The three year sweater

I started this in May 2013. I knew it hat been a while, but was surprised to see how long. Ravelry never lies...

This was one of the main projects I had in mind when I challenged myself with the Finishing&mending2016 in January.

And finally it's done!
And I love it!

I usually am not a fan of Superwash yarns - but for a fitted sweater like this it has one advantage, well two, maybe, when you include the fact that it can be easily washed: It is not as warm as a woolly wool sweater would have been, so it's easier to use. Especially since my husband and I do not agree on the temperature inside the house. I think it's perfectly normal to wear a wool cardigan, while he wants to wear a t-shirt only. I'm sure you all support me!

Finishing & mending - January

I have mended the Lillehammer mittens (above) , the stripy, felted mittens (under), and a couple of more. Not a lot of work, but something that has been waiting to be done for ages. 

For February, I hope to finish this sweater.

Good luck to me!

Do you have plans to finish or mend something in February?

Feel free to join in the 2016 finishing&mending thread in my Ravelry group. 

Mini Tuin in English

Mini Tuin Sweater

now in English

Four sizes: 3-6 months, 1 , 2 and 4 years

L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux

Dessine-moi un mouton - Draw me a sheep! Says the Little Prince, and that's the name of this cute sweater design by La Maison Rililie. So I called my sweater by another quote from the book, L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux - What is essential is invisible to the eye. 

The sweater is worked top down, with a modified raglan shape, which is cleverly explained in the pattern. The texture is achieved with a broken seed stitch, which worked in stripes creates a lovely pattern on the body.

I don't use much blues, but I fell in love with this blue in Shetland, two years ago. I bought a sweater's worth of yarn, determined to work a cardigan, with a fairisle patterned yoke. But alas, that was too much plain stockinette in a tight gauge for me.

Then I went for a lace cardigan, but after 10 cm of the body, I realized it was at least 30 cm too wide, so I lost my mojo. (When looking at tha pattern again, I see that I could fall in love with it again.) But all good things, etc, when I decided upon the Maison Rililie pattern, I was determined I would finish. I did not knit monogamously, not at all, but I knew I would finish. And I did. I entered with the sweater in the WIPCrackAwayKAL to help me finish - and I did.

Voilà!

I highly recommend the pattern. 

#WIPCrackAway KAL

I have joined the WIPCrackAway KAL. 

Here are my WIPs that I'd like to finish:

I decided to start with the smaller one: Almost finished now!

Returned to sender

Look what arrived in the mail the other day - my Tuin sweater came back from Twist Collective after a year in the US. Just in time for chilly autumn days.

Which year in Lerwick?

I've been asked why the sweater is called "Next year in Lerwick". So here's the story:

In 2012, I went to Shetland for the first time, during the Wool Week, and I spent some fantastic days there. I was inspired to make something using the treasure of the fairisle patterns.

The sweater sat in my head for a while. I was hoping to go back to Shetland for Wool Week 2013, where I planned to buy yarn for the sweater. But when I couldn't go, I bought the Norwegian Rauma Finullgarn in stead, and stared knitting. Hoping to go to Shetland Wool Week 2014, hence the name, "Next year in Lerwick". And now next year is this year, and I'm going to Shetland in October. Together with Pinneguri and her sweater "This year in Lerwick".

It's so fun to see all the different versions people are making, and the names they give their projects. QueenMudd with "In love with Lerwick", Fibula with "One year in Lerwick". Willenda is hoping for "Some year in Lerwick", and Birthe has spun her yarn for "Twilight in Lerwick", Bossa also wants to go to Lerwick, "Not this year, but then". Berit has plant coloured the yarn for her sweater, and Eva has turned it into a cardigan. There are also several photos on Instagram tagged with #nextyearinlerwick.

By the way, did you know Lerwick comes from the Norwegian name Leirvik, meaning Bay of Clay?

Flowers in progress

I don't remember when I started this sweater, but Ravelry does, it was actually 1 year and 1 day ago, for the Blomekrans KAL in my Ravelry group.

I have finally finished the colourwork, cut the steeks and have started the left sleeve, as you might notice.

The yarn is Wollmeise "Pure" 100% Merino Superwash, bought from Knitnetty who was selling some of her stash yarn last year.

In my garden, flowers are also in progress!

Tuin knitalong starting today

Knitalong in my Ravelry group starting today!

Here's the finished children's version 

- not so easy to get good photos on Christmas Eve...

The Tuin pattern only has adult sizes. 

For this yoke I worked to pattern repeats size 40.

Proudly presenting: Tuin sweater pattern

You might have noticed by now, that I have a sweater pattern published in the Winter Issue of Twist Collective, Tuin. Isn't that just so cool!?! I'm really proud!

Photo borrowed from Twist Collective

© Linus Ouellet

When I saw this old Slovak embroidery  (38 weeks ago, according to Pinterest ), I knew I somehow had to use this in a knitting pattern. I spent a long time thinking about it, wondering what to make, a cowl, a pillow, pattern on the bottom of a sweater... before I suddenly realized it had to be a yoked sweater. I thought it would work, although it would be a challenge to incorporate the yoke shaping into the pattern.

So I first made a small scale swatch, to see if the chart and the increases would work out:

Here it is, it did work out. (This is now on my needles going to be a child sweater.)

Then to find a yarn for the adult version. I wanted a gauge around 20 sts per 10 cm. Which can result in very heavy garments, which I did not want. So I chose to use two strands of yarn, both from Pickles: Pickles Merino Tweed, and Pickles Pure Thin Alpaca. It's super soft and warm without feeling to thick and bulky. It weighs 517 grams.  

A while before, I had read a blogpost from Áine Ryan, describing the design process for a sweater she made for last year's Twist Collective's Winter Issue, Luggala. "Aim high", she wrote, having never designed a sweater before, and decided to submit it to Twist Collective. So I thought, if she can, so can I. And the rest is history...

Well, there was a lot of thinking and calculations and knitting. And waiting. First for the answer from Twist, of course. Then for the yarn to knit the sample sweater to arrive from the US. Then for the confirmation that the finished sweater had arrived in the US. (It's a bit scary to send off a sweater across the Atlantic like that, I can tell you.) And then waiting for the publication day. All the time thinking that they would get back to me saying that the sample was not good enough, or that the pattern had so many serious flaws they could not publish it, or something else. But it didn't happen, and the reception has been a great one, I think. There is even one finished sweater already!

The first Tuin was worked without short row shaping in the back. So it can be worn both sides, as you can see. The final pattern has short row back neck shaping, with the tulip in the middle on the front. There was an error in the first published version, so on Pinneguri's sweater, the rose is in the front. I like both versions, but I just had to make a choice. 

The yarn that Twist Collective sent me, Blue Moon Fiber Arts Targhee Worsted, was amazing. The blue colour was made specifically for this project. The yarn was really nice to work with, soft and bouncy and with a great stitch definition. I used 525 grams for a sweater size 40. If you have the chance to get your hand on the yarn, I highly recommend it. If you're interested in reading about the targhee sheep, you can find some information here (wikipedia) and here (US Targhee Sheep Association). The yarn can be found in the Blue Moon online store.

Photo borrowed from Twist Collective

© Linus Ouellet

Finished fairisle!

I recently finished my fairisle sweater!

 I'm quite happy with it, if I may say so myself. 

More details on Ravelry.

There will be a pattern, eventually...

About last post: I was not able to see the whole knitting TV night 

last weekend, as I had to work. 

But it's still available to see online,

 so there is still a chance for us who couldn't see it all.

Knitting evening here, knitting night here 

(where they tried, but did not succeed in beating the 

"from sheep to sweater"  world record from Austrailia.)

Next year in Lerwick?

No, it's not finished, still one sleeve to go. But looking good so far, I think. 

The Shetland Wool Week is going on this week, and I'd love to be there. You can see a bit of what's happening on Jamieson & Smith's blog. And see what I was up to last year here. I hope to go back next year. 

Finally a knitted FO!

I’m quite happy with how it turned out in the end, although there are several things I would change if I were to make it again: I would work it top down instead of bottom up, I would have made a longer ribbing. Also the sleeves are too wide at the top, and they were also too short (blocking helped a bit for these two problems) I would make little less waist shaping, it might look ok now, but I had to block the waist pattern quite a lot to get a good fit. I would also make the pattern symmetric around the raglan decreases (or increases, if I work it top down) on the front. 

I think I might make another one... - for a young girl, in other colours and yarn, maybe with all over yoke pattern. But not right now…

Blomekrans knitalong

 
As I told you recently, there is now a torirot design group on Ravelry. Feel free to join and to visit!

On May 15th we start a KAL for the Blomekrans vest. It's very informal, no strict rules. Some of us are going to turn it into a sweater, like one of my test knitters did, maybe even a long sleeved version. Some have already started. Here's a link to the pattern page.

I was lucky to get my hand on some Wollmeise from Knitnetty's stash earlier this spring, which I hope to turn into a colourful Blomekrans sweater. We'll see how that goes. I'll use blue for background, green for leaves (obviously) and the two others for flowers. And what's left after the body is done, will be used for stripy sleeves. What do you think? 

February FO # 1

Ok, so these FOs are not necessarily finished in February, but as I mentioned the other day, I have some unblogged FOs to show you.

Here's the first one, "Stripes and cable", a modified version of Kirsten Kapur's Perry Street Rugby

Modifications:

• The recipient did not want garter stitch, so I did stockinette stitch.
• Worked in the round until arm openings.
• To avoid curling, some ribbing at the bottom of the body (k3, p1).
• Sleeves also with ribbed cuff k3, p1 and stickinette stitch.
• A shorter sleeve cap

I like the wide cable. Actually, the recipient didn't want the cable either, but mum said, "no cabl,e no sweater, young man!". So cable there is. Not the best photo, but you get the idea. 

The yarn is Garnstudio DROPS Big Merino. It's good to knit with, but the resulting garment is a bit heavy to my liking.  But the recipient is happy, and wears it quite a lot, so then I'm happy too. He chose the colours.

****

Thanks for comments on my last post. Miranne tells us about the day she learnt the "Old Norwegian Cast On" or "Twisted German" cast on. Mary Lou also uses this name, probably on the same cast on?

"Kjært barn har mange navn" is a Norwegian saying, meaning "A loved child has many names", it's probably true for knitting techniques also!

♥ 12 ♥ Re-finished object ♥

I made a sweater for my little niece two years ago.

She's still little, but not that little, a bit longer. 

So for Christmas she gets a re-finished sweater. 

The sweater is worked bottom-up, so when I made it longer,

 I couldn't use the same pattern. 

But I'm quite happy with how it turned out!

And glad I had left over yarn. 

There is even enough for a hat, I believe. 

We'll see.

Knitting on the road

Gathering stripes by Veera Välimäki

Worked with left overs: Katia Austral, Pickles Baby Merino, Pickles Extra Fine Merino and Rauma Babygarn. Perfect pattern for knitting on the road!

Modifications:

Worked size 10 years for a boy that just turned 7, made the sleeves slightly shorter, otherwise followed the pattern's measurements. My boy is not a tiny 7-year old, but he's not huge either, so looks like the sizes are a bit on the small side.

I think the sleeves are a little bit tight under the arms. The pattern says you can pick up some stitches under the arm and knit them together on next round, to avoid a hole (or you can sew after finishing). Next time I would pick up some stitches and work a few rounds before decreasing these sts. 

Worked garter stitch brim in stead of folded brim for sleeves and body. I think it looks nice for this sweater,

 and I avoided any purling and seaming. 

Buttons from stash, too!

Tortoise and hare - finally reached goal!

If you have visitied my Ravelry page during the last year or so, 

you will have seen this in progress photo.

But this summer, I've been trying to finish old projects

before starting my holiday knitting.

And finally, here is my "Tortoise and hare"-t-shirt.

It's worked in merino wool, and I'm sorry to say,

it's not too warm to wear in the middle of

this cold and rainy July.

The pattern is the 

Tortoise and Hare sweater

by Kate Davies

The pattern is well written, 

as all of her patterns are. 

I did a mistake and forgot one row of animals 

before the arm openings.

I realized before I cut the steeks for the arms, 

but I figured it would be ok, I was too lazy to rip it.

It is ok, but I notice when wearing it, I  keep pulling it down. 

The sleeves came out wider than I expected. 

I don't think I can blame the pattern, though. 

>My gauge was 30 sts per 10 cm in the stranded part, 

and 26 sts in the sleeves,

no wonder they're a bit wide.. But I can live with that, 

and with the forgotten row of hares (or was it tortoises?), 

because I just love it!

(I usually go down in needle size for plain stockinette stitch, 

but I forgot it this time.)

Yarn: Main colour: Pickles Baby Merino. The yarn is very soft,
and I love the resulting fabric, 

but it's a bit splitty, so you have to pay attention when knitting.

Contrasting colours: Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino ,
mentioned earlier here.