Slowgress

Progress update:
I measured him today...he's 15" so far and needs to go to 26 for the back. Turns out there is no shaping so I will just keep knitting and knitting until I reach the end!
There is a very good chance that I am not going to be finished this sweater on time which totally bums me out because it will be my first time not hitting close to the deadline, but I will still keep trying and see how close I can get...on the flip side...Chris is going to LOVE this sweater!

Thrilled

I am very happy to report that I did meet my goal of finishing the second sleeve on Saturday. I also started on the back and made decent progress on it yesterday, although haven't touched yet today. Plan on knitting on it during House.

I didn't want a big chunky knit but I have to admit I like how fast it's knitting up! I look forward to having a cozy coat to cuddle into as the days get shorter and colder. I've actually been looking at the pattern and wondering if this design would accommodate a hood without looking overly bulky around the neck.

Extended Madness

Since I have completed exactly 4 cable crosses on my CPH, I will be extending my "madness" until the official end of the fall season. Normally, finishing a sweater in a month wouldn' be too much of a stretch for me. I think I just got distracted by all the quilting I've been doing. Anyway, I hope its ok with everyone if I keep posting my progress until I finish the sweater. Hope you gals will do the same if you don't finish!

Note to self: Do NOT pick secret knitting for a one month sweater!
My progress is so sad...I keep knitting...but am STILL on the back...ugh ribbing!

Back in the Game

No, it's not your eyes playing tricks on you. I ended up frogging the rest of what I had knit before. I hummed and hawed for a while and after stash diving, I came up with a different group of colours, ones that appeal a lot more to me for this project. I knit through the season premier of Grey's Anatomy and had about half a sleeve done by the time the credits rolled. I got back at it today; it was a miserable rainy day, perfect for knitting and this is my progress so far. I hope to have the second sleeve done by the end of tomorrow but that remains to be seen.

I'd love to see everyone's progress, no matter how small.

Before and After

Before:

After:

Sometimes it's wiser not to mess with the pattern. I got gauge. I should have realized that all the other numbers were written as they were for a reason, and I would pay dearly for messing with them. Oh, the pain of learning the hard way. I was to the sleeve cap decreases, almost 20" worth of knitting, most of which I had to rip back because where the pattern said to increase every 4th row, I increased every 6th row, thinking that the sleeves would be too wide as written. Apparently the designers write the patterns to save me all that nasty thinking stuff. Go figure.

I finally cast-on!

I finally cast on for my Central Park Hoodie yesterday. It will be a Christmas Present for my sister - so I am super glad for this blog to talk about this otherwise secret knitting.

The yarn is Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed in a light gray colorway (number 360010). It has flecks of black, light pink, blue and green in it. It is a super soft yarn - and a two ply that has the look of a singles yarn. I was able to spit splice the first two balls together perfectly, which I am really excited about because it means less ends to weave in and I will save a little extra yardage.

I am knitting the fronts and back together, and will split at the armpits...for now I have finished the 3.5 inches of ribbing, plus the first 4 pattern rows for the sweater.



And as you may notice, I marked each cable with a F or a B to say whether or not to hold the cable to the front or the back, now I don't have to watch the pattern anymore, just my row counter. I am really excited to see this fabric shape up!

You wanted a picture?

I'm afraid it isn't too thrilling of a pic...it is grey and rainy here today...the sweater is grey...doesn't make for too exciting a photo, but none the less here it is!








The sweater is a garter stitch rib all over so I have about 5-6 inches of the back done.
We had a big wedding last week and a big birthday this week so progress is slow, but he's coming along.
I can't wait to get the back done and start on the front...the back is always the most boring part...so far I don't think chris has caught on that I am knitting something for him..I do it mostly at night and am feeling sneaky because I knit in bed while he sleeps...Muwah ha ha!

Finally Started

Over the weekend I managed to figure out the colour combination of yarns (three!) that would give me gauge. See that? An honest to goodness swatch. I even cast on the first sleeve, but didn't make much progress beyond the first 4 rows.

I'm here!

Hi ladies, I am still here and have started my sweater...sorry for the lack of blogging. Chris' brother is getting married tomorrow and as chris remarked he has probably done more for this wedding than he did for his own! It has been a bit crazy...next week (my mom's 60th birthday) should be a bit calmer after our house guest's leave so i promise a progress report!

Halfway to Cast On

I didn't get your comment in time, Holly, to select my yarn first. Now I finally have a pattern selected that I am practically drooling over but still searching for yarn, which is a combination of two. The pattern I have in mind is called Cabled Duffle Coat from Knitter's Fall 2006. The link takes you to a picture and what it would cost for a kit. Outrageous!

Look at how fast I can knit!

I cast on yesterday and look how far I am today! MWOOHAHAHAAAAA JUST KIDDING!!!

This is my sweater that I started months ago. It's my first Central Park Hoodie in a wierd 'raw hamburger' sort of colorway (by the way, thanks for all the encouragement about that darn pink color). I'm almost done with the sleeves and have to start looking for a place the block the huge thing . . . any ideas? I still have the whole edge thingy to knit - oh and the hood. Honestly, I don't know how you people can knit these things in a month.

I know. . . I'm cheating. I also started (about a million months ago, too) a sweater for my new niece that should be arriving any day now.

b14-27 Jacket by DROPS design

Barely Started

In the evening, the light in my room is horrible. Energy saving bulbs are all well and good, but taking photos without flash shows you just about how dark I find the place.

This yarn is what most of us would think of as fishermans. A nice weight natural colored yarn that is meant to show of stitches and pattern while happily being obscured in the background.

I have cast on not quite 200 stitches on my 3.00 mm needles and am cussing my way through twisted rib while listening to Bellweather by Connie Willis in audio. I didn't want anything stressful, ugly or mean. No thrillers, mysteries or blood. Back to scifi with ideas.

One month? I must be nuts!

Already Behind

Would all believe that I still haven't picked out my pattern? Or the stash yarn that I plan to use? I have been flipping through about a dozen knitting books and hope to have something selected and hopefully even casted on today.

I'm looking forward to seeing your yarn selection, Michelle.

A Day Late and Dollar Short

Well, I'd say I meant to cast on for my sweater project last night, but was unable to on account of my husband severely cutting his ring finger and needing to be taken to the emergency room. But that'd be a lie. Not that Hubby didn't need to go to the emergency room (he did), but rather that I had no intention of casting on last night.

The trouble is that it turns out I'm - basically - a fickle beotch when it comes to knitting. I think a fair amount of fickleness (fickleosity?) is sort of a natural side-effect of evolving into a proper Knitter, along with UFOs, WIPs and a stash. But really, this is getting out of hand.

I started out just wanting to knit a(nother) sweater, because I was high on the exhiliration of a completed cardigan for myself (Laura Chau's Amelia). I really had no idea which pattern I would choose, I just knew I wanted it to be knit from the stash.

Then I thought "Wouldn't it be nice to knit a sweater for the kids?". I have 2 children, a 5 year-old daughter and a 2-year old son, and I haven't really knit anything significant for them in a while. Great idea! But drat, I don't really have the right yarn for those kinds of projects in the stash, and I couldn't guarantee my credit card (or my marriage for that matter!) would survive a perusal of KnitPicks intact. Besides, in addition to being fickle, it turns out I'm also quite selfish, heh. Screw the kids, I wanted to knit something for myself!

So scratch that. Maybe I could get the jump on Christmas knitting? I've been meaning to knit my Dad a sweater for ages.... But the thought of knitting a sweater for a size 42-inch chest within a month left me staring off into space, making incoherent noises.

Now I'm smitten with Laura Chau's newly released Honeybee Cardigan, but don't have the yarn for it, natch. And then it hit me: The Garter Yoke Cardigan. I've had some lovely Shelridge Farms worsted in the stash for a year that I think would be awesome for this project.

Oh yes, this is the one. Or, you know, not. :)

My Stuff

I am going to have to cheat and call my version "March Finish-the-Sweater-I'm-Already-Working-On". My first grown-up sweater is nearing completion and this KAL will motivate me to finish it so that it can actually be worn this fall.

My first Central Park Hoodie:

And were off!

Hope you are all ready to cast on today! Just think...in one month we will all have new sweaters!!

Tom

I decided to use this opportunity to knit chris' christmas sweater!
I will be knitting Tom from the queensland collection book in Mission falls that chris picked out some time ago. I try to knit a sweater for him every year and I often fail to get the right fit so this year I measured him and am hoping for the best!

Blogger is having image upload issues right now so I will have to wait to show you the yarns.

Ready to cast on tomorrow...now just to find my needles and swatch!!

Brage

If no one minds - I have a sweater to knit that is going to accomplish dual duty. There are four of us on the Ravelry Elsepth Lavold Group that have decided to recreate "that dragon sweater."

Since there is not a pattern (except in her first book of some runes and Fafner's head) each of us is obviously going to be doing a slightly different version.

I have also decided that everything, for the rest of this year, needs to be knit from stash (excluding things that come only in kits - if I am desperate for a pattern, all bets are off).



I am going to
1) change the runes on the front to say something other than the sweater's name. I might put ruins up the sleeves rather than the cable patches on the elbows
2) thinking about turning the sweater into a cardigan (steeks of course) and extending Fafner's tail to make a line of button holes down the front.

-Holly
(meanwhile, as of Sat eve, I have just the finishing on Pyramide, the shoulders, neck, collar and armhole ribbing on my vest and Stillwater has been frogged).

YEAH!! (an intro from Sarah)

Hey all! I just wanted to chime in and do a little intro. I am so glad to be part of Fall Sweater Madness! I will be knitting my third Central Park Hoodie out of Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed. I was lucky enough to get some of this on sale...it is supersoft and the gray with flecks of pink/green/blue/black/white is really pretty, and quite neutral.

A sweater that goes with everything is what I am aiming for, as this is a super-secret surprise Christmas present for my sister Jen. This is the perfect forum for me to share the progress. I can't wait to knit along with you all starting on the 15th!!

Funny You should ask!

We are gearing up for the Fall Sweater Madness KAL which starts on Sept 15th. A collective decision was made to just knit along on our own patterns and race to finish a sweater in a month as opposed to myself dictating the patterns and having prizes...we will do that again for sure in March.

So if you would like to KAL with us, just let me know and I will add your name to the MSM blog so you can show us your progress!

Several of the ladies asked me for some inspiration in choosing their patterns and I had come up with a few that I was going to suggest so here they are...all free patterns in worsted weight!

February Lady Sweater

Hey Teach!

Mariah

Titania

Once again you are free to choose your own pattern and weight, these are just some suggestions that I would have used!

Our KAL will run from September 15th to October 15th and we will be cheering each other on and showing our progress and of course modeling our newest FO!

My plans include a Sweater for Chris...I often am knitting the night before Christmas so I thought this would be a great opportunity to get his sweater done early!

Join us!

Madness News?

Hi Michelle! Hi Everybody!

Has there been a decision made on a pattern for the Fall Madness? Yarn and gauge requirement?

Now that I've finally finished my March Sweater, pictures posted at my blog, I'm ready to roll.

So who will be joining us?