Finished: Marilyn

Before you read any further, a note about the sweater pictures below. I really wanted to get some good natural light shots, but the weather did not cooperate (overcast on Saturday, snow squalls on Sunday). What follows are our best attempts to capture this gorgeous, multifaceted yarn under artificial light. Please, don't hate the model or the photographer -- we know we're not worthy.

Pattern: Marilyn's Not-So-Shrunken Cardigan by Wendy Bernard
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Tweed (40% silk, 30% cotton, 20% merino, 10% viscose), color 02, approximately 8 1/2 skeins
Needles: US 6 and US 3 circs
Started/Completed: October? November?/January 25
Recipient: my coworker
Mods: lengthened the body; adjusted body shaping so that decreasing would all be done on right-side rows; did an extra body decrease plus a couple body increases; did only one double crochet per knit stitch for ruffle


My coworker commissioned me to knit her this sweater way back last fall. I started it and made some decent progress on the yoke before I put it down in favor of my holiday knitting. I picked it up again and starting working on it seriously again earlier this month.

The yarn really makes this sweater, and unfortunately these pictures just do not do it justice. It's a deep, plummy purple shade, but with flecks of reds, blues, and grays. The sweater itself is a basic raglan construction, but the drape of the yarn is just wonderful.

I did have some issues with the pattern, none of which was too difficult to overcome. The first issue came with the decreases for the body. The pattern calls for the decreases to be done on right-side rows every 9th row; however, if you follow this direction, you will alternate between doing the decreases on the right side and on the wrong side. Instead, I did the decreases every six rows, ensuring they were all done on the right side (I threw in a couple of increases as well, since I was lengthening the body). Then, when knitting the button bands, I had to account for the extra length and added some extra stitches. I wasn't quite sure exactly how many to add, so I picked up and knit four at the collar (I disregarded the pattern and knitted the button band on to it) and four along the hem at the bottom and picked up one stitch every other row in between the two areas.

As you can see, the button bands really aren't that visible once you add the ruffle, which is such a nice finishing touch. I used a slightly larger crochet hook than what was called for (it was the smallest one I had on hand) and did only one double crochet per knit stitch, as I discovered that two dc's per knit stitch was way too crowded.

I delivered the sweater to its owner this morning and she was just thrilled. Carrie commented on my last post that I was an awfully generous knitter, knitting a whole sweater for someone else. Well, dear readers, I'm afraid at this point I must fess up: I didn't just knit her the sweater out of the goodness of my heart. As I said, I was commissioned to knit it. She purchased the pattern and the yarn; in return for knitting the sweater for her, I got to keep the pattern and was paid a small fee for my labor. All in all, I think it was a pretty good deal.

The final verdict? It's a winner! The recipient loved it, as did everyone she showed it to at work today. I will definitely be knitting myself one, as I have a big stash of the silky tweed (originally purchased to knit a sweater for J, but then claimed for myself after I decided it wasn't manly enough for him). Although the coworker and I wear the same size, I'll be knitting my Marilyn a size smaller, as it has a fair amount of ease built into the pattern. I'll also be making it longer and with full-length sleeves. I won't be casting on just yet, however; I've still got several knits for others to finish up.

*****

It's been a very long day. I won't go into too many specifics, but I arrived home feeling like crap (still somewhat sick and didn't get much sleep last night). I was so ready to pull into the garage, lug my tired body upstairs, and climb right into bed, but I stopped to check the mailbox first. I'm so glad I did -- my Sockret Pal strikes again!

Lava lamp not included in package,

but it looks groovy with this yarn!

My pal once again sent me a package that wasn't really a package (i.e., just some goodies to tide me over until my final package arrives). On the left are two skeins of Knit Picks Memories in the Yukon colorway, destined to be a cozy pair of socks to keep my tootsies warm in this chilly weather we're having. On the right, two skeins of Knit Picks Gossamer (a laceweight) in the colorway Caribbean -- interestingly, I have two skeins of this in my stash, but couldn't decide if I wanted to use them for another Adamas shawl or for another Lace Leaf Shawl. Now I won't have to choose! Finally, up front, my pal enclosed some sock-shaped point protectors (which I will need quite soon on the baby blanket, as the rows are getting quite long).

Thank you, pal, for making me feel so much better on such a cold, miserable winter day!

So Close I Can Taste It

The Marilyn sweater for my coworker is almost done -- almost, I tell you! The other night I finished sewing up the sleeve hems and weaving in all the ends on the inside, and then I knit on the collar. Tonight it's all about the button bands and, if I'm really speedy, the ruffles. It's exciting that this big purple blob that's been on the needles so long is finally resembling a sweater:

I've told my coworker that she'd have it by Monday. Truth be told, I expect to be done by tomorrow or maybe Friday at the latest, but I really want to do a photo shoot over the weekend when J is home and give a good wet blocking. I've tried it on and it's definitely the right size -- just enough ease, which is specifically what she requested.

Meanwhile, I've been working on another knitted item for a coworker, this time the baby blanket for a soon-to-be new dad.

It's a little hard to see the detail of the log cabin action in this shot, but it's coming along nicely. I started it Saturday and have only knit on it seriously the past couple of days, and it's already about 15" by 18" and I'm on my third ball of the recycled yarn. Granted, I started with the smaller balls and left the two largest ones for last, plus there's still a piece of sweater I can unravel if necessary. The plan is to keep knitting basically until I'm out of yarn, which I think should get me a pretty nice sized blanket.

Now on the the random catching up:

• I've signed up for the Sock-a-Month 3 KAL, since I usually wind up knitting at least one pair of socks a month anyway. This'll be good motivation to knit my Sockret Pal's socks to start off with and then keep J's feet toasty (I'd like to do his red socks for Valentine's Day, if I can).
• Today I wore my new Jaywalkers to work, which was kind of funny, as they pretty much matched my sweater. Wish I'd thought to take a picture; you'll just have to trust me that I was well coordinated.
• Although I was just sick last week, I seem to be either relapsing or coming down with another cold, so send out some good, healthy thoughts for me.

Finally, I took a look at the calendar today and realized that the Knit & Crochet Festival is just around the corner and the deadline for advance (read: cheaper so there's more money to spend on diet-approved yarn) registration is a week away. I'd like to send in my registration form as soon as possible, but wanted to see when everyone else is planning to go. So, Pittsburgh-area knitbloggers, are you planning to go? If so, what day? I'm more inclined to go on Saturday, since Sundays usually wind up being errand/laundry days here chez Knit/Wit, but I'd love to meet up with as many of you as possible. Leave me a comment and let me know what your plans are!

A Tale of WIPs and Swatches

Forgive the boring title; I've been a bit under the weather the past few days and it's all I could come up with right now. So as far as this post is concerned, you'll get exactly what you're expecting.

I've been working on a number of projects lately without making significant progress (sort of) on any one in particular, so I haven't had much in the way of FO-age to show you. I thought instead I'd give you a little peek at the WIPs, if only so that certain people continue to think of me as the Knitting Queen. *laugh*snort* So here you are:

The past day or two the WIP that's seen the most attention is the socks on the left. Those are my Jaywalkers; the second sock has about three more inches of foot to go before the toe, and my goal is to finish the pair this weekend.

In the center, that big purple blob, is the sweater I've been knitting for my coworker. It's Wendy's Marilyn's Not So Shrunken Cardigan, which as you see is getting very close to being finished. I finished knitting the first sleeve the other day. The body is done, so all that's left to do is the second sleeve, the button bands, and the weaving in of ends and tacking down of hems. The lighting is this photo is awful, so you can't really see how gorgeous the yarn (Elsebeth Lavold Silky Tweed) is. Once this sucker is done, I'll do my best to get some natural lighting for the FO photo shoot.

Finally, on the right, is my mother's tube scarf, which I literally haven't touched since last year (Christmas, probably). I have a sinking feeling that this is going to go the way of my tube scarf, which languished in the FO pile for nearly a year. My mother hasn't asked about it, and she's gotten another hand knit scarf since she asked for this one, so I may be able to get away with ignoring it for a while.

There's another WIP not in this picture, and that's the first of the pair of socks for my Sockret Pal. I started it the night before I left for Chicago and got through the cuff and one lace repeat. The morning of my flight, I realized I'd missed the two knit rows between the two sections, tinked back twelve rows, and then knit the two rows and the first lace section again at the airport. I thought it best to not work on lace while on the airplane (anxiety and turbulence not making for ideal lace knitting conditions), so I switched over to the Jaywalkers and haven't gone back. Once I finish the second sock for myself, I'm going to force myself to go back to that first lace sock.

In the meantime, I can't wait to get started on the next project. I didn't make it to knit night on Wednesday as I was feeling icky (didn't want to spread my germs and didn't feel like going back out in the cold), but I felt just well enough to wind the Cascade 220 for J's Cambridge Jacket. Last night I felt ickier, but found enough strength to do some swatching:

I started out with the size 9 needles called for in the pattern, but got nowhere near gauge (19.5 sts and 27 rows over four inches) and didn't particularly care for the quality of the fabric either. So I went down a size and was much more pleased with the results: a drapey fabric, but not too loose -- not to mention spot-on stitch gauge. My row gauge is slightly off (26 rows rather than 27 over four inches), but that's easier to fix. I've got to remeasure J's chest once more, as I seem to have forgotten to write it down when I did the original measurement, and then I'm all set to go. Before I take on the sweater curse, however, I've decided that I really must finish my coworker's sweater. Right sleeve, here I come!