How Do I Figure Out How to Shorten the Knitting Pattern?

I thought I would do a quick post to answer a question that Monica left for me in regards to my two-tone tunic sweater:

" Monica said...
WOW! You did an amazing job and it fits you perfectly. It is beautiful! I'm new to knitting also, and a little intimidated by sweaters but you are inspiring me. I'm also petite like you, so how did you figure out how to shorten everything when the patterns doesn't give any finished length measures? Love your blog by the way."

Monica, you are correct. I've run into patterns that may not have any line drawings or diagrams to show what the finish knitted pieces would look like. I end up relying on the pattern instructions to help me draw my own line drawings or something close to what I think I interpreted.

All the patterns that I have come across starts their instructions with the back piece of the knitted garment. You will more than likely have to start with a border (e.g. ribbing, seed stitch, or garter stitch) and the instructions will tell you to do this for 1 inch. Then you switch to larger needles and start a pattern for the base of the sweater (e.g. garter, stockinette, etc). The instructions should tell you how much to knit until you get to the armhole area. Usually, they will tell you how many inches from the bottom you should knit (this will include the edging). This is my first clue to write down this number.

The next area of the pattern should be armhole. Here it will tell you to bind off (BO) so many stitches for the next two rows and then continue knitting or do a decrease over several rows. The pattern will tell you how many inches of the armhole area you need to knit. This is my second clue to write down this number.

I then take the two numbers I wrote down and add them together. That gives me an idea of how long the backside of my knitted project will be.

I do the same with the front piece to see if the same length comes close to the backside measurement.

You can also figure out the sleeve length as the pattern will tell you how many inches from the beginning you need to knit.

From my own sewing experience, I pretty much know how long I like my finished garments to be. I tend to look for short jackets that are around 19 inches (back of my neck down to an area above my rear end). So, I may want my tunic sweater to hit 2 inches below that. My total backside would then be 21 inches. I believe the sweater pattern came in around 26-1/2 inches in length.

For my sweater, I ended up doing less rows in the black yarn.

For the sleeves, I knew that 20 inches in sleeve length was way too long. I also knew from looking at this pattern that the shoulder area is dropped. Meaning the shoulder line of the knitted garment drops further past my natural shoulder line. I initially guessed that my sleeve length would be around 18 inches. I just knitted the sleeve doing the required increases the pattern calls for. Once I was done with the increases, I took the sleeve and put it up against my arm to see how long it was. It turned out that after the last required increase, I only needed to knit one or two more rows to finish the sleeve. My sleeve ended up being around 17 inches in the finished length.


I will double-check my measurements and update this post on how many rows I removed to give you a better idea.

I am also working on another beginner sweater from BHG. I think this one is a bit easier especially with the neckline area. You might want to check that one out as well. Here's the link for the BHG Beginner Sweater.

Please feel free to add or leave any comments or experiences. Happy Knitting!

Upcoming Weekend and Storage Thoughts

I'm devoting most of my upcoming weekend to sewing. I am sure I'll be knitting here and there for an hour or two. I have 3 knitting projects on the needles, plus one that I plan on starting. So, I have to somehow spread my time.

Trina and I have been sharing emails this past week. One our topics was how we carry/store out current knitting projects. I wanted to share some pics of what I am currently using.

My main knitting bag is made out of clear vinyl. The bag is quite small and can only carry one or two projects at a time. I love that it's clear vinyl so I can see what's inside. No more, where did I put my tape measure?

My vinyl knitting tote bag


And when I have too many projects going on at the same time, one of them gets carried in a 2.5 gallon ziplock bag.

2.5 gallon Ziplock bag - the next best thing to carry my knitting projects


Here is my temporary storage for my knitting needles. Do you recognize the container? I know, I should be carrying my knitting projects in this, right? But my projects and my circulars don't fit. Sometimes hard to get in and out of the small round opening. It's only good for carrying yarns and storing knitting needles. ;) My circulars are now stored in individual zip lock bags...quart size (right side of the pic below). They are more relaxed when stored like this. I'm now thinking of punching a hole in the corner of these bags and storing them in a binder.

My knitting needle storage container


That's all for now. Happy Knitting!

My First Sweater

I finally finished it. Seams and all. Hand sewing is not my bag, but once I got started I actually got the hang of it.

Two Tone Sweater - Lion Brand

Here's my review of this knitted garment:

Name of Pattern:
Two-Tone Tunic Sweater
Pattern #1100

Here's the link for the free two-tone tunic pattern.

Designed by:
Lion Brand

Pattern/Garment Description:
Bulky tunic sweater. Loose fitting. Side slits.

Size(s):
S (43"), M (46-1/2"), L (50"), & XL (54").

I made a size Small.

Yarns Used:
Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick yarn. I used Fig and Black colors. Fig is one of my favorite colors.

I used 7 skeins of yarn. Fig - 4 skeins and Black - 3 skeins.

Gauge:
9 sts and 13-1/2 rows = 4 inches. Size 13 needles in St st.

Knitting Tools Used:
Size 11 - 24" circular knitting needle.
Size 13 - 24" circular knitting needle.

Things I learned:
Increases
Pick up stitches
Sewing seams

What I Like About this Pattern:
A quick and easy knitting project.

What I Dislike About this Pattern:
Nothing to dislike about this pattern.

My Pattern Rating (Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, Hard):
Lion Brand rates this pattern as a Beginner. I have to agree. It's a nice challenging project.

Conclusion/Additional Comments:

I like this beginner pattern. I like knitting with larger knitting needles and bulky yarns. The sweater pieces knit up fast.

I shortened the length of the sweater by 1-1/2 inches. I shortened the length of the sleeves by almost 3 inches, from 20 inches down to 17 inches. The length came out perfect for me. I owe this to my sewing skills/experience and understanding my body measurements (not just the bust area).

Would I knit this again? Probably not. I think owning one bulky sweater is enough for me. I now have to figure out where I am going to store this. :)

Additional views:

Not a bad fit in the back

I like the side profile with the side slit

Catching Up On The Knitting Front

I've had a busy weekend. Saturday morning I went to church. As the unofficial photog, I took a lot of pictures of the kids, couples, and families during Sabbath school and church service. As a side job, I plan on creating a church directory. I've given myself 6 months to complete this task including taking over 200 pics of all the church family members. Yes, I'm behind already. After a couple of hours at church, I came home and crashed. I was one tired puppy.


I went to my LYS (With Yarn in Front) in Centreville to see if they had a pattern I've been looking for. Well, what do you think caught my eye? These cool looking purse handles made by Clover. What will I do with them? I plan on sewing a knitting bag for myself. I've seen so many cute ones, but I have had to resist...big time! I know I can sew one that would cost a lot less. I also have a huge fabric stash that would benefit from a 1-1/2 yard reduction. Additional information on my knitting bag will be posted on my sewing blog.

My new handles for my future knitting bag


My Cropped Cardi Vest is coming along. I started to knit the front right piece.

The back of my Cropped Cardi Vest is completed


I can't do anything sewing related (e.g. trace a pattern, cut out fabric, etc) until my Two-Tone Sweater is completed. It's currently taken up space on my cutting table. I finished seaming the second sleeve. I went ahead and tried it on to find that: 1) I can get the sweater over my head and 2) the sleeve lengths are perfect. I did intentionally reduce the number of knitted rows. When I finish this sweater, I will post a review here. Oh, I would like to add that this sweater is BULKY! I love the Wool-Ease Thick & Quick yarns, but my goodness...where am I going to store this sweater????

Almost done with my Two-Tone sweater. Just need to sew the side seams.


Finally, here's a picture of me modeling my finished shrug.

I feel like a neon sign...the pink is awfully bright

Moving on to My Next Project

After knitting for several nights on my bright pink shrug, I was ready to move onto another color. As you can see, I have started knitting my next project. It's the Barbara Breiter cropped cardi vest. The yarn is beautiful with blue, teal, green, lavender, and off white colors. It's getting me in the mood for Spring and warmer weather, even though it's only 36 degrees outside. Brrrr!

Looks like I might be 1 ball of yarn short for this project. Oh well, I need to put in a yarn order anyways. :)

I hope you are having a great knitting weekend!

My First Knitted Garment - It's Done!

Here it is! I have to mention this was my third knitting project that ended up being finished first. What can I say? It was the color of the yarn I used and the speed of my needles that got this done before the other WIPs.

Plymouth N026 Vest on SusieQ

Here's my knitted garment review I thought I would share with my fellow knitters and those of you who might have an inkling to learn to knit. Enjoy!


Name of Pattern:
Plymouth N026 Vest

Designed by:
Sarah Punderson

Pattern/Garment Description:
Shawl collared vest with tapered fronts and elegantly draped back. Knit as a single piece and then seamed at the sides.

Size(s):
Per instructions, knitted in 40". CO with 120 stitches.

Yarns Used:
Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande. Color: Dark Salmon. Purchased 4 skeins (440 yards total). Actually, used about 3-3/4 skeins of yarn.

A very soft yarn with a lot of give.

Knitting Tools Used:
- Clover Takumi Velvet Bamboo Size 11 (8mm) circular knitting needles, 24" long.
- Mini Kacha-Kacha row counter pendant
- Regular Kacha Kacha counter - help me count the 120 cast on stitches.

Things I learned:
Here are some stitches I learned in this project:
K2Tog, P2Tog, M1, Pfb

I also had a dropped stitch in the body of the vest. I learned to fix this. Not as bad as I thought.

I learned to bind off with the pattern.

About halfway through this project, my knitting speed increased.

What I Like About this Pattern:
This vest is knitted as one single piece. There are two 9" seams to sew on the sides. I love the shape of the vest when worn. Especially, the back view. The K2, P2 ribbing in the back gracefully shapes the back.

What I Dislike About this Pattern:
There is a lot of K2, P2 and then K1, P1 ribbing in this project. Can get a bit tedious.

My Pattern Rating (Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, Hard):

Overall, I classify this as Easy. A beginner knitter with some knitted scarf experience could tackle this project without any problems.

I recommend having a good knitting book, like The Knitter's Companion, to help explain some of the techniques.

Conclusion/Additional Comments:

Pattern can be adjusted for larger size (increase CO stitches) or smaller size (decrease CO stitches). Can also lengthen the vest by increasing the amount of rows for the body. Can adjust the side seams accordingly for the armhole.

I think it's important to follow the instructions on this pattern. I literally followed it line by line. This pattern also included descriptions of the stitches used (e.g. M1, Pfb) that I followed. I used my knitting book to help with the visuals.

I found this Baby Alpaca Grande yarn very easy to knit to with. It's sooooo soft.

A knitter at my LYS, "With Yarn in Front", mentioned not to hang this vest, but to fold and store it in my drawer. Apparently, the vest will "grow" when left on a hanger. I will leave it on SusieQ for a few days and see what happens with mine. I wouldn't mind it being a little bit longer.

I decided to make another vest, but in a black color. Can't wait to get this one started.

I also found another Plymouth vest/shrug pattern very similar to this pattern that uses Plymouth Royal Llama Silk yarn...a firmer yarn.

Additional pictures:

Pinning the side seams

Look how pretty the back is

Side view on SusieQ

Three-Day Weekend and Some Slow Knitting

Since it's President's Day tomorrow (and I'm off from work), I plan on visiting another yarn shop in the next county. I heard this LYS is a must see. It's called Uniquities. Unfortunately, they don't have a website. I've been there before, but that was in my crocheting days. Tomorrow, I'm going without blinders on and feel their yarns.

On the knitting front:
I have come to realize that I'm not a fast knitter. I've heard that a lady had made this same shrug in 6 hours! I still have 4 inches of the body to knit (K1,P1) and then I start increasing from 60 to 120 stitches and another 7-1/2 inches of (K2,P2) ribbing.

I have spent too much time on the computer today and not enough time with my sewing and knitting.

I've been going through my yarn stash, organizing and grouping similar yarns together. That's the yarns in my sewing room and closets. I have yet to go through the bins in the basement.

So, this yarn sorting task has led me to ask a question. How do you store your yarns/stash?

The Beginnings of a Shrug or a Necklace?

So, I'm working on my 3rd knitting project. I love the feel of this alpaca yarn (soft!) and the color is gorgeous and bright. I'm almost done knitting 7-1/2 inches of the K2, P2 ribbing (120 stitches). Then I will proceed with the base of the vest/shrug and decreasing down to 60 stitches. DH saw me knitting away and thought this was a long necklace. LOL!
DH thought this was going to be a necklace. It's the beginnings of a vest/shrug


Here is a picture of what I'm knitting. This pattern is from Plymouth. I saw the actual knitted vest/shrug at my local yarn shop. I guess you knitters would call that LYS. See, I'm learning the lingo. The nice sales lady, Malika, let me try it on and I fell in love with the garment and the fit. She sure knows how to make a sale.
Plymouth N026 Vest/Shrug

Something Came in the Mail Today...

Isn't this vest cute?
I found this cool looking pattern by Barbara Breiter on Knitting on the Net. I looked high and low for this Crystal Palace Meringue yarn at my local yarn shops only to find that it has been discontinued. I stumbled across Bargain Yarns and they had the yarn on sale. How could I resist? I purchased 4 balls of each color (pictured below). Yes, I couldn't resist the black yarn. I ordered the yarn on Sunday evening and it arrived today. That's fast service.

I did take a chance on buying this yarn. I'm the type of person who has to feel and touch the yarns before I buy. I am glad I took the chance. This yarn feels wonderful.

Crystal Palace Meringue yarns in Fall Herbs, Black, and Scuba Dive


I joined Ravelry last month. I finally got around to posting my projects there. I also learned how to setup my progress bars here on my knitting blog. I really love technology and learning lots by having this blog.


I also started my second sweater. This one is from the Better Homes & Garden Knitted Sweaters for Her booklet that I previously posted about. I'm getting in the mood for warmer weather and I just love this cheery Tudor color.

Basic Sweater from the BHG Knitted Sweaters for Her booklet. Knitting with Lion Brand Homespun in Tudor color.

You can see I'm getting a lot of practice with the Lion Brand yarns. Now, I can't wait to start knitting with the more fancy yarns I recently purchased.

More Knitting Resource Books

Another great resource book to have on hand is The Knitter's Companion book. As I am progressing further along in my knitting, this book is becoming invaluable. It's a small hardcover book with a spiral binding on the inside. I can easily flip through the book and lay the pages flat.

The topics include: In Preparation (supplies & notions, yarn structure, yarn sizes, yarn label symbols, formula for interchanging yarns, yardage estimates, taking body measurements, body measurement tables, sweater ease allowances, weights and lengths, abbreviations), The Basics (continental method, English method, slipped stitches, yarnovers, gauge, measuring the knitting, reading patterns & charts), Cast-Ons, Joining Yarns, Increases, Decreases, Bind-Offs, Blocking, Seaming, Hems and Hemming, Borders and Edges, Details (beading, buttonholes, duplicate stitch, french knot, fringe, knitted cord, pom-pom, tassel, etc).

You can find a sample of the pages here at Interweave's site,The Knitter's Companion book.

Small hardcover book with spiral binding inside


When I feel like reading about knitting, I will pick up this book The Knitting Answer Book. It's a great Q&A book on knitting. Over 350 pages of Q&As and helpful information. It's small in size and can easily be carried in a knitting bag. Some of the Q&A topics found in this book: knitting basics, binding off, tools, yarns, reading patterns, pattern stitches, circular knitting, color (e.g. stripes, intarsia), shaping, fitting, finishing (blocking, sewing, solving problems), embellishments, etc.

The author includes many tips and hints. There are a few drawings/diagrams included.

A nice portable book to carry in the knitting bag


I purchased both of these books last year when I started to knit. It wasn't until the last two months that I started to use them.

Sometimes when I have a few minutes to read, I will pick up one of these books and learn something new.

New Yarn Purchase

So what happened to my bulky sweater? I'm still knitting the last sleeve, the last piece. Well, it turned out to be a really, really nice (warm) weekend. I didn't feel like touching the bulky yarn. Can you believe that story? Don't worry, it will get done.



Today was too nice to stay inside. I visited two yarn stores in the next county over who happened to be open on a Sunday. My first stop was in Chantilly. I picked up some really nice Plymouth Alpaca Boucle in a heather pink/rose color. This will be used to make a cropped cardi vest.

My next stop was in Centreville to a fairly new yarn shop that opened last year. They had a cute shrug on display. I couldn't resist. I bought the Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande in a dark salmon color. A very nice lady, Malika, wound the yarn for me into the balls you see in the picture. Okay, I'm a little green behind the ears. This was the first time I have seen or had this done for me. I'm enjoying this special treatment from a mom & pop yarn shop.

Malika was kind enough to help me understand about gauges. Also, how to figure out what other yarns to use if I can't find the right one that the pattern calls for. After visiting several shops over the last few weeks, Malika was the first one to spend some time with me and have a nice chat about knitting. That left a very nice impression on me and I will definitely go back for a visit.

I'm proud of myself. I avoided buying any kind of black yarn. Trust me, it was hard. If I'm going to have a stash, it might as well be colorful, right?

Looking Ahead & Warm Thoughts

As I'm sitting here knitting with some thick yarns, my thoughts are already onto warmer weather and spring time. It's probably because we are heading into a temporary warm spell this weekend and into early next week. Still, I am getting anxious and need to get more practice with the sweaters I plan on knitting for the next two months. You know, knit up the heavy yarn stash so I can make room for some lightweight yarn. This year, I would like to knit a tank top, tshirt, and a cardigan.

I like the style and shape of this cardigan. I can see knitting this in a rose colored yarn.

Victoria Cropped V-Neck Cardigan from S. Charles Collezione Spring/Summer 2009 Collection


This vest caught my eye. Wouldn't this be cool in black for that special occasion or in blue to wear with jeans?

Luxury Cap-Sleeved Vest from Filatura Di Crosa Spring/Summer 2009 Collection

I can picture this in a solid color like beige or black. This can be worn under the cap-sleeved vest. I like it when a plan comes together.

Superior Tank from Filatura Di Crosa Spring/Summer 2009 Collection

I know at some point, I can even feel it in the air, that I will eventually have some WIPs to talk about.

Knitting Thoughts & Beginning of Weekend

As I visit the knitting blog world, I see that others have several knitting WIPs in the works. I actually can see the need for several WIPs. As I am finishing my sweater, I realize that there are times when the process can be a bit boring. I was tempted to start another sweater, but then I had to put my blinders on and remain focused no matter how boring repetitive knitting a row and purling a row was to me. I am like that with my sewing projects. Sew/finish one project and move on to the next.

But I can change.

Once I've completed my current sweater, I plan on making another. A cropped version in olive green. Should knit up a lot faster.

It's suppose to be nice and a bit warmer this weekend. I hope to spend some time outside.

Enjoy your weekend!

My Current Resources - Basic Knitting Books

I am still knitting/working on my sweater. In the meantime, I wanted to do a post about the resources I am using to help get me through my first knitted garment. Though the Internet has been wonderful, there are times when I can't get to my computer or don't have the time to surf. Here are two books that have helped me get out of a few binds.





This is a really cool, portable knitting book for beginners like me. It covers just about everything you wanted to know about the basics of knitting (e.g. tools, stitches, increase, decrease, finishing, sweater construction, blocking, seaming, picking up stitches, buttonholes, etc). This small & compact reference book is always in my knitting bag.

For more detailed information/pictures, I've come to rely on this book. This is a great reference book to use. It shows many of the the how to steps as well as what the end results should look like. There's an introduction to knitting, basic techniques, basic stitch patterns, shaping, correcting mistakes, learning to read written instructions, knitting in the round, more complicated stitch patterns, openwork, color knitting, finishing, decorative details, and includes some easy and intermediate knitting projects. I love this book for the pictures.




Both books have been a valuable resource to me and helped me advance to the different stages of knitting/putting my sweater together.

In the Sewing World, I Would Call This a Muslin

You know, sew it out on a rogue or leftover piece of fabric to see what the end results would look like. Apparently, the sleeves were bothering me so much that I woke up really, really early in an attempt to do something about it. I pulled out a leftover wheat-colored yarn from my scrap stash that happened to be the same yarn I'm using for my sweater (Wool-Ease Thick & Quick). I started knitting a test sample of the sleeve. Well, what do you know? I think I've got it down. The sides of the sleeve are looking straight. In my two attempts last night, the sides were nubby and just looked terrible.

My test sleeve

So, DH woke up early to find me MIA. He wandered into my sewing room to find me sitting on the floor with my finished test sample. I was smiling from ear to ear, he was not as thrilled as I was.


My first muslin attempt, was knitting a mini sample of the front/back section of the sweater. I was curious to see what this baby would look like before I used up the 7 skeins of yarn.

My mini test stitches

I'm on a roll with this sweater. Once I'm done with knitting the two sleeves, the next step of sewing all the pieces together will be an interesting experience for me. I'm armed with a few books to help me through this process.

The Trials and Errors of Learning to Knit

I have no pictures today. Nothing worth posting. I did finish the front section of my sweater. I figured out how to knit the front neck area and now the front and back piece of the sweater match up nicely. No need to post a picture of that as it looks similar to the back section. So, that's two sections completed, two more to go. :)

This evening I thought I would start one of the sleeves. After two attempts and ripping them out, I decided that starting some knitting at night was not a great idea especially when I'm tired. I have figured out the increasing stitch. At least I got that accomplished.

I'm slowly learning how to read the knitting instructions. I'm still translating each knitting section and most recently finished the sleeve translation. For example, when I see "...St st and inc every 4th row for 6 times..." it's really hard for me to memorize that and mentally keep track of all the rows and when to increase however many times. That's why I need to write it out. In my next post, I will provide pictures of what my translations look like. Not too pretty, but easy for me to decipher while I'm knitting. That's what matters, right?

I wanted to add, I love how portable knitting can be. I can take my knitting project with me wherever I go. I can sit and knit and watch TV with DH. You know be in the same room together. I can knit while I'm waiting for a pot of water to boil or while baking cookies. I can't do that with my sewing projects.

Enjoying Other Knitting Blogs

I have been visiting other knitting blogs to see what projects are on their knitting needles. I am amazed at the skills and the creativity of the knitting projects I have seen. Then there are postings of all sorts of wonderful yarns and some really, really nice yarns. Sigh! And the colors are unbelievable.

I've been continuously adding some knitting sites to my blog list. There are some truly inspiring knitters out there and I can only wish/hope to aspire to their level of knitting. Projects they post, that I wouldn't mind trying for myself. One day.


My Knitting Status: The front piece of my sweater is almost done. I just need to knit the neckline area for a couple more rows. Then I can start tackling the sleeves.

One Piece Done, Three More to Go

I finished the back piece of my beginner sweater. I have to pat myself on the back, because I never thought I would get this far in my knitting skill. It looks like an actual back piece of a sweater. Amazing!

As I was knitting through the base and arm area of the sweater, I converted the sweater instructions into my plain english notes, something that made sense to my methodical/step-by-step mind. I was doing fine, until I got to the neckline area. I read and re-read the instructions. I thought I had a vision and wrote down what I thought was a good interpretation of the steps. Well, halfway through the neckline, realized I had to drop my instruction conversion and go with what felt good and made sense. It looks like a rough neckline for now. Later, when I start stitching the pieces together and then knit a neckline in, I hope I won't have to "fix" too much. Thank goodness this was the back, so my hair should hide any errors. :)

I'm now working on the front piece which is coming along faster thanks to my converted notes. The instructions for the front piece is similar to the back piece, until I get to the neckline area. The front will be slight shorter than the back piece. I have a better idea of how I need to knit the front neckline shaping.