Finally, a Sweater!

I nearly forgot how gratifying it feels to actually finish a knitting project! But it feels awesome! Last night I casted off my Rena Cardigan. How many months has it been since I could say that I casted off of a big project??!

It has a few quirks that I will likely go back and tweak, but I must say that I am really satisfied with the results. My intention was to knit a very neutral, wear with anything, comfortable cardigan. As far as I'm concerned, mission accomplished! The inspirational piece can be found here on Fossil's website.

When I started this sweater back in August, I almost immediately got hit with knitting obstacles (my way of saying "no time for knitting") and eventually it was shoved into one of my many yarn baskets to await the day when I would finally pull it out and finish it. To be honest, somewhere between Halloween and Thanksgiving, my interest to complete it was almost nonexistent. I'd hit a wall from being worried I wouldn't have enough yarn in my dyelot to finish and the knitting itself began to feel monotonous and never-ending. Essentially, I gave up on the sweater. I guess it's easier to admit that now that it is actually complete. Nobody wants to say they gave up on something that they were so excited about!


But inevitably, I got bitten hard once again by the knitting bug. I guess when you truly love something, you may stray but you always go back to it. Hence my urge last Saturday to pull it out of the basket, and over the next few nights, it was all done!


I am so excited to share my work that I'll settle for the photos I took during the last few minutes of daylight this afternoon.
















As you can see in the above photo, the rolled edges of the collar are rolling in just a bit too much. I believe that a little more blocking should help with that. Also, there are a couple of stitches around the edge where I picked-up to knit the collar that got a little too stretched out. I will probably go back and reinforce them slightly. It was quite a task to pick up all of those stitches and have them on the needle at one time!





In this photo of the back, you can see where my seam looks crooked. This was frustrating, because I ripped and re-seamed half a dozen times before I realized that it would always appear crooked. This is because the eyelets are two different sizes on either side of the ridge. That's what I get for wanting a reverse stockingette stitch background with yarn-overs! I guess it's a good thing I've let my hair get so long - it will cover the seam up!!




As for the construction, it went much like my September sweater (check my labels to the right). I absolutely love putting something together in a non-traditional way! First, I casted on at the elbow of one sleeve and knit up to the shoulder. I casted on stitches at either side for the front and back yokes. I did a tiny bit of neck shaping and knit to the center of the back. I wanted this sweater to have a seam there (a fact I now regret a teeny bit due to the aforementioned crookedness). Then I knitted a second sleeve exactly the same way. Next I sewed both pieces together. Then stitches were picked up for the bottom and lastly, for the collar. If only it went as quickly as the explanation!!

Details:

• Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Stone; 3.5 balls
• Needles: US 6,7,8
• Time: Sometime in August - January: way too damn long!

Well, that's all for now. I took pretty good notes while knitting this baby and once I organize them, I'll likely share them in the form of a tutorial. I don't know why I recoil from the idea of writing a bona fide pattern. I think my brain just rejects all the math involved in sizing. It's enough for me to keep up with calculating gauge :)

I'm already planning on a little somethin' to cast on tonight! Ha!
I guess I've got it bad!!

Believe it or not....

I am currently in the final knitting stages of my Rena Cardigan! I am so excited to be finally finishing it that I couldn't wait to share the news! After I finish the knitting, I'll have to do another blocking for the stich pattern to flatten out, so expect pics and details of this forever UFO finally turned FO later this week.

I won't bore any of you with the random "life" details that have kept me away from this blog and my knitting. Other than my etsy shop, I haven't been doing anything remotely creative. As someone put it, "Sometimes life gets in the way". Agreed 110%!

I hope I haven't let anyone down in my absence, but hopefully this sweater is bringing me back...for real this time!

A Little Bit of Everything

Though I haven't been as faithful to this blog in the past month as I would have liked to be, I have been very busy in my crafty little world! From knitting, to beading, to the start of a sewing project, I feel like I've been around the world.

I am pleased to say that Rena is well on the way to the final stages. Here's a peek:

I apologize for the really crappy photos, but something is better than nothing!

I'm currently knitting downward on the body. Another few inches and I'll cast off and begin the shawl collar. I was worried that the collar would take forever, but it has to be better than the monotony of the body. Hopefully it will pay off!

If I'd had more time in my rush to photograph my progress, I'd have put Rena on this:

I am finally the proud owner of a legitimate dressform! My husband surprised me with this on my birthday. My favorite knitted sweater of all time, Quirky Queen, has been proudly displayed on it ever since. She's also modeled a couple of pieces of my jewelry from time to time!

Speaking of jewelry, I suppose it's time for some explanation as to why Rena has taken a ridiculously long time on the needles. I've been working almost every night on my Etsy shop. Jewelry has been on my mind a lot!

Next time, I'll have some more of Rena, and my sewing project. It should be interesting, because I've never used a sewing pattern to make anything....

Slow Going

These past couple of weeks have left me feeling like I'm stuck in a strange sort of time warp. The daily grind keeps me so incredibly busy that by the time I sit down and breathe, I realize it's almost eleven at night. If I didn't swear about how much I need to have my creative outlets, I might actually realize that on some days, there isn't enough time fore me to make any real commitments to them. Nevertheless, I must create! Who knows, maybe I'm crazy that I manage to steal a few minutes each day to work on something that is only for me...

My new sweater finally has a name! I've decided to call it Rena. Unfortunately, this project has been pretty slow on the needles this past week. I was so hoping to be over the half-way mark by this point. The drive is definitely there but the time simply isn't. I am taking notes (good ones, so far) on my work. If nothing else, it keeps me on track with what I've done since I've had to take so many breaks on this one. Usually when I get really involved with a project, I put other duties on the backburner. I've been reluctant to do that lately because I hate the thought of housework piling up, especially laundry.

Anyway, here's a peek at where I'm at right now. I've casted off stitches for the neck shaping. At this point, I'm knitting the back yoke.

I'll more than likely do each sleeve separately and there will be a seam in the middle of the back where the two top pieces join. That's how the inspirational sweater is constructed, and It will be easier for me than continuing it in one piece.

By my next post, I will have a lot more of Rena to share!

My Needles Are On Fire!

Guess what??! I started a new project - another of my hairbrained on-the-fly designs. I knew I'd get bitten by the bug again, and since it's August - it's about damn time! I've been scanning my favorite sites for inspiration, patiently waiting for the fall sweaters to appear. Last week in Fossil's website I stumbled upon this:

It's Fossil's Tobie . I figured a lacy sweater in a cotton blend would be a nice easy start to my knitting season. After searching high and low for a durable cotton-blend that wasnt skimpy in the yardage department and didn't contain any wool, alpaca, or silk, I settled on the Lion Brand Cotton Ease. I decided on "stone", a light silvery gray hue. To be honest, using this yarn was my first choice and then I drove myself crazy browsing for better quality (sometimes just means more expensive) yarn. I spent about an entire week debating my yarn order, and then I simply drove to Michael's and bought something off the shelf. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I used Cotton Ease on the Spring Beret that I was knitting (finished now - need to photograph). Anyway, I'm happy with the choice and I'll be the first to raise my hand for the affordability - not to mention convenience - of craft store findings.

What drew me to this sweater was the casual look of the eyelets and rolled collar. I don't plan on making my version quite as long as its inspiration since I'm lacking in the height department. Remember my September Sweater? This will be a lacy, buttonless version. The unique construction is so much fun for me to knit!

So far I am just about finished with a sleeve and because of the sideways design of this sweater, I'll be casing on for the yoke. Maybe I'll have the top half completed over the weekend. Here's a peek of the lace pattern and color:

Anyway, that's it for now. More progress to follow soon :)