What’s new

Ok, so my blogging has been sporadic at best, but my crafting has been full swing. Since I last blogged, I have finished two projects – one sewn, one knit- and made significant progress on my newest quilt for a class that I am taking. So I have lots to tell you, but not time right now to do it. However, for now I leave you with the one and only project on the needles right now.

Drumroll please….

Orangina!!

Finished Object: Wicked Sweater

Thanks everyone for the pep talk about the sweater. I was so eager to get it off the needles on April 10th but ended up having to redo the sleeves a couple times so that extended the date to April 20th. I know I have been an absentee blogger lately but man am I crafting up a storm. Between knitting and sewing and quilting, I am about to have a crafting induced nervous breakdown. I hope to be through the storm this week so I should have some more stuff to show off soon in the FO category. Until then, I hope you like the Wicked…now with extra twists!!!

Yarn: Queensland Llama Seta (80%alpaca/20% silk blend yarn) color 11
Inspiration: Zephyr Style Wicked Sweater
Needles: Size 6
Yardage: 9 balls (792 yards)
Modifications: Changed needles from 7 to a 6 to better suit yarn. Added an extra twist in the cables, which was an accident design element. Decreased before the armhole cabling to reduce armhole size.
Enjoyment Factor:7.5

The Good:

• Busted the Stash Baby. 9 out of 10 balls of my red Queensland Llama Seta yarn that I bought a while back for finally found a home.
• This sweater flew off the needles. I saw the pattern, dug through my stash, threw it on the needles and here it is for all the see.
• I really like the simplicity of the sweater and the pattern was great and very user friendly

The Bad:

• I redid the armhole cabling twice because of the size of the armholes were two big for my taste. I had 76 stitches reserved for the armholes as the pattern stated but ended up reducing down to 64 stitches because I wanted a snugger fit on the arms.
• My design element was the result of me forgetting the rest row in the cable pattern. Instead I just repeated the actual cable stitch over and over again. I didn’t realize I had done this until I started on the armholes. Was I going back on a top down raglan sweater to fix the boo boo? HELL NO!! Besides, I like it anyway.

The Ugly:

• I don’t have a modeled picture for you. I always like seeing had knits on their intended model but I am just too tired to go through the motions. Let me reassure you that it fits fine and I really like it with a white long sleeve T-shirt underneath. Maybe I will get one in the future and add to the post. Who knows?

Knit Time: March 24 – April 14

I think I can…I think I can….

…Finish my Wicked Sweater by Wednesday. Why the deadline? Dunno, just must!

I am knitting as fast as I can. See the smoke?

Finished Object: Apricot Jacket

I am in love with this sweater. I think it will be getting a lot of use in it’s lifetime as the yarn is soft and the sweater fits pretty well. The sleeves…OH the SLEEVES! I love them. They definitely make the sweater. Rebecca does have good details added to their sweaters, even if the instructions are impossible to decipher.

 

Yarn: GGH Samoa
Inspiration: Rebecca 27 Apricot Jacket
Needles: Size 7
Yardage: 11 balls
Modifications: Shortened sleeves and overall length of pieces by 5cm. No buttons, used hook and eye instead as the closure
Enjoyment Factor:8

 

• The Good:
  • This project only cost $25 bucks and I knit from my Stash!! I bought this yarn from the Yarn Lady Sale this year so it hasn’t been in there long, but it was still stash
  • The details on this sweater are wonderful. I was petting myself the entire day on the first wear
  • I am in love with the sleeves. They are definitely my favorite part of the sweater, especially where it comes together at the seams, just lovely

  

• The Bad:
  • Oh my GOSH!!! this pattern sucks! If it had not been for those who came before me I would have surely given up on this stupid pattern a long time ago.
  • I hate pattern that tell you to mirror the other side when making a right or left side. I cannot envision what they are asking even if it is as clear as day. I messed up on a stupid ribbing section because it had a seaming side. It pissed me off to have to reknit that portion. Just tell me what you want from me damn it.
  • Beside the fact that I have never had any intention of wearing this sweater completely closed, as though that were possible to begin with (read: chub is taking over my body), I could not bring myself to do the crochet for the buttons. Instead I replaced the button closures with some hook and eyes which work well for me, I think.
  • The seaming on the sleeves was murder. I love raglan sleeves, set-in’s suck. My seam was a little bulky but after 3 tries I said to hell with it, this is as good as it gets.

  

• The Ugly:
  • Cotton yarn is so unforgiving. I points out every flaw in your knitting. I couldn’t get away with even the slightest tension difference. And you think you can block that out?? Forget it.
  • I am not that in love with the meeting of the edges on the collar portion of the sweater. I had every intention of grafting these together but after my frustration with the sleeve, the amount of yarn tails, and wanting to get it done with the minimum of fuss, I got lazy, bound off the stitches and mattress stitched it together. Not horrible, but definitely not what it could have been.
  • It is not ugly now, but the back had this HUGE glaring ugly stitch that kept gnawing at me as I continued on with the sleeves and fronts. I ended up ripping it out for a variety of reason, but that was one of the major ones.
• Knit Time: January 20 – March 26