Marpril Sweater! Done!!!

Marpril Sweater!

I finally finished my March Sweater for March Sweater Madness, only it took me until the end of April.

Project Details:

Pattern: Top-Down Raglan Cardigan from Cosmicpluto Knits aka Laura Chau
Yarn: Cascade 220 Wool in color Cherry Blossom. I used just over 4 skeins.
Needle: US 8 circular and DPN's
Size: 36-38" bust
Start: March 1, 2008
Finish: April 27, 2008
Mods: Followed the pattern as written although I chose to not add button holes. I may add pretty ribbon and snaps down the front though. I also added the cable from the Tangled Yoke Cardigan on the bottom.
Thoughts: This could be a fast knit. I started March 1 but after someone else finished, I put it down to work on other projects. Glad I was able to finish before Summer though! I have the sweater on as I'm typing this. I think it does need some sort of closure so I'm going to look for ribbon and get some snaps. Other than that, I think this is a beautiful sweater, if I might say so myself. ;o)

Seraphim

I finished my second shawl...kinda!

First I will show you some pics and then explain...So, after knitting this shawl for a few days I realized why it was a UFO. I love the yarn, but am so so so tired of the pattern. I was just ready to be done, so I cast off and didn't finish the lace part. The problem was that I had buggered up on side of the shawl in the lace charts and didn't have the heart to rip it.
So here it is and I am really enjoying it. It is comfy and is now officially my "with Jeans" shawl.
Anyone else got some FO's to finish up the month?

Progress

Seems like this sweater is just crawling along. Perhaps it is because I have not exactly been knitting?

(Well, I have been knitting - pair of Sock Madness Round 3 while in the US and 13 Kippot on the flights to and from plus working on my son's vest).

Last night I pulled out the cardigan and started taking yarn from the bottom



and knitting it on to the tube.



I have about 8" (20 cm) done - half of it while on the phone with my husband (voice over IP is great and keeps the phone bills under control).

I am not making much choice about the colours, just knitting them up from one to the other. If I stay with that, the rest of the top will be white, and I probably don't want to go there.

I think another narrow band of white would do, then back to one of the colours? Each band, by the way is from a separate small batch of handspun. Nothing like using up the really really early spinning....

Confirmed FO Sighting

The authorities have confirmed an FO sighting in the Knitsnpurls household this weekend. "It looked like a brown, grey, and green wrap cardigan," reported one witness. Another added, "It had sleeves and ties and seams and everything. It was even blocked." One quickthinking bystander managed to obtain this photographic evidence:

Hmm, it's not the best shot but it sure looks like an FO to me!

A Big UFO

Ok, first a confession. Even though this is UFO month, I have been working on my WIP (which is allowed, I'm sure), and today I broke down and played with my new Kauni yarn. I promised myself that I wouldn't touch it until I had a bunch of old things done, but my hands were itching to get to it. (Un)fortunately, I couldn't find the right size circs. I remembered seeing some old old old old knitting in a box in my junk room. And found a circular needle that might be the right size. But I also found this sweater. I thought it was just sort of started. But it's all knitted. Just needs seaming.

Now, this is from 1992 at the very latest, probably a couple of years before that. And it's very big. But I am going to finish it up, it deserves to be a sweater, not just a pile of yarn. It really is lovely yarn, a dark charcoal grey tweed, and I remember really agonizing over the colours for the intarsia. It's a Pingouin pattern, which I probably can dig up as well.

I am SO VERY pleased. This is not an oversize 80's cardigan, which I first thought. It's a lovely jacket - below hip length, and it actually fits! I vaguely remember knitting it, but had not recollection of the pattern. Needs blocking, I had to sew up a few mothholes, but overall, I am delighted! Once I have buttons, I'll take a pic wearing it.

Small Progress

I decided, taking all of your good advice - to turn this sweater




Into a Tubey.

Now, I promptly ran into an issue with the construction. I don't have a clue how much yarn I really have, or whether it will be enough for full sleeves. Tubey is knit sleeves first, then the body down.

Since I really prefer having a body on the sweater (I am way to hold to have my stomach and belly button hanging out), it means that I am going to have to knit up, then do a bit of complicated fudging to knit the sleeves out from the center as part of the garment (I hate sewing things together when there is an alternative.

Deciding that I really don't want much white on the bottom/sweater body - I have started.



Since all the colours originally came from the same set of bats, separated out by colour for spinning, I am hoping that this will work.

And 5mm needles are so big!

-Holly

Cheating

Okay, I know this project doesn't officially qualify as a UFO because I only started it just after Christmas. But I found it while I was going through my trunk the other day and thought it would make a great spring scarf. It was just the sort of project I needed to get me going--a quick finish, you know? Boy, was I wrong! After hours and hours and hours of knitting I finally emerged from the Black Hole last night and cast off. I can't believe how long it took to knit up one skein of yarn!
It's the Storm Water Scarf (or at least I think it is--I just cut the Storm Water Shawl in half) in Fleece Artist Woolie Silk 2-ply in an unknown colourway. It was a Christmas gift from my sister-in-law. Since it took so long it felt like a UFO so I just had to post it!


I am getting very inspired by everyone's FO photos--everything looks great! I hope to share the genuine article with you soon...

1st April FO

Lots of knitting has been going on but not a whole lot of finishing - until today! Incentive to finish to be revealed later this week.

I give you the Oceanic Baby Bunting from baby knits kit.

I'm very happy with how this turned out.

The appliqués were a learning experience but I think they came out fine. The recipient's parent's own a Fly Fishing shop, hence the light bulb went on for this pattern when I saw it. You know, fish and all.

Project Details:

Pattern: Oceanic Baby Bunting from baby knits kit
Yarn: Elann Sock It to Me 4 ply - 2 strands knit together throughout. Appliques were from
various scraps of worsted yarn.
Needle: US7 - 24" circular and DPN
Size: 6 months
Start: March 16, 2008
Finish: April 7, 2008
Mods: None, followed the pattern.

This is being washed now and will block then off to the new baby.

FO'S!!

I have 3 FO's for you today!! I am thrilled!
The 2 sweaters were picked up again in March so that is technically cheating, but I am ok with that.

Sweater #1
This is my Buttony Sweater which is knit out of handspun from roving I dyed for this sweater. The sweater took exactly 2 lbs of Superwash merino. It is EXTREMELY comfortable!
I am planning another sweater based on this one minus the buttons because I LOVE the neckline.

Sweater #2
My Bitchin Sweater! This sweater is also handspun out of funky carolina merino tencel in the Bitchin colourway. I had a TON of problems with the pattern and gauge...it was a learning experience. I ended up using a lot of roving and the sweater is very heavy, but in the end it turned out perfectly! I love this sweater!


The Clap!
Ah my long forgotten Clapotis! This is an actual April FO! I started this a long time ago and she was shelved...well because it is an extremely boring knit...but beautiful!
As you can tell in the photo I am getting a little tired of modeling :-)
However, I love having FO's all at once! Next up is my seraphim shawl...I am getting a bad case of startitis, but am fighting it all the way!

One down, a number to go.

Cap Sleeve Top is fixed, finished, and it fits! I love it!


Next up, a short sleeve top in Seasilk. I had enough variegated yarn for the front and sleeves, had to use a solid/monochrome shade for the back. I still think it's going to be fine. I need to sew this up, and wear it, to see how much the Seasilk stretches, because I have lots and lots more yarn waiting to be made into lovely things.












eta: As requested, a photo of the sweater in use. I love the fit, especially the neckline, so happy that I fixed it.

Moving along at light speed!

Wow, imagine my surprise to have finished the third of my UFO's tonight!
Granted the 2 handspun sweaters were picked back up in March...I am just thrilled to have a bunch of my near done projects finished and tonight I cast of my Clapotis!
Photos to come soon of my new FO's!
The seraphim shawl has been officially pulled from the knitting basket...I am feeling good so far...bring on spring!

My UFO's for April

Hi all

Sorry for the long absence - things have been nuts and knitting time has been scarce.

My UFO's for April (excluding the 3 pairs of socks that immediately come to mind) are :
My Mr Greenjeans - winter is coming here and it will come in very handy very soon. Just needs the button band and ends sewn in.
A shawl that is due by 14th April or thereabouts - it's a birthday present.

Photos will follow.

Jayne

Another Confession

I finally got around to looking through my knitting trunk this morning and all I can say is Oh. My. There are a lot of UFO's in there!

After some consideration I picked out three projects that I would like to complete--if not all in this month, at least soon (I have some new projects I am working on too).

First, a cabled tank with miscrossed cables that need fixing and about a third of the front to go.

Second, a sleeveless Fleece Artist Garter Stitch Jacket.

Third, a long-sleeved, wrap sweater, which only requires another 1 1/4 sleeves, the neckbands and ties.

I'm going to tackle the cabled tank first, partly because the weather is getting warmer and partly because it is the oldest UFO in the group.

Do we even want to ask ourselves why we have so many UFO's?!?

My confession

Ok, if we're going to post one at a time, I can do it.



This is my Cap Sleeve Top, made with the pattern from Handmaiden Yarns, made in Great Big Sea Silk, Lily Pond colourway. I LOVE this pattern and this yarn. I have to knit about 6 more rows on each sleeve to finish it off, just a seed stitch cuff. Yet, it sits there, not done.

And when I took it out to photograph it, I noticed that there is an error in the body, about 6 rows from the cast off edge. I have deliberated about my cast off, I think it was too loose, and this might be the incentive I need to rip it back, fix the error, and bind off a little more firmly.

The error may not even be visible. Basically, this is seed stitch with a row of purl in between each RS row. For the last few rows, I didn't offset the k1 p1 on the RS, so it lines up like a rib, instead of seed stitch. And how did I notice this? I made a complete top in this pattern, with this exact error in the entire garment, so it's a rib instead of seed stitch. I really think I should fix this one. Gah.

Confession

Ok here we go!

I have 2 UFO's that I am hoping to finish this month...ok I have a LOT of UFO's but only 2 that I expect to finish this month. I am being reasonable here!
Both are close to being finishedPlease excuse the terrible photos, large UFO's dont photo well.
On the left is my seraphim shawl...I have a few charts left to finish this one..and on the right my Clapotis. The clapotis is my current WIP and is very close to being finished. I wanted a wrap so I have doubled the middle section and made it much longer...I am about to start the decreases any day now. Hopefully this will be done by the end of the week..no promises.
April is a very busy month business wise for me so I think that 2 UFO's is quite good.
When I finish them I will show you all a few more...there are a couple sweaters and socks that need some help!

Which projects are you all working on?