The Fitted Cardigan - WIP

I love this cardigan! I love how quickly it's knitting up. I love the shaping and the darts. I love the two colors I chose even though the olive green is showing up as yellow in the pictures. The only negative thing I can say about this cardigan is it may not fit me. Sure, I chose the 38 inch finished bust when I casted on. The top of the sleeves, back and front appear to be in alignment with my body. The area under my bust is very snug. Almost barely breathing snug.

Bold & Bulky Mini Cardi - front view


Back view


I will continue to finish this cardigan and see what it looks like in the end. I have the two sleeves to pick up and knit and then pick up and knit the front and back neck edges.

I'll be back....

Update: I wanted to add that this pattern is available in the Fitted Knits book by Stefanie Japel. It's also a free pattern at Lion Brand's site and includes the corrections to the instructions.

Finally! Shrug This Self-Pics

I've been behind in getting pictures taken of myself modeling my creations. I know, it only takes a tripod, remote, and camera to get this done. But have you heard of "bad hair" days????

I leave you with my photos. Enjoy!

Here's the longer length versions:

Sirdar Denim Chunky


Plymouth Encore Chunky


Here's the normal length version:

Plymouth Encore Chunky


Note: This free knitting pattern can be found at the One Skein Wonders site. It's also available in the One Skein Wonder (101 yarn shop favorites) book.

Happy Knitting!

Shrug This #3 - Completed

Okay, okay...this is the last one. :) I found this purple yarn at my LYS and I just had to make another shrug. I tend to wear a lot of blacks and blues (the bruise colors) and thought purple would be a nice color to wear. If I add up all the hours, over a few days...it takes about 6-8 hours for me to complete one of these. Not bad.

I won't do a review on this one, as you can read the reviews from the previous ones I've made. I've included pictures. Enjoy!


Shrug This in Plymouth Encore Chunky Purple

Front view

Side view

Back side

On the circular knitting needle

Here's the link for all the Shrug This posts/reviews I have on my blog.

Something New to Knit and the Weekend

I've been looking for a nice dressy top to knit that needs to be completed by the end of July. Something easy and simple to knit. I came across this pattern in the Filatura di Crosa Spring/Summer 2006 collection booklet. It's a wide scoop neck sleeveless top. In the picture, the whole garment is knitted in Ananas. I found two skeins of this and plan to knit the scoop neckline with this fancy and funky yarn. I'm still undecided about what yarn to use for the body. It should be a plain colored yarn and should have the breathe-ability factor as I will be wearing this near the end of August.

Sleeveless top with wide scoop neckline in Ananas. Design by Irina Poludnenko.

In the meantime, I'm planning on knitting a "wearable muslin" to check for sizing and to help figure out what yarn and how much to use for my final knitted garment. I will also knit this in a shorter version. I wonder what I can find in my stash....

In the meantime, it's time for me to put away my leftover and unused yarns, clear off my cutting table, and get back to sewing.

Happy Knitting!

Quick Knit Shell - Completed

This shell has been sitting on my sewing/cutting table for some time. Waiting for its side seams to be sewn. Some of you will remember that when stuff starts hibernating on my cutting table, no sewing gets done.

My vehicle is in the shop for repair all day and it's been raining...I thought I might as well get this done and off the table and write up my review.

Here's my review of this lovely shell:

Quick Knit Shell (Ann Norling) by Sandi Rosner. Patons Shetland Chunky in Sea Ice.


Name of Pattern:
Quick Knit Shell (Ann Norling)

Designed by:
Sandi Rosner

Pattern/Garment Description:
Formerly known as the "Bulky Knit Sleeveless Top", this easy sweater will be a wardrobe staple. Can be knitted in cotton for a summery shell or in soft wool to ear under a jacket in colder weather. Great first sweater for the beginner. More experienced knitters will find it a good blank canvas to fill with your choice of stitch patterns or color work.

The shell is designed to fall at the high hips and close fitting armholes so bra straps won't show.

Size(s):
36" to 52" (36, 40, 44, 48, 52)

I casted on for a size 36 inch.

Yarns Used:
Patons Shetland Chunky Tweed in color Sea Ice. This is a light blue tweedy yarn with a bright sheen. Wonderful to knit with.

I used 4 skeins to to make the size 36 inch.

Gauge:
3.75 stitches per inch using size 10 circulars using the Patons Shetland Chunky Tweed yarn.

Knitting Tools Used:
Circular needle: 24 inch Size 8 for the bottom borders, armholes, and neckline.
Circular needle: 24 inch Size 10 for the body of the shell.
Stitch markers when I'm approaching decreases (personal reminder).

Techniques I used/learned:
Moss stitch for the borders.
How to smoothly bind off when two RS rows use BO (armhole areas).
When to use SSK and k2tog for neck shaping.
Picking up stitches.

What I Like About this Pattern:
I love this pattern. Actually, in general, I'm loving Ann Norling's patterns. Her patterns contain several gauges (e.g. 3.5, 4 & 4.5 sts = 1 inch) and instructions for each of the gauges. Also, includes the total yardage needed. So, one could easily use available yarns from their stash or substitute inexpensive yarns (sign of the times) and start knitting this shell.

The instructions were easy to follow.

This pattern came with a 4x6 photo of the garment displayed on the front sheet.

This pattern gives you the option of a round neck or a turtle neck version.

Suggested yarns included Crystal Palace Meringue, Party and Bamboozle.

What I Dislike About this Pattern:
Nothing to dislike at all.

There is a slight error in the pattern. For the front piece, you're suppose to BO of 7 stitches and then BO another 7. Well that comes out to 14 stitches, when I had 15 stitches. I easily corrected the error.

My Pattern Rating (Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, Hard):
I do rate this as Easy, but a beginner could easily give this a try.

Conclusion/Additional Comments:
Did I mention that I love this pattern? I did spend a bit more for this pattern, but well worth it as it includes several gauges and instructions for each gauge. It also includes the total yarn yardage you need with each gauge. Kind of takes the guess work out if a particular yarn will work or not.

The instructions are easy to follow and well written. It does assume you have some knitting experience and that you know how to decrease to the get the correct shaping.

Since I didn't use the recommended yarn, my gauge actually came out to 3.75 stitches/inch with this Patons yarn. As I was knitting the body of the shell, I noticed my width was larger than 18 inches. I estimated my finished bust area would be around 38 inches instead of the 36 inches. Not a problem, as I prefer my tops loose.

This is my first semi-fitted knitted garment.

Will I knit up another version of this shell? You bet! I would like to knit one up that's a little more close fitting. Depending on the yarn I use next, I may need to narrow/decrease the shoulder near the armhole area. I will also need to shorten the armhole length.

This pattern is definitely a keeper and will be my TNT pattern for years to come. Here are additional pictures:

Side view

Back view

Partial side/front view

Shrug This #2 - Completed

Shrug This in Sirdar Denim Chunky

I'm happy to say, it's done. I love this longer version. The total back length is roughly 16 inches. The bottom of this shrug falls at my high hip area. Here's my review:

Name of Pattern:
Shrug This

Designed by:
Toni Kayser Weiner (from the One Skein Wonders book)

Pattern/Garment Description:
Shrugs are all the rage and with this loosely knit version (three stitches per inch) you'll be able to "shrug" off the time investment. This shrug is worked from the neck down and there's no sewing required.

Size(s):
One size

Yarns Used:
Sirdar Denim Chunky in light blue. Used less than 2 skeins.

Gauge:
Roughly 3 stitches/inch. Cast on 53 stitches.

Knitting Tools Used:
Circular needles: 24 inch size 11 needle. This yarn was soft enough that I did not need to use my 29 inch needle.

Techniques I learned/used:
Long tail cast on (I'm loving this method)
Yarn over (YO)
Knitting from the top down
Raglan sleeves
Lengthen the body to fall at my high hip. About 53 rows in total.

What I Like About this Pattern:
Quick and easy to knit. Versatile pattern that can be lengthened.

What I Dislike About this Pattern:
Nothing to dislike.

My Pattern Rating (Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, Hard):
I rate this pattern as Easy. A beginner with some basic knitting experience could tackle this project.

Conclusion/Additional Comments:
This is my 2nd shrug. For this version, I lengthened it. The back length came out to 16 inches. Perfect, as I wanted it to fall at my high hip.

I actually enjoy knitting from the neck down.

Since I did the long tail cast on, I wanted the backside (I believe will double check) to be the right side. So, I ended up I adding an extra row of ribbing at the neckline. I also added an extra row at the bottom to complement the neckline.

This is my TNT pattern.

Side view

Back side



Within the next day, I hope to take some photos modeling both versions.

Another Shrug in the Works

Since the pattern is fresh in my head, I decided to start another shrug. I'm using a really cool yarn called Denim Chunky by Sirdar. I found this yarn in the clearance bin at my LYS. This will be perfect for casual wear.

Sirdar Denim Chunky

I'm actually further along than the picture shows below. I'm getting ready to knit the ribbing for the sleeves. I'm still on my first of two skeins of yarn. I'm thinking of lengthening the shrug so it falls at my high hip area. I tend to make my decisions at the spur of the moment. We'll see what I end up with.

Another Shrug This-WIP

This shrug looks like it will be slightly larger or loose fitting even though I CO the same amount of stitches as my previous version. This Denim Chunky is a nice yarn to knit with.

Don't Rush Me...I'm Trying to Finish My Shell

I have both front and back pieces completed. I seamed one shoulder and then finished the neckline. I seamed the other shoulder. I'm finding this is easier for me to pickup the stitches around the neckline and then finish it. I haven't tackled knitting in the round yet. I'm sure I will learn that soon.

I also finished the left armhole. This morning, my objective was to finish the right armhole. Well, I did a boo-boo. I knitted two more rows than I should have. Hellooooo! I see a pattern developing here. The last 3 projects I've worked on, I've had to frog a couple of rows somewhere in the garment. This morning, I was in a "self-inflicted" rush to get this shell finished. Well...it didn't get done.

Fast forward to now. I need to get dinner ready. Afterwards, I will attempt to frog the last two rows and then do my BO. Sewing the side seams will happen later this week. Sigh!

My Shell (before boo-boo): Neckline finished. Left-side armhole finished.

Shrug This - Completed

I finished my black shrug early yesterday morning, in time to wear to church. This is a quick and easy knitting project.

Shrug This in Plymouth Encore Chunky-black


I will be back later to post pictures of me modeling my new shrug. For now, here's my review. Enjoy!


Name of Pattern:
Shrug This

Designed by:
Toni Kayser Weiner (from the One Skein Wonders book)

Pattern/Garment Description:
Shrugs are all the rage and with this loosely knit version (three stitches per inch) you'll be able to "shrug" off the time investment. This shrug is worked from the neck down and there's no sewing required.

Size(s):
One size

Yarns Used:
Plymouth Yarn Encore Chunky in Black. Used less than 2 skeins.

Gauge:
Roughly 3 stitches/inch. Cast on 53 stitches.

Knitting Tools Used:
Circular needles: 24 & 29 inch size 11 needle

Techniques I learned/used:
Long tail cast on
Yarn over (YO)
Knitting from the top down (first time)
Raglan sleeves
Lengthen the body by a few rows

What I Like About this Pattern:
Quick and easy to knit. Pattern can be easily lengthened.

What I Dislike About this Pattern:
Nothing to dislike.

My Pattern Rating (Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, Hard):
I rate this pattern as Easy. A beginner with some basic knitting experience could tackle this project.

Conclusion/Additional Comments:
This pattern has been on my mind since I first saw it in the One Skein Wonders book I purchased last year. Initially, I thought it would be difficult to knit. I didn't understand what YOs were nor did I understand why markers were used. Plus knitting from the top down? That sounded weird to me. Something I could not comprehend as I've been knitting from the bottom up and that basically makes sense to me.

So, I have a sweater, shrug, cardi/vest and soon to be completed shell experience tucked in my brain. I revisited this pattern and know what? The instructions started to make sense to me.

Since I did the long tail cast on, I wanted the backside (I believe will double check) to be the right side. So, I ended up I adding an extra row of ribbing at the neckline. I also added an extra row at the bottom to complement the neckline.

Tip: The only thing I might add to this shrug is sewing a piece of black ribbon along the front side edges of the cardigan. I noticed the edging wanted to curl towards the inside and while I was wearing it, I kept straightening the fronts.

Personally, I thought this Encore Chunky yarn worked well for this shrug. I have worn it to church and received many complements. The shrug kept its shape throughout the day.

Partial back/side view


Partial front/side view

I plan on making one in a longer length, similar to Trina's version.

I really like the style of this shrug. It's comfortable to wear. It's really cute!

Here's a link to the Shrug This pattern.

Shrug Knitting

I just wanted to do a quick post. I'm almost done knitting my shrug.

Here's what it looks like so far:

Shrug This - front


Shrug This - back

Shrug This!

Here's my fourth WIP project on my knitting needles. This shrug is from the One Skein Wonders book that I purchased last year. I've been eyeballing this pattern for so long. Initially, I had no clue how to knit this top. I had no idea what a YO was and no idea how to knit from the top down. The instructions were foreign to me.

After knitting several easy garments, I went back to my book and would you believe...I understood the knitting instructions for this shrug? Yes, a lightbulb went off in my head. I proceeded to find some yarn and casted on the stitches. I'm using Plymouth Encore Chunky in Black. So far, it's a quick knitting project.

Shrug This! by Toni Kayser Weiner

I've included a link to the free Shrug This pattern at the One Skein Wonders site.

I'm truly amazed at how much I've learned and picked up in the last two months of knitting garments.


Update: I started out using my 24 inch circular knitting needles. About halfway into the knitting, I had to switch to my 29 inch circular needles. I am beginning to see why I need to have circulars in longer lengths. It's hard to knit with stitches that are crammed together.

Knitting Weekend & Other Things

My DB is arriving later this evening. Not sure what we'll be doing this weekend, but I'm sure it will be a photographic adventure.

I wanted to post a long overdue picture of me wearing my cropped cardi vest to give an idea of length and fit.

Wearing My Cropped Cardi Vest

I'm making progress on the back piece of my shell. Gosh, I just love this yarn color I'm knitting with. This shell is turning out to be slightly wider than 18 inches, which is fine for me as I don't want this shell to be too tight. I'm anticipating when I'm done with both back and front pieces that the finished bust will be around 37 inches. This will be my first fitted garment, so I'm quite excited to get this all knitted up and seamed and see how it fits. This will lay the ground work for me on how to judge a pattern size...just like sewing.

Shell - working my way towards the neckline

Since knitting is a very portable hobby, I plan on knitting wherever I go this weekend.

Happy Knitting!

Frogging!

Okay, so I'm not delirious nor panicky. I've done this once before. Frogging (the term Trina pointed out to me). I have been working on my sleeveless shell, knitting the back piece. I had done two sets of BOs (bind offs) per the pattern instructions and noticed that I was missing a stitch. I should have had 60 stitches on my needles, but only had 59. I checked my BOs to make sure I did the correct amount, which I did. You know, I shouldn't be knitting late in the evening when I'm tired and not sure if I can count correctly.

I slipped a marker into the last stitch of the first BO. I proceeded to frog my shell. It was only 4 rows. I slipped my circular needle tip back into the open stitches and recounted. Now, I have 71 stitches when I am suppose to have 72. I know I casted on the correct number of stitches, because my moss border stitch came out correct. So, I lift up my back piece against the light to see if I had any holes. None. I start checking the left side edge and see nothing out of the ordinary. I check the right side edge and sure enough there's an exposed loop waving at me to say..."you idiot, you've forgot me along the way". UGH!

Being the creative person that I am I took the loose loop and my crochet hook and did a chain stitch up the side (looping into the above side stitch thread) until I reached the row I was suppose to be on. I slipped that little sucker on my knitting needle quickly before it had a chance to wave a "see ya later alligator". Now, I realize this may not be a documented technique or the right thing to do to correct this, but it's in the seaming area which may not be a problem. Also, I've laid out the back piece flat on my floor and there's no puckering or ripples from what I've done.

Knitting is suppose to calm the nerves and relieve stress. And that is what it's doing for me. No panic attacks. Just fix the problem and move on. I also like to think I'm a bit creative. LOL!!!

Next Project...a Sleeveless Shell

I've been looking through various pattern books at my LYS and came across this darling simple shell pattern:
Ann Norling - Quick Knit Sleeveless Shell #50

You'll notice in the picture that the yarn used for the middle shell looks familiar. :) It's the same yarn I had used for my cropped cardi vest from my previous post.

I plan on knitting the sleeveless shell on the right with the seed stitch border at the bottom, neckline, and armholes.

I found this beautiful yarn at Michael's:
Patons Shetland Chunky Tweed in Sea Ice color

Which will go with my latest sewing creation:
Brown and blue floral sweater knit cardigan


I can't wait to get started on this knitting project. This will be my first attempt at a knitting project where I am not using the suggested yarns. I knitted a test swatch/gauge with this Patons yarn and it came out pretty close. BTW, if you see this yarn...touch it and give it a squeeze. It's sooo soft.

Cropped Cardi Vest - Completed

Here it is, my review of my cropped cardi vest. Enjoy!


Different views


Name of Pattern:
Cropped Cardigan Vest

Designed by:
Barbara Breiter

Pattern/Garment Description:
Cropped Cardigan Vest

Size(s):
Pattern includes sizes: Small (37"), Medium (41"), Large (45"), and XLarge (49")

I made a Small (37" finished bust). Length is about 14".

Yarns Used:
4 balls of Crystal Palace Meringue in Scuba Dive color (blue, teal, lavender, green, & off white). Total of 492 yards of yarn.

Gauge:
16 sts and 20 rows = 4" in St st.

Knitting Tools Used:
- Used size 10-1/2 (xmm) 24" circular needles (Clover Takumi Velvet Bamboo)
- Mini Kacha Kacha row counter
- Markers (reminder where I needed to decrease - personal preference)

Techniques I learned/used:
- Seed stitch
- Decreases: K2tog, SSK, and P2tog
- Knit the same as for right side, but reverse shaping (my first time!)
- Picking up stitches around the armhole and front and back neckline
- Sewing more seams

What I Like About this Pattern:
Uses less than 500 yards of yarn. Simple instructions.

What I Dislike About this Pattern:
Nothing to dislike.

My Pattern Rating (Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, Hard):
Easy pattern to knit. A quick knitting project.

Conclusion/Additional Comments:
The bottom border is knitted in seed stitch for about an inch. After that, I did not follow the recommended pattern, but used a garter stitch for the main body of the vest. If you follow the pattern, it will allow you to later, thread/weave a different color yarn (e.g. solid) through the front (every so many inches) to give it a plaid look. I wanted this to be a fast project and to first understand the shaping of this garment without worrying about purling here and there while decreasing. For a beginner, simple is better for me.

The armholes are knitted in 1/2" seed stitch. The front bands and back neckline are knitted in 1" seed stitch.

I think I'm getting the hang of sewing seams.

You can find this cropped cardigan vest pattern at Knitting on the Net.

Here are additional pictures:

Hand sewing one of the shoulder seams

Completed shoulder seams

Picking up stitches around the front of the cardi vest



A little bit closer look

Another Weekend of Knitting & Sewing

This weekend, I have to split my time between sewing and knitting. I have finished knitting my cropped cardi vest, but it's not really finished. I think I need to steam the edges to get it to lay flat. I finished the edges in a seed stitch and looking back at the end results, I might have knitted this too loosely which is causing it to ripple in some areas.

I love this garment and how it turned out. I am glad that I chose this color yarn, it is very cheery and bright. The t-shirt you see under the cardi vest in the picture below is one that I had sewn last year and it complements the cardi vest quite well.

Cropped Cardi Vest on SusieQ

I plan on posting my review of this cardi vest with additional pictures later this weekend.

Now, I need to get some sewing done. :)

Knit Six Rows and Remove 4 Rows...a Learning Experience

Over the last two weeks or so, I have been getting up really, really early. Like 4am or 5am. Like clock work. I've been picking up a knitting project and will knit for an hour or two until the rest of the house stirs from their sleep. That's one nice thing about knitting and using bamboo needles, it's a quiet hobby.

Well, this morning, I may not have been fully awake. (It doesn't help that I stopped drinking coffee, 1 year and 3 months ago). I picked up my shrug project and just continued K1,P1 where I left off the night before. I knitted six rows only to find that a few rows back, I messed up my "ribbing" pattern on the side of the shrug about an inch into the garment. It was quite noticeable.

What do I do? I quickly grabbed a stitch marker and hooked it on the last stitch of the last good knitted row. Then I had two options to fix this problem. One was to work my way back, undoing one stitch at a time. Well, that would have been 81 stitches per row and 4 rows to undo. Not a good option. My 2nd option was to pull my needles out of the garment and gently pull the yarn until it stops at the stitch marker. I went with the 2nd option.

I laid my garment on my rug and proceeded to pull the yarn out. Once I got to my stitch marker, I grabbed my needle and gently inserted the needle tip into the loops of my garment. Thankfully, I have been studying the way the loops look on my needles as I have been knitting. It was a slow process as I had to keep the threaded loops close to the tip of my needle and not stretch the loose loops from their stitches. Five minutes later, I had all 81 stitches back on my knitting needle. Only one loop was twisted, but I was able to fix that when I got to that stitch.

With each project I knit, I am being challenged to learn something new. I have to say that while I had a slight panic attack, it was well worth the effort to fix it and tuck this learning experience under my belt.

I'm happy to say that I've re-knitted the 4 rows without any problems.

Knitting Right Along

I am beginning to see a knitting pattern here. I seem to have four (4) different knitting projects going on at the same time. When I'm done with one knitting project, I start another one. Keeping four going. There's a really good reason for that and now I have an understanding why others might be doing this.

I am back to knitting my BHG beginner sweater. After seeing Monica's comment here and Trina's on Ravelry, I realized I needed to get this sweater done and preferably before the warmer weather heads my way. I really like how this Tudor (Homespun) color yarn is working out.

BHG Sweater-back...still working my way towards the neckline

I'm making some progress on my Plymouth Royal Llama Silk shrug. I don't think I have enough yarn. The pattern calls for 4 balls of yarn. I'm on my 3rd ball and have only knitted 1/4 of the main body (K1,P1). I still have 12 inches of the main body to knit. I know I'll need at least 2 balls when I go back to the K2,P2 section. So, I'll keep knitting until I run out.

Plymouth Royal Llama Silk Shrug...starting to knit the K1,P1 main body

I'm also working on a Plymouth Baby Kimono for my Godmother's granddaughter. The kimono takes only two skeins of Plymouth Encore yarn. My LYS only had 1 skein of the Heather Pink left. I bought that color plus a Light Pink skein...thinking I could knit different sections in different yarn colors (e.g. the front panels in light pink and the sleeve and collar in the heather pink). Well, the sleeves and front panels are completed. All I need to knit is the back piece, sew the seams, and then knit the shawl collar. I don't think I have enough of one color to knit the whole back, so I might end up knitting in the Heather Pink halfway up and then use the Light Pink for the top half. I'm not sure I'll have enough of one color to finish the shawl collar.

I am not comfortable enough to feel the yarn and figure out how much I have left. So, this is a good puzzle for me to figure out and get through this slight issue. In the meantime, I've put this project on hold so I can make a dent in the others.

Plymouth Baby Kimono...Heather Pink sleeve panels and Light Pink front panels

I still have my Cropped Cardi/Vest on my needles. I am knitting the last front panel.

This is amazing that the four knitting projects or WIPs I have, don't require the same needle sizes. LOL!!!