Tuesday, June 3, 2008

A good knitting week

As pleased as I was with my Pomatamus Socks, I am even happier with this:

Hourglass Sweater
(I'm attempting to pose like the model in the book here)

Hourglass Sweater by Joelle Hoversonin Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Dream in Color Classy, Beach Fog - About 3 1/2 skeins (probably less)
US 8 Needles

Hourglass SweaterHourglass Sweater
(I went to a park to take these pictures, and got a little bashful after about 2 mintues of taking pictures of myself with the timer, so wimped out and just took pictures of it on the grass)

The Dream in Color Classy was wonderful to work with. I did this as part of The Loopy Ewe's Dream in Color Sweater Knit-a-long, and before the KAL there were only a few sweaters in this yarn (look now), which surprises me just a bit. It seems like a very good sweater yarn, soft but sturdy, not with a huge fuzz potential, and the colors ... I had a hard time deciding, but blue is my favorite color so it was mainly between the different shades of blue (there are at least 3 different ones, I think). I'm planning my next project in this yarn already, I think a Tree Jacket in Strange Harvest.

Hourglass Sweater

I did 3 extra yoke decreases to not have as much of a boat neck, and I added contrasting yarn for the hems (they were a lot of work, so I had to show them off!). I used Malabrigo worsted Frosted Grapes leftovers - Its so nice to have that lovely Malabrigo softness along my neck and wrists! I only cast on 54 stitches for the sleeves, and decreased once to 52 stitches, so the arms don't flare as much as the pattern. I alternated skeins every other row to avoid pooling. Where the yarns switch there is a bit of pull on the stitch (I don't know if this is avoidable or not), but I ran these joins down the insides of the sleeves and along one side (the sweater is knitted in the round, so if anything it just looks like a really neat seam). My favorite thing is definitely the finishing on this, the hems were a pain but there really are what makes this sweater perfect. And I'm really happy with the fit and style (I'm always drawn to the J Crew plain crewneck sweaters, every year I am tempted to buy one, but now I can make a better one!)

I've never done a knit-a-long before, it was a good experience (well, any experience with The Loopy Ewe is, the customer service there is amazing - Sheri really does an unbelievable job leaving little notes with the orders, getting the orders out very quickly, giving free samples of things or a little gift in each order). I don't think I would be done with this sweater now had it not been for the deadline (June 1, I cast off May 31st). I had swatched as soon as I got the yarn in early March, but didn't really get working on it until earlier this month (it was a quick knit, luckily). Of course, now its in the sweater box for the summer, its going to be great to pull it out in the fall (its hard to believe its summer already!).

5 comments:

Katie M. said...

What a lovely sweater! The contrasting bands at the neck and wrists were worth the effort -- they look great.

nicole said...

It is SO pretty on you. I told you before, but I just love it in that colour/yarn!

Judi said...

Hi! I'm guessing your beautiful blue sweater and your colorful socks are safely packed away because if it's as hot there as it is here, you surely don't need them!!!

Stay cool!

karen said...

sweater melikey! sweater melikey!

Sway Knits said...

Ooh, it's so pretty! Gosh, just when I've decided to try and stop buying more yarn, you went and did that with the Classy! But I agree, the sweaters will have to be put away for fall...and durn it I love fall.