pattern: hermia, rowan studio issue 4
yarn: laines du nord royal cashmere, sky
needles: 5.5mm and 5mm
date started:11.02.07
date finished: 11.29.07
finished seaming: sometime in january : )

there are so many reasons to choose a pattern to knit. it could be a technique used, you just want to try out short rows or you must knit cables right this instance. maybe it's the style, it reminds you of something you saw at a store or it would fit perfectly in with the rest of your wardrobe. sometimes you’re swept away with a trend, you’ve seen the design so many times, done in so many ways, that you just have to thrown your own version in as well. other times though, it’s just a feeling that comes off the page. the photo exudes some quality that you feel is missing from your life. that sweater belongs to who you want to be.

hermia, with its unfortunate name (I kept wanting to call it hernia), is far from being an exciting or super trendy sweater, but this exactly what drew me to it. it looks so slouchy and cozy. the perfect thing to wear on those days when just looking at the sky you know it’s cold. I instantly imagined myself sitting on the sofa with a big cup of tea in one hand, the NYT mag in the other, and my hair up in a ponytail that looks messy but at the same time ever so stylish and adorable. it helps when the model is wearing what look like pajamas in the photo.

this was extremely mindless knitting peppered with bursts of excitement at the cuffs and hem. I followed the pattern pretty much as written, which actually surprised me in two counts: I usually go for waist shaping, which this obviously lacks, and I’m a negative ease believer though this is knit with about two inches of ease. let’s face it though, after planning a wedding and working on two books, the last thing I wanted to do was think. I just wanted to take a pattern at face value and see it through the end. anyway, it wouldn’t be my sorta slouchy, hanging out sweater (read sack) if I followed my usual m.o. I love this sweater because at the time that I needed it, it gave me what I wanted. that and the cowl. the cowl definitely seals the deal.

the only mods I did were lengthening the sweater up a bit, using a three-needle bo on the shoulders, and using cashmere instead of cotton. the slouchy sweater in my dreams was never made out of cotton. cotton just doesn’t equate to cozy for me. I have praised this yarn before, but the lnd cashmere is one of the best yarns I’ve used. other cashmere yarns feel so limp and sad in the hank trying to impress you with their softness. royal cashmere holds back, making you wait until you washed it to reveal its beautiful hand.

I've been wearing this sweater religiously since finally finishing it up, a definite sign of a successful project, which makes choosing my next sweater harder than it should be.

Posted by bitter purl at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (34)

I'm sorry that I haven't been around the blog lately, but I've been enjoying a sweater high for a while. I think I finally found my knitting groove again and what works for me project wise. In this knitting journey of ours, we get to figure out who we are, what we like, and what we want. We try out different personas, when else can you do that? I'm not just writing about being a process vs a product knitter, but also how we handle our stash, juggle projects, and choose designs.

Some of us become what I call 'specialized knitters', they are the lace-, sock-, accessories- only knitters. Or their niche can be thin yarns, fashion knock offs, or hell, garter stitch for all that matters. What have I figured out? I'm better off with one project at a time, my mind needs the focus for some reason. It's such a satisfying feeling to see a project through and immediately have the excitement of casting on something new. Being in the middle of a bunch of projects didn't stir the same feelings. In that end, having a stash isn't something I necessarily want. Having all that yarn just sitting there taunts me. I rather search for a yarn that will work for the next project on my queue. My stash isn't too bad now (thanks to everyone who cleared it out for me!) and I have plans for the bit I have left. Except for the sock yarn. I have enough to knit a pair of socks a month, but I'm not being inspired. I'm not sure if I need a break from socks or if I'm moving towards knitting more with solids and semi-solids instead of the variegated yarn taking residence in my house right now. This might also be tied to my affinity to more minimalist designs lately.

These aren't hard rules or anything, just some observations I've had on my own knitting. This is more for me really. It's good to sometimes see what you're tastes and habits have evolved to. Have you noticed any habits that have changed in your stashing or knitting?

What does this have to do with anything? Since December I've been clearing out my wip's and focusing on one project at a time. This 'allowed' me to start a new sweater shortly after finishing my brother's scarf. I took my time enjoying the process and the yarn. There was no need to rush.

pattern: my own, asymmetrical cabled cardi
yarn: malabrigo merino worsted, natural, 4.5 hanks
needles: 5.5mm and 5mm needles.
date started:12/15/07
date finished: 1/10/08

I was lucky enough to have a few hanks of malabrigo in my stash and had originally planned to make the Seeded Cables cardi with it. But I couldn't get gauge in my swatches and I began to wonder if I wanted something that heavily cabled with such a pill-inducing yarn. In the back of my mind, I had been coveting this simple Stst cardi I had seen on the topshop site. The original was mostly acrylic if I remember correctly, but for about the same price I ended up with a more interesting merino one. It's a simple pattern, done bottom up with A-line shaping and raglan short sleeves. I changed it up though by making the body reverse St st (living it up here!) and adding a cable panel on each side.

I reached the raglan decreases before I went home for the holidays and I quickly knit the sleeves so it would all be one piece on the plane. But guess what, I don't knit on airplanes. Actually, I just don't knit on vacation. I worked a few rows here and there while hanging out with my mom, but I didn't devote myself to it again until New Year's Day. I wanted to get to the neckline already! I debated for a while between knitting the neck separately or continue from the body. I'll admit it, I didn't want to seam! So the body it was. I kept trying it on until the neckline hit where I wanted it to. It couldn't be more perfect, I love the way it turned out. I can have the neckline standing up or folded, both looks work with the rest of the sweater.

I hate when you're so bundled up that you start sweating when you're inside. This is the perfect layering piece for that, I've been wearing it under my coat and over a long sleeve shirt. The funnel neck alone keeps you toasty. If I could go back and change one thing though it would be the number of stitches on the left (shorter) side to make the fronts overlap some more. In the end, a really minor thing for me.

So there you have it, my first FO for '08 and I love it. I'm not sure what I'm going to knit next, but until then I still have to show off some of the last '07 knits soon.

eta: asymetrical cabled cardi (PDF)

some of you have asked for a pattern for the asymmetrical cabled cardi. I finally sat down and wrote it, but I haven't had anyone look at it. hopefully everything makes sense. I did make a change to the stitch count, I added two inches to the left side so you get better cover when you wear it and so that the cables don't get eaten up so guickly on that side. If you like the original look better, just remove two inches worth of stitches from that side.
choose a size with one inch of ease.

Posted by bitter purl at 02:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (35)