After a Deferral, a Promise Kept

Today's post starts with a request made back in 2018. It was late November, possibly even the day after Thanksgiving, and part of my side of the family had gone to see a matinee stage production of Fiddler on the Roof, and we were all meeting up for dinner at a restaurant afterwards. At some point during that meal, my brother mentioned that he really wanted a grandpa-style sweater and asked if I would knit him one. I pulled out my phone and pulled up the Ravelry advanced pattern search to enter all the criteria: cables, buttoned front, shawl collar. When I shared the results of the search with him, I was delighted that he picked a pattern that I already had in my library. So then we moved on to yarn, and I figured a budget-friendly, washable yarn was the best bet, so I showed him the range of colors in Knit Picks Swish and he made his selections. I ordered the yarn that night or the next morning, and it came soon after. And then it sat in my stash -- for years.

Finally, this spring, I decided he had been waiting long enough. His 35th birthday was coming up, and combined with my ongoing effort to use up my stash, it seemed like the perfect time to finally deliver on my promise to make him the perfect grandpa sweater. There were some hiccups along the way, but this past Friday night, I presented it to him. Judging from his reaction, I'd say it's a success.

Pattern: Edinburgh by Kate Bostwick
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Worsted in Dove Heather (used just a little less than 14 skeins) and Swish DK in Wonderland Heather (used a bit more than one skein)
Needles: US 4 (3.5 mm), US 5 (3.75 mm), and US 6 (4.0 mm)
Started/Completed: May 4/July 24
Mods: Omitted the edging in the contrast color

This was a really clever pattern and, with one little possible mistake (some ribbing directions appeared to be reversed), very well written. My only real modification, other than adding about four inches in length to the sleeves to accommodate my brother's monkey arms, was to omit the edgings in the contrast color. The pattern calls for casting on for the sweater pieces (or binding off, in the case of the collar and button bands) with the contrast color that is used in the pocket linings, but I just couldn't deal with more ends to weave in, and my brother didn't really seem to care.

As to those pocket linings, I think they might be my favorite feature.

I've done an afterthought pocket before, but this construction was new to me. The designer has you create a vertical slit by working two sections of each front separately and then rejoining them several inches later. When the front piece is complete, you use a lighter-weight yarn and a smaller needle to pick up stitches all the way around the slit opening and knit the pocket, which is then pushed inside. And this is no for-show-only pocket, either -- it was big enough to comfortably fit my iPhone, which means it will also be large enough for my brother's hands.

I know several of you told me you were impressed by my ability to keep the cable pattern straight, but I have to say that as cable patterns go, this one was actually pretty easy. For one thing, all the cables cross in the same direction, so I never had to think about whether they were crossing to the left or the right. They're all simple 2x2 crosses, too, so I didn't need to use a cable needle. And all five pieces of the sweater use the same chart, so it became very intuitive to me after a while. Toward the end, I still had the chart close by, but I could pretty much tell when it was time to cross a cable.

My brother especially liked that the sweater had a "slimming" effect on his appearance (his words!). And I neglected to take a closeup of the buttons, but you can see what they look like in the Etsy listing. I ordered a dozen so that I'll have some extras on hand just in case. Based upon the weather report for the week ahead, my brother is not going to be wearing his sweater anytime soon, but he is excited to have it for the WQED Cardigan Party, which we're hoping will happen again this year!

As to me? I'm really excited to finally be done with this behemoth. I have a few skeins of yarn left for some baby gifts or charity hats, and I've already swatched for my next sweater -- which will be a much smaller and much simpler summer tank for me!

Giftalong Fever

Remember the last couple of weeks, when I was decrying the fact that I was feeling totally unenthusiastic about my knitting and wondering where my mojo had gone? I'm happy to report the feeling has completely left me and I am completely enthused by my current projects thanks to the Indie Design Giftalong. I've got three projects on the needles that I'm actively working on, and I'm enamored with them all.

First up is the only real gift that I'm knitting, and that's a pair of Vanilla Is the New Black socks for Rainbow. These are being knit in a lovely, bright colorway of Knit Picks Felici called Hopscotch.

I'm nearly halfway done with the first sock (if you consider the heel the halfway point), but these should move along very quickly given that the heel is the only part where I really need to pay attention. I started these over the weekend but didn't get too far, as I could only work on them when Rainbow wasn't around -- I really want these to be a surprise! These will be one of her Chanukah presents, and for now they're my designated lunchtime knitting.

The other two projects are both for me. One is the Flower Market Shawl, a pattern I bought last year and that has been patiently waiting for me to find the perfect yarn for it. I realized that the faded skein of yarn I spun a couple of months ago had just the right amount of yardage and would look really great in this pattern, so I didn't waste much time in winding the skein and casting on right after the GAL officially kicked off.

I'm in the middle of my fourth (of eight) repeats of this motif, and the rows are just starting to get long enough that I notice they take me a little while.

The other project is, coincidentally, also being worked in handspun and using a pattern I bought previously. It is a set of Plummy Mitts that I'm knitting up in the skein of Gwen Erin Targhee I finished earlier this month and couldn't bear not to keep for myself. I think it was a smart move, because I really love how the first mitt is knitting up.

I'm part of the way into the thumb gusset, and I think if I can get in a decent amount of time on the first mitt tonight, I should be close to finishing it up (if not actually finishing it). My plan is to use these mitts at the office to keep my hands and wrists warm; despite the fact that there was extensive work done in the building last year to make the HVAC system more efficient, I am still always cold because the air conditioning comes on pretty much every day and the heat never seems to. Fingerless mitts should make a bit difference while still keeping my fingers free to write and type.

If I happen to be really productive and finish up all these projects with time still left in the GAL, I'll be casting on another pair of socks for Rainbow as well as a baby sweater for a baby that is due very, very soon (I totally dropped the ball on that one, but at least a baby sweater is a quick knit). One thing at a time, though -- I'm determined to keep this GAL all about enjoying myself and not overdoing it.

If you still haven't taken advantage of the big GAL pattern sale, here's your reminder that it ends at 11:59 EST tonight! You can find my bundle of sale patterns here. You don't have to buy new patterns to participate in the fun, though -- if you already have patterns by participating designers in your library, you can use those! I'd really encourage you to come join the Ravelry GAL group and have fun chatting and playing the games. It may seem a little intimidating because it's a big group and the chat moves quickly, but you can jump in anywhere you like!

Pattern Release: Smithfield Scarf

Though Pittsburgh has had many nicknames over the years, one of them is City of Bridges -- after all, some have said that Pittsburgh has more bridges than any other city in the world! When you live here, you find yourself crossing a lot of bridges to get to different areas of the city, so you get to know many of them. My favorite has always been the Smithfield Street Bridge, which crosses the Monongahela River and connects Downtown with the South Side. Why is it my favorite? I think it likely stems from when I was a little girl and felt like I was driving into a castle.

The Smithfield Scarf is inspired by this amazing bridge. The bridge as it exists today is actually the third iteration: The first version was wood, but it burned down in the Great Fire of 1845. That was replaced by a wire rope suspension bridge, but as the city grew, it became too narrow to handle all the traffic crossing it. The current bridge is a four-lane lenticular truss structure. I tried to incorporate elements of all three versions in this scarf.

The construction of this scarf is dead easy. You cast on at one end and work the cable motif flat. Once the center is done, you pick up along the sides and work some ribbing. Easy peasy. The cable pattern is both written and charted.

As written, this scarf is long enough to wrap around the neck several times or wear in the European style, as in the photo above. I once again used the wonderful Ross Farm Fibers 3-ply Shetland Sport (this time in Marigold), and it made a wonderfully warm and squishy fabric. The day we took these photos was clear and sunny but also cold and a bit breezy, and my neck was nice and warm! The scarf could be knit in any weight yarn, of course, provided you adjust your needle size to get a relatively firm fabric, and it's super easy to add or subtract length.

There's just one more pattern in the Stitchburgh collection to go!

Buy the pattern:

Buy the collection:

Pattern Release: Margalit Shawl

Several months ago, I started swatching a lace edging that used some simple cables for a bit of texture. Those swatches very quickly turned into a shawl design, a design that I can finally share with you today. Meet the Margalit shawl:

Margalit is worked side to side, gently increasing as you approach the center and then decreasing as you near the far end. The shaping occurs in the top portion of the shawl, which is worked in garter stitch, while the stitch count changes in the edging create a bit of a zig zag along the bottom edge. Because of the way the shawl is constructed, it can accommodate just about any amount of yarn, making it a great pattern for handspun or a precious skein of luxury yarn.

The yarn I used in the sample, SpaceCadet Aurora, is a luscious blend of superwash merino, cashmere, and nylon. It was, in a word, amazing to knit with. It is soft and has a wonderful hand, and as you can see, it blocks beautifully. The number of plies in the yarn make the cables really pop from the background. And can we talk about this color? This colorway is Tickled, and yes, it really is that bright.

As far as skill level goes, I'd say this shawl is an adventurous beginner to intermediate project. The stitches used are fairly basic and easy -- yo, ssk, k2tog, m1, and 2-over-2 cable crosses. The edging is both written and charted.

There's one other feature that I want to highlight, though I certainly can't take credit for it. The top edge is formed by a faux i-cord, which is achieved through the simplicity of slipped stitches. While it creates an edge that looks really nice, the real benefit of this edging comes when it's time to block. You can run a blocking wire (or sturdy thread) through this edge and get a nice, crisp finish when you block.

I'm really very pleased how this shawl turned out, and I'm itching to knit myself another one, probably in handspun. I hope you enjoy it!

Perfection

My new sweater is officially done, and it's perfect!

Pattern: State Fair Cardigan by Heather Zoppetti, from Interweave Knits winter 2014
Yarn: Cascade Yarns Alpaca Lana D'Oro (50% wool/50% alpaca), a bit less than six skeins
Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm)
Started/Completed: March 8/April 3
Mods: Totally winged the pick-up rate for the button bands and collar

This sweater was a joy to knit. The fact that I finished the whole thing in less than a month, while also working on other projects, says quite a lot about just how engaging the cable pattern is. Normally I'm very slow with cables and lose interest rather quickly, but that was not at all the case here. This project was very much a case of "just one more row" -- I honestly had a hard time putting it down at night.

I didn't intentionally pick yarn the same color as in the sample in the magazine, but I happened to have seven skeins of it (it was a prize from my LYS's bingo game a couple of years ago) and wanted to use up some stash. I was able to get close enough to gauge with it that I knew it would work. I knit the size that matches my bust measurement, but thanks to the drape of the alpaca content of the yarn, the sweater fits with just a touch of positive ease. That's perfect for me because I always wear sweaters with a shirt underneath, plus I don't really like the look of bulging button bands.

If you're wondering why I'm not modeling the sweater in these photos, let me assure you that it's not because I don't like how it looks on me -- quite the contrary, in fact. (If you really want to see me in it, you can check out the selfie I put up on my Instagram feed as soon as it was finished.) The photos here were taken on Sunday afternoon when the light was really good but my photographer was unavailable, so Matilda the dress form had to stand in for me.

The buttons were picked up at my LYS. They're some sort of metal with a bit of a fancy design on them that of course is difficult to photograph, but I tried:

That darkish spot near the bottom isn't tarnish -- that's my reflection!

I really can't say enough good things about this pattern. It was fun and engaging to knit, and the finished garment is sophisticated and comfortable. The weather was a bit on the cool side this past Saturday, so I got a chance to wear it once before it's packed away for the summer. I have a feeling, though, that it will be in regular rotation come fall!

I Think It May Have Worked

Remember how I said I was going to bring on spring with my knitting? Well I think I may have been successful. Yesterday was my birthday, and usually on my birthday it's cold and miserable and often snowing. Yesterday, we hit a high of 52. 52! And it was sunny! Unfortunately I had to be at work all day and couldn't be out enjoying the sunshine, but at least I was able to enjoy the sun coming through my office window.

But you're here for the knitting, aren't you? Okay, then, here's a new hat (which I'm hoping I won't need to wear until next fall at the earliest).

Pattern: Molly by Erin Ruth
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted (100% merino) in Azul Bolita, a bit less than one skein
Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm) and US 6 (4.0 mm)
Started/Completed: March 1/March 7
Mods: none

This project was all about deep stash. The pattern had been printed and in my pile of patterns to knit for literally years. The yarn was even older. If you can believe it, I think this skein (and another just like it) was the very first Malabrigo I ever bought. My stash page for it on Ravelry says it was entered in September 2007 -- that's some seriously deep stash! I think I might try to squeeze out a pair of mittens from the remaining skein to match.

The pattern was a lot of fun and was fairly easy, though there was some thought required to keep track of rounds (there's a three-round pattern repeat as well as an eight-round cable repeat, so there were lots of tally marks on my pattern). I thought I was going to be playing a game of yarn chicken near the end there, but I finished with plenty leftover.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, I finally cast on for my sweater. I haven't made a ton of progress -- cables slow me down a bit -- but look at how gorgeous these cables are already!

The pattern is the State Fair Cardigan by Heather Zoppetti from the winter 2014 issue of Interweave Knits. I did end up doing another swatch last week with a larger needle, but that one was also off on gauge -- I needed 18 stitches over 4 inches; I got 19 stitches with a US 7 and 16 stitches with a US 8. The swatch on the 8's was way too loose for my taste, so I decided to go with the US 7. The gauge is still off, but given the fact that my yarn is 50% alpaca, which has a tendency to droop and stretch, I think I'll be okay. I should be able to stretch it a bit with blocking at the very least. So far it's a very enjoyable knit, and I'll admit that I'm probably losing some knitting time on it because I keep stopping to admire the pretty cables.