty sure its cause he wants his pokemon cards back.) Anway, his picture day was Tuesday and as you can see,

I didn’t quite make it. But on the other hand, I personally think this sweater is turning out beautifully. Bryce agrees and keeps telling me how soft it is. I’ve attached the sleeves and am 2″ into the yoke (I plan on knitting 3″ before starting the yoke pattern thing yeah).  Now that I’ve gotten most of the boring bits outta the way I’m ready for the fun part. Bring on the yoke!

for the love of tweed,

Since ya’ll are knitters you will understand this dream. You will not think that I’m crazy, ya’ll might have even had a dream like this. Sometime this summer I decided that I would knit sweaters for my kids to wear for picture day. I knew that their school has an (in my opinion) early picture day, I figured it would be in late September. I was shocked when the paper came home telling me it was going to be September 16! Thank goodness I was almost done with Corra’s sweater but I hadn’t even ordered the yarn for Bryce’s sweater! I knew that I wanted to knit him drive-thru, but I was going to knit it using knitpicks swish. That was, until I had my dream. I don’t know if it was the late night blog reading or what. But last Wednesday night I dreamt about yarn, I dreamt about his sweater. I dreamt about tweed.

yeah, you so read that right. I had a dream about knitting Bryce’s sweater.I tried telling myself that I could wait to get the yarn. I could wait till Saturday, till Corra’s sweater was done. (Those sleeves where taking for.ever!) But I knew that one of my local yarn shops has Queensland Collection Kathmandu (rav link) but I couldn’t remember if it was in DK or aran. I was hoping it was in aran, since the pattern is written for worsted weight. I couldn’t wait one more day, I drove down Thursday afternoon (they are closed Friday’s.) Nope, not that lucky. It was DK and the pattern is written so the sweater is knit from the bottom up. Fantastic. I thought, well it won’t be that hard, I’ll just knit a swatch, tweek some numbers and it will be all good.

damned swatch was no bloody help at all. I did learn that the yarn does grow and fluff up a bit after its been washed. but clicky on that pic to embiggen it. You’ll see. It didn’t matter what size needle I used, the damned gauge is the same on a US 6 or a 7. 5.5 sts/inch All the damned same. *grumble* Ok, if I could have lived with the fabric the US8’s gave me it woulda been ok, but the stitches where too loose. You know where this is going now? I had to re-wright the pattern. Math! Gah! No! Say it isn’t so! Ok, really it wasn’t that bad. Maybe some other day I’ll explain now but right now my brain just hurts. And I want to get back to knitting with this yummy tweedy yarn.

I’ve finished one sleeve this afternoon and started the second one right after it. I realize now with picture day being 4 days away there is no way I’m going finish this sucker before then. But there are always retakes, right?

ps. Finished Corra’s sweater Monday-ish I’m just waiting on the buttons.