Mythos

Completed Mythos! The sweater is knit in two halves and grafted at the back seam. Showing grafted back here-not sure if I did it correctly, but I followed a tutorial online.I grafted the seam as follows:

Step 1: Insert needle into first stitch on front needle from back to front, as if to purl.

Step 2: Insert needle into first stitch on back needle from front to back, as if to knit. Drop first stitch from back needle.

Step 3: Insert needle into first stitch on back needle from back to front, as if to purl.

Step 4: Insert needle into first stitch on front needle from front to back, as if to knit. Drop first stitch from front needle.

Repeat steps 1-4 until all sts. have been grafted.

This came out a bit more stripey than I imagined, but the colors are pleasing. It can be pinned with a shawl pin as shown or hang loose and open.

Mythos here, blocking on a towel after turning garter edge under and tacking on wrong side. I finished off the front "flaps" with 3 rows stockinette:RS row, decrease one each end, purl row, repeat RS row decreases, then bound off on WS row. I turned the flap edge under also when I tacked down the garter edge along the rest of the sweater. The turning under of the "hem" gives a little stability to the edges of this cardigan.

The "making of Mythos":

My sockweight Mythos cardigan is coming along now. Mythos is worked flat on circular needles from the sleeve cuff over to the front/back, in a total of two identical sides or pieces. It is grafted together at the center back when completed. Shown here with left front and 1/2 back completed and on holders, and the beginnings of the right sleeve.

I'm using these lovely yarns on a size 7 circular. Used less than three skeins total.

Inspired by Busy Bea Knits (see my sidebar to go to her blog), and her very lovely rendition of the Mythos Cardigan, I decided I must try making one of my own. I love the look of sock yarn, but don't (as of yet) knit socks. I had wanted to try making a sweater out of beautiful sockweight yarn. Mythos is the perfect pattern to do just that.This time I had the yarn shop wind my yarn so that I would not end up with a tangled mess like last time when I bought this nice "lightweight" yarn! I am no fool! I still haven't untangled this mess yet, and it looks far worse now than this picture indicates. This was going to be a Whisper Cardigan....but it will wait:Instead I started Mythos. You begin with the right sleeve. I am alternating the two yarn colorways whenever I feel like changing colors. After the right sleeve you continue on same needles, and cast on for the right front and back sections and then do some short row shaping on the front and then decreases at the neckline. The back you knit 1/2 way across and end up putting on a holder for later, when you graft it together with the other side once completed.This shows the right sleeve, the right front and the very front of the flap that you put on a holder as well. The 1/2 back is laying behind and is also on a holder.

You then begin all over again, repeating this process creating the left sleeve, left front and back.

After these two sides are created, then the grafting of the back pieces, the sleeve and side seams will commence. While the stockinette can be rather tedious in this tiny yarn, and at times can feel boring, the variation in colors as I go and the changing back and forth of colorways is keeping me interested enough to plug along for the final outcome. And I can only hope it turns out as beautiful as my friend, Bea's beautiful Mythos...Go check hers out!

What I learned on this project: It allowed me to get better at doing "short rows and wraps". While it was somewhat alot of stockinette stitch, knitting a sweater with sockweight yarn requires patience, and patience pays off. This was a great project for doing during the Super Bowl and to take to knit night, and can be done while holding a decent coversation. And I learned how to "graft" the back seam. Though when I looked up a tutorial and actually did it, it seemed to be not as invisible as it should've been. But it worked, nonetheless.

I think my dyelots were a bit off on one of my skeins, therefore producing a bit of a defined "stripe" rather than a blended alternating of colors on one half of the cardigan. So it is a little whimsical in that regard.

All in all, a fun experience using sock yarn for a sweater!

Slinky Ribs Sweater in Bend

Yum, lookie! I got some yarn for my Birthday in this lovely brown-with- flecks color. I had heard this Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool yarn is lovely to knit with and I am finding that to be so true. I happened to have the pattern book with a sweater that called for this yarn in it. Which was a great relief as I was pressed for time packing, so I took it all with me on our weekend to Bend, OR. Wound a few skeins in the car and studied my pattern on the way down, and did a swatch. I hate swatching, but I did it anyway. A few pretty shots of Bend, OR at Drake Park and of the Deschutes River.

We had great hot weather, a nice change of pace from the Seattle fall rains. I am at the Old Mill District here having a nice organic iced tea.

Me and the hubby here...married now 27 wonderful years. Enjoying a nice flatbread appetizer and some shade.

One cool morning, in downtown Bend, they were setting up for a Weiner Dog Race and we were walking around town quickly to get out before the crowds arrived. I got a latte at my favorite spot, Thump Coffee. Down the street we stumbled upon some real yarn graffiti!

It had some pretty nice pieces on it too. Some good colorwork. Some unidentifiable objects as well.

Not every day you run across yarn grafitti...It was fun to know there are knitters in Bend. I actually knew that from my last trip down there. Still comforting to see their handiwork on display.

Back at the hotel, we were the only "out of town" patrons who felt the sun was indeed warm enough to sit by the pool. How appropriate that we donned our sunscreen and did so.

How appropriate also, that my newest pattern is photographed in the book with a "pool boy" shown behind her. I did not have a "pool boy" on this trip, just my handome hub! However I did begin knitting this pattern by the poolside.

It was lovely to be in 80's weather ....after being in rainy Seattle.

My pattern comes from this book, which I happened to already own: Custom Knits by Wendy Bernard. I am doing the Slinky Ribs Sweater.

My color is #67 and is a darker brown. Here is one photo from the book.

And here's another photo from the book. I plan to raise the neckline up and make long sleeves on mine. This is a seamless sweater that is begun with a provisional cast on at the top of the back, then it is knit downward. Later on, taking back up the provisional cast on stitches and knitting down the front. This eliminates any seam at the top of the shoulder. Only problem was I didn't have any contrasting yarn with which to do the provisional cast on. Note to self: Listen when they say use a contrasting yarn for provisional cast on. They mean it for a good reason! I should've heeded the advice. And I am not having a wonderful time when it comes to picking out the "waste" yarn. I just couldn't bring myself to drive into town on such a hot day to find some cheap skein of contrasting yarn. I am very sorry indeed! The sleeves are knit in the round. I am using size 6 needles and trying for the size medium, 36 1/2 bust, as I have heard this yarn can "grow" with blocking.

All in all, I am excited to have gotten the yarn that was recommended, and to discover I already had the pattern in my book!

So far it is a dream to knit with this yarn and it seems like it will be comfortable to wear this blend of wool/silk/nylon. Lots and lots of ribbing was done on the long drive home.

Second Best Friend

Just in time for the chill in the air that means fall is here...I can almost taste a pumpkin spice latte, can't you?

Edited to add a few photos of the finished Best Friend Cardigan. Pattern by: Wenlan Chia
Size 19 needles. 3 skeins Thick and Chunky Wool Ease in "Spice". This one's very warm and soft. The large actually ended up fitting me. Still haven't blocked it, but that's typical of me! I can never wait to wear things when I finish them. Arm seams a bit bulky. All in all, it came out cute!

What's better than a Best Friend? A Second Best Friend! OK, so the lilac was a trial run, remember? Besides, I am waiting for buttons and can't wear that one yet. I am a fickle friend and am already on to the next chunky bulky one. This one is the real deal weight called for in the pattern. Using big needles, size 19. Talk about fast knitting. This thing could knit itself in a day. I am not even kidding! FAST!

It's sort of a spicy pumpkiny fall color. Whadya know? It's called "Spice". I got 4 skeins of Thick and Quick Wool Ease. A blend of lamb's wool and (gasp!) acrylic. I know, I know. I have used the blends in the last two boleros which didn't turn out half bad. There is not alot of stretch to acrylic, but it was bulky and so there you have it.

It crunches up rather smallish right now and I hope it is going to S-T-R-E-T-C-H on me with those big stitches when I put it on! Or when I block it. I did not do the bobbles. Didn't want to. I did not do buttonholes. Others said they were not needed due to the big stitches. I did not do the waist decreases as others recommended not to. I added a few rows of the ribbing on the waist. Other than all that, I don't think I modified anything. I know, amazing the "Mod Squad" did not do too many more "mods" this time. I made the large. It doesn't look very large yet.

Mod Squad

Edited to add: Pic after Best Friend Cardigan is drying and shaping up a bit. Still waiting on my buttons...

Arm seams are a bit funky... A pic with the first two buttons on the Best Friend Cardigan. And a pic of it as I am beginning to shape it and do the blocking. In the blocking process, I am able to even out the cables a bit.

Cleaning out our storage unit, I discovered my childhood craft creation of a paper mache pig....I see that at one point I did love lilac. Indeed I did love this pig. Lilac isn't so very bad after all. The cat seems to really like this color. She has never tried to play with my yarn until now, believe it or not. She wanted to lay on my bag of it.

Ok, here's the preview after many "mods." I am part of the "Mod Squad". I torture myself with "mods." I did the called for neckline, it was floppy. So I ripped it out and put in a K2 P2 neckline with fewer picked up stitches.

Due to my smaller gauge and guesswork on the sleeves, I had too many stitches at the shoulder and will need to rip this out and reduce the amout of stitches for the sleeve cap.

Here's the "changed" neckline in the K2 P2 ribbing.

And again a "mod": I knit the called for K2 P2 on the hem, but it pulled in weirdly with my gauge yarn, so I took out and knit on a garter stitch band on instead. Definitely needs some TLC and some blocking help.

Lots of mods for the "Mod Squad". Why must I torture myself when I could've done the pattern on bulkier weight to start with? Just to use the stash and take on the challenge I guess. Either I am nuts, or I am a fearless knitter!

Friends Can Be Fickle

So I started the Best Friend Cardigan out of Wenlan Chia's book. It is a free pattern on Ravelry. I just got the book from the library for fun...and then I went off with another project for awhile. And now I'm back again. Just like a fickle friend I guess. Now it isn't so hot outside, so it's back to knitting with wool. I am not really sure about this project yet, ....not sure about the color. The color lilac is so...lilac. But the pattern is sort of funky and fun. So it deserves a fun color. I am considering this my "test knit". I have gotten some other chunky yarn to use to make another one if I like how this turns out. So I figure this is my practice run. I have heavily modified this pattern to fit my yarn gauge and my needle size was dropped down from pattern recommended size. So now it doesn't resemble the original pattern a whole lot. As in, the original only has maybe 4 cable repeats up the front and is on way chunkier yarn and huge needles, but this is good practice! Upside down -not sure why?-photo (above) of one side or front of the sweater. Lower photo shows how this pattern was written. It is knit from the bottom up and side to side, then you leave the sides on holders, knit the back upwards, and then put the neck on a holder. Then you go back to put the front pieces on the needles and knit upward, keeping the pattern going, as well as buttonholes. I did mine so I'll end up with six buttonholes up the front. I have many more cable pattern repeats than the pattern, again, due to my yarn, gauge and needle size.

See how it looks all opened up? (above) Now I will fold it in so you can see what it might look like for real. (below)

I am now knitting up the other front side, then I will bind off at the neck. Then I think it will be time to do the sleeves. Some other people who have knit this pattern have done the sleeves in the round. They are written in the pattern to have a cap and be knit in with seams. I'll see what I feel like doing when I get to it. This is an experiment for me in gauge and stitch count and fudging.

After the sleeves will be time to finish off the neck and do some buttons and blocking. I could buy buttons or make them by doing a crochet-covered button, depending on what I want to do at the time. Hm...not sure if I can commit to this Best Friend yet. My daughter said, "It's very PURPLE." Thank you, honey. I know. It is. Maybe purple is the season's "new black". I have nothing against purple. I look good in purple. Many friends of mine love purple. (Julie or perhaps Christine?) It's just not my all-time favorite, not my very bestest friend color. Not yet, not this week. Maybe next week.

Best Friend Cardigan

I am going to make this Best Friend Cardigan for fun! I liked the funky, chunky look of it.
It's by Wenlan Chia from her book: Twinkle's Big City Knits. I was trying to import the photo of the actual sweater up there, but it is a link to Ravelry instead. (Tiny picture of it below)
The pattern calls for size 19 needles and a super chunky yarn made by Classic Elite, which I cannot find. Also some reviewers' comments made me want to substitute a different yarn. I am using Louet -Riverstone bulky/chunky weight in lilac with size 15 circs, and am trying for a size 38/40. So I have had to calculate my gauge and adjust accordingly. My yarn is not as chunky, and the pattern is written for very small sizes.

The pattern calls for bobbles, which I am omitting. All the while laughing at other's comments about how they thought the bobbles were similar to bovine body parts! It is started from the bottom up, has a cable pattern repeat running up the front, which I will be repeating more times due to my gauge. There are buttonholes every 8th row. It has reverse stockinette showing on the right side. Many Ravelry users have commented on the pattern so I am getting some tips there. The sleeves are meant to be knit separately and flat, then attached with a sleeve cap, however many have done them in the round and seamlessly. Why lilac? No particular reason, other than I got it on sale, and it was bulky. And I thought I would have enough yardage to give it a whirl. We shall see if it is indeed my Best Friend when I am through!