When your knitting fights back

Day 4 of #blogjune – in which my head is too big for my jumper

I originally knit this jumper over a year ago using a vintage sixties pattern. The yarn is lovely, Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed Chunky in a rich mustard yellow called, as you’d expect, “Mustard”. It isn’t just yellow though, there are flecks of paler yellow, buff and apple green. It’s beautiful, and sadly has been discontinued, which is why I’m still persevering.

My first attempt was ok, but I was never really happy with it. The neckband was a bit too tight, the body was fine, but the sleeves were sort of puffy. The puffy sleeves were odd because men’s knitwear from the sixties usually has a slimmer fit. I wore it a few times and then in a moment of bravery (or madness) I ripped the whole thing out. I’d had an extra skein left over after the first attempt so I was pretty sure I could start over and make something new.

The next attempt was using a modern pattern for a plain set-in sleeve sweater from Patons book 1232 Inca Men. I got the back and most of the front done, but it was enormous even though I was knitting the small size. I ripped that out too.

By this time the yarn was starting to look a bit second-hand so I thought I’d try to revive it by winding it into hanks which I then soaked and laid out to dry. The yarn was looking almost back to new so I set to work again, this time using a seventies pattern for a raglan sweater from an old Spinnerin book, Spinnovations – groovy!

Nearing the finish line, I had sewed up the raglan sleeves and picked up and knit the ribbing for the neckline and luckily I thought to try it on before sewing up the rest of the seams.

My head would not fit through at all! Did people in the seventies have thinner heads? Drat and double drat. So I’ve ripped out the neckband… just the neckband this time.

I’ve put it to one side for now to have a go at fixing things next weekend. My current plan is to undo one of the shoulder seams so I can knit the neckband flat, working a few extra stitches into the neckband so it isn’t so tight and then sew it up. Wish me luck… if it can’t be salvaged this time I might just turn it into a giant scarf.

Today’s sweater

For Day 5 of Knitting and Crochet Blog Week the challenge is to try something a bit different.

Deep breath… inspired by Brenda Dayne’s “Today’s sweater” feature on her brilliant Cast-on podcast I have made an audioboo of the sweater project I’ve been working on today.

So, here is my little version of “Today’s sweater” — you may also be able to hear my dog Willy woofing in the background. Willy says hello too.

I think the WordPress player requires Flash so I hope it works for you — if not you can pop over to Audioboo and listen there.

• Pattern: “Cable Tweed Sweater” by Erika Knight, from her book Men’s knits.
• Yarn: Debbie Bliss Luxury Donegal Tweed Chunky, colour “Denim”. 

one sleeve done

…also the front and back so I reckon I am 3/4 of the way to done with my jumper so it should be ready for the start of winter.

Things were really going quite well until I got a bit confused by the instructions for the very top of the sleeve which, of course, I didn’t realise until I had actually finished.

The pattern is by Erika Knight who gives brilliant instructions for fully fashioned increases and decreases in her sweater patterns. I don’t think I’ve seen any other knitting patterns that specify the paired increases and decreases to use for both knit and purl rows. It’s just that she didn’t quite explain what to do when you start running out of stitches and you aren’t sure which of the patterns to keep going.

Of course it turned out I made the wrong choice, which was obvious when I came to the last line of the pattern and it suddenly all made sense. There’s a lesson there about reading ahead, and it was also helpful to pay close attention to the pictures which in this case are informative as well as decorative. After pausing for a cup of tea, it didn’t take too long to rip back a dozen rows and make good.

For the first time ever I am using the specified yarn for a pattern and I bought the exact amount of yarn called for but it looks like I’m going to have almost two 100 gram skeins left over at the end. What to do? I think Heidi Klum would frown upon the idea of a matching hat.

Pattern: “Cable tweed sweater” by Erika Knight, from her book Men’s knits: a new direction.  Yarn: Debbie Bliss Luxury Donegal Tweed Chunky, colour “Denim”. 

at the same time

You know those knitting instructions that have you do two different things at the same time? I really should write down notes so I don’t get myself in such a tangle.

I can just about cope with decreasing at the neckline and armholes at the same time, but I was so busy concentrating on the bit about “reversing shaping” that I completely forgot about “while keeping in pattern”. It was only after casting off that I noticed I’d forgotten the cables. Bother.

Daylight saving ended last night so it is finally feeling more like autumn and the evenings are starting to draw in. We even had a sudden rainstorm today. Perfect for knitting with a cup of tea. Having finished the back and front, I  reckon I should have this chunky jumper done by the time the winter weather arrives.

Pattern: “Cable Tweed Sweater” by Erika Knight.
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed Chunky, colour “Denim”.

A Christmas ball for Easter

The fifth Christmas ball finished for KnittingSarah’s Merry Knitalong.

This is the Greek Cross, number 40 from Arne and Carlos’s 55 Christmas balls to knit, and the first I’ve knit with the design in white against a red background. I really like how this one turned out. The story of how Arne and Carlos came up with the design is quite magical too…

One late night in Athens, when we were looking for something to eat in what appeared to be a doubtful spot, we passed a small church with the door slightly open. We got a little glimpse of a world filled with light, colors, and song, a closed world with the door ajar.

My other knitting time has mostly involved a big project lately, the “Cable Tweed Sweater” from Erika Knight’s Men’s knits, a new direction and I have just this minute finished the back. This is my third project from this book which I guess says something about how much I like the designs. If you’re a man who knits or you’re knitting for a man (or both!) it’s definitely worth checking out.

I’m using Debbie Bliss Luxury Donegal Chunky, actually the recommended yarn although mine is in “Denim”, a tweedy blue with flecks of white, darker blue and black. It’s really lovely, and sadly discontinued, although that’s the reason I was able to pick up a jumper’s worth at almost half price so I shouldn’t complain. It will certainly be toasty warm so I’m hoping I get it finished before winter arrives.

Sweater curse

For day 3 of #blog12daysxmas

For Christmas this year Wayne asked for an orange knitted jumper. I spent ages looking for just the right orange yarn and eventually found it but the shop didn’t have quite enough for a jumper so, having discovered some beautiful chunky Debbie Bliss Donegal Tweed yarn, I asked if perhaps a mustard yellow might be an acceptable substitute. Yes!

I bought nine skeins of this lovely yarn, enough for Erika Knight’s Tweed Cable Sweater but, for reasons discussed back here, that plan didn’t work out and we decided instead on a vintage 60s pattern for a plain round neck jumper.

The vintage jumper would have used just seven skeins if I hadn’t messed up and had to re-knit the neckline, although I still have enough left over for another small project. Anyway, here is the jumper finished with the re-knit neckline. I went up one needle size when casting off the back of the neck and two sizes for the front which turned out much better so I’ll keep that in mind for future projects.

It’s the first jumper I’ve knit for Wayne but, after 23 years together, I think we should be safe from the (cue music of doom) Sweater Curse.

Knitters will know what I’m talking about and, astonishingly, there is even a Wikipedia entry for it, complete with footnotes.

Knitters use the term “sweater curse” or “curse of the love sweater” to describe a situation in which a knitter gives a hand-knit sweater to a significant other, who quickly breaks up with the knitter. In an alternative formulation, the relationship will end before the sweater is even completed. The belief is widely discussed in knitting publications and some knitters claim to have experienced it; a recent poll indicated that 15% of active knitters say they have experienced the sweater curse firsthand, and 41% consider it a possibility that should be taken seriously.

Despite its name, the “sweater curse” is treated in knitting literature not as a superstition governed by paranormal forces, but rather as a real-world pitfall of knitting that has real-world explanations and solutions. Several plausible mechanisms for the sweater curse have been proposed, but it has not been studied systematically.

Adrienne Martini touches on the sweater curse in her book Sweater Quest also noting that little is known of how the curse operates in same-sex relationships. So, there you go.

Since I bought it, the Debbie Bliss Donegal Chunky Tweed has been discontinued and there are closeout bargains to be had. Although I paid full price for the Mustard, I scored another nine skeins in tweedy blue Denim, a bargain at half price, which I’m planning to use for the Erika Knight Tweed Cable Sweater for myself, a project for next year.

Details of the yarn and pattern on my Ravelry page.

Off the needles… Striped scarf and green tweed jumper

Finished! The simple striped scarf in Rowan Baby Alpaca is from Erika Knight’s book Men’s knits.

Debbie Stoller says you should bind off loosely, as if you were a bit drunk after a couple of drinks (which sounds just a little bit dangerous as I get squiffy after one light beer) so I thought I’d try Erika Knight’s tip of going up a needle size.

The scarf is knit long ways on a 4.0 mm circular needle so I used a 4.5 mm needle for the bind off. This worked out quite a bit better than my usual bind off, but it still pulled in a little so next time I might even try going up two needle sizes.

It isn’t mentioned in the pattern but if you want all the purl bumps in the colour changes to show on the “wrong” side you should make sure you have an even number of rows in each colour sequence. I actually quite like the “wrong” side too.

I’ve also been wearing my green tweed jumper this  past week. It really is perfect for autumn days when you don’t want anything too bulky, but when the temperature can suddenly take a cold turn. The 25% alpaca in the Rowan Felted Tweed adds just enough toasty warmth even though it’s quite a light fabric.

a little bit of ripping

Even though it’s the middle of summer, I woke up this morning with a cold…  although to be fair, some of the weather last week was decidely wintry. I even got to wear one of my jumpers from last year, although not the forest green cable raglan one that I finished just before Christmas.

Somehow, after checking my gauge and measuring while I went along (but only after I’d seamed  the whole thing together) it seemed suddenly HUGE. I tried washing and blocking and got it to come closer to the size  it was meant to be, but then it just gradually stretched back again.

So, after taking a few deep breaths, I ripped the whole thing out, winding the yarn into neat balls and let them sit for a while while deciding what to do next.

I then did what I should have done in the first place, knit some tension squares and wash and block them, which showed that the fabric worked out much better when I went down a needle size. Also, the whole process of pulling everything apart showed me that I had also duffed up joining the sleeves to the cable raglan panels, which gave the sleeves a puffy 80s look (not good, even in the 80s).

Once I’d figured that out I decided to knit the jumper all over again, with smaller needles and getting the armholes right this time.

I started the day after New Year and it’s going surprisingly quickly. I’ve got the front (or back, since they are identical) and two sleeves done, and they are all washed and blocking.

I also sewed on the wooden buttons I bought for my button collar pullover. I never like the crappy plastic ones I put on when I finished it, and I also had them slightly in the wrong spot. The collar sits a lot better now.

And, after confessing that I’d never actually used the sewing machine I bought two Christmasses ago, Raynor encouraged me to get sewing. We had a cushion cover made from a fab 60s red and black fabric, an op shop find I think, but we didn’t have any cushion inserts to fit it. Wayne had the idea of taking it apart and using each panel as the front of a new cushion. So, a bit more ripping…

The sewing project was delayed a bit because I managed to jam the sewing machine and it had to go off to get fixed but here is the first cushion finally done. It’s backed with some charcoal coloured cotton fabric from IKEA.

Button collar pullover finished, and sock heel turned, phew…

The button collar pullover is finished. I bought some buttons at Clegs that looked quite good but they were a bit heavy and dragged down the collar, so…  I ended up using three buttons salvaged from Wayne’s old cardigan.

I also turned the heel on my Mint Julep socks…

Some gentle knitting

I spent last Sunday, a lovely sunny spring day, finishing off my button collar pullover. Almost finished actually, because I just need to add the 3 buttons at the collar. I had some buttons which were ok, but after a couple of months of knitting I thought it deserved something a bit more special, so I’ve ordered a set of 4 vintage wooden buttons on Etsy.

Etsy is such a nice place. The buttons cost me $2 with $4 postage from the US  but I got an email from the seller saying the postage was a bit less than she thought it would be so she’s refunded me $2.

The jumper is now washed and blocked, and I promise pictures when I’ve sewn on the buttons. It’s my first go at raglan sleeves and I’m quite chuffed with the result. The yarn is Patons organic Eco Wool Chunky, which knits at the same gauge as Patons Jet (which is what the pattern called for).

Speaking of yarn, the pattern called for 17 balls of Jet and the Eco Wool had almost the same yardage, but I hate spending an entire project worrying that I won’t have enough so I bought 18 balls just in case. So how come I have nearly 5 balls left over? It’s not like I forgot to knit one of the sleeves or something.

(ps: If, like me, you do have some left over yarn, could I suggest that it might be good for knitting a Scarf for Japan? )