Sheepie Sweater

I knit this sweater for my baby last Spring - I had it all finished except the button plackets before he was born, and I finished the plackets and sewed the buttons on sometime in June.  (It was pretty much the only knitting I did between when the baby was born and the end of the Fall semester.)

I used Melissa Kemmerer's Sheepish Little Sweater Light pattern and Cascade Heritage sock yarn that my mom had leftover after knitting me a pair of sheepie socks for my birthday.  The only major change I made to the pattern was to add a button placket along one of the raglan lines - I got the idea from some sweaters that the Yarn Harlot had knitted for her nephew many years ago, and I'm really glad I did because otherwise the neckhole would have been way too small to get over the baby's head. I think I did make some modifications to the pattern having to do with gauge and size, but I can't remember what they were at this point.  I think I tried to aim for finished measurements in the 12 month size, and that worked out pretty well.  The sweater has fitted him this fall and winter, although the sleeves are still too long.

I'm really proud of this sweater, and I had planned to enter it in the state fair at the end of the summer, but in my sleep-deprived haze I missed the drop-off day for fair entries.  I was really disappointed, but I'll have to knit something else equally awesome to enter next year instead.

Christmas Mitten

This is the second-to-last Christmas knitting 2016 post - I'm way behind!   I knitted my mom these lovely fancy mittens - the Snowfling Mitts.  I used red and white Cascade 220 and lined them with a lovely purple hand-dyed sport-weight alpaca.  They were fun to knit and terrifically warm.  Perfect for cold Midwestern winters.

Unfortunately, the left mitten was tragically lost soon after they were put into use.  Luckily, I have leftover yarn, so I can knit a new mate this Summer.  Then I might have to knit another pair for myself!

Pattern: Snowfling Mitts
Size: One size
Yarn: Cascade 220, one skein each colors 8505 and 9404, and Foothills Yarn and Fiber 100% baby alpaca in Iris
Needles:  3mm sock dpns (a little bit on the short side for adult mittens, but totally workable)
Started/Completed: December 2016/January 2017
Modifications: Used worsted rather than DK weight yarn for the outers and sport rather than fingering for the lining

A finished Lofoten!

I finally finished this sweater a few weeks ago, and I'm SO happy with how it turned out. I've been wearing it all the time and getting compliments on it everywhere I go.

It fits perfectly, although the colorwork band at the bottom of the body does pull in a bit.  I did a tubular 2x2 cast-on for the bottom edge of the body, which was a new skill for me.

In addition to the challenge of the colorwork (which I'd never done on this scale before), the sweater has SEVEN steeks!  I'd done a steek once before, on this sweater for my niece, but there was only one and I sewed the stabilization stitches using my sewing machine before I cut it.  For this sweater, I hand crocheted the stabilization stitches.  I was really, really nervous about the steeks, and especially how to secure the cut edges at the sleeve caps and armscyes, but it all worked out.  I used a tutorial by Kate Davies and one by Elinor Brown and found them both incredibly helpful.

Pattern: Lofoten
Size: 36"
Yarn: Knitpicks Wool of the Andes Sport, from a kit
Needles: US5 circulars and DPNs
Started/Completed: February 2015/March 2016
Modifications: I think I lengthened the sleeves and maybe the body, too, but I can't quite remember.  I measured a RTW sweater that I like to choose the lengths.

Five steeks

I reached a big milestone on my Lofoten sweater this weekend: I finished the body!  It has five steeks ready to be reinforced and cut: two for the armscyes, one for the placket, one for the front neck, and one for the back neck.  It looks pretty ridiculous with all of the holes closed.  The shoulder seams are already "sewn" with a contrasting 3-needle bind-off.

I had a little bit of a panic because it seemed way too long, but I compared it to a ready-made sweater I own and held it up against my body after I got the shoulders bound off and I think it will be perfect.  Now I just need to finish knitting the sleeves and gather my courage for the steeks (there are two on the sleeves, too!) and the sweater should be finished in time to wear this fall!

Lofoten sweater progress

Between my mystery shawl and the Tour de Fleece, my Lofoten sweater has been neglected lately.  Before the mystery shawl started I had been making good progress on the colorwork - it's not particularly visible in this picture, but I finished the mountains at the bottom of the black-and-white section.  I feel like my shawl is moving pretty quickly now (it helps when every row gets shorter!) I'm looking forward to getting back to this sweater.  Although I do have a trip to a lovely yarn shop planned for this weekend, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that Lofoten will get pushed back in favor of something else new and exciting!

Finished Deep in the Forest Mittens!

I finished my Deep in the Forest mittens.  (Two weeks ago, I think?)

I modified the pattern by making each mitten different, with a forest-y back and a checkerboard palm, and by making the hands and thumbs shorter.  I started the finger decreases seven rows early and omitted the last seven rows of the chart, and did the same with the thumbs (but made them five rather than seven rows shorter than specified).  I'm really happy with how they turned out.  The forest parts are a bit puckery, but I think that's to be expected for my first real colorwork project, and it's not too bad. 

Pattern: Deep in the Forest mittens
Yarn: Knitpicks Palette in Oyster Heather and Bittersweet Heather, 100% Peruvian Highland Wool