Category Archives: Projects

2017 FO 19 : Junegrass Cline sweater

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2017 FO 19 : Junegrass Cline sweater

There was something so lovely about spending the last day of the year with this sweater in my lap, seaming the last of the seams, weaving in the final ends. Starting off a new year with a sweater I’ve wanted and needed for such a long time. When I think about how many grey sweaters I used to own (B.K., before knitting) and how long it took for me to make myself just one simple grey pullover … well, all I can think is I put too much pressure on the decision. Changed my mind too many times. Spent too long arguing with myself about what exactly the one perfect grey sweater would be, as if I’ll never be allowed another one. Thankfully I got over it and cast on this little gem in my treasured Junegrass, because baby it’s cold outside and this thing is A) cozy and B) versatile enough to wear every day if I want. And I do.

You’ll recall from when I tried on Christine’s that the sleeves were much too short for me and I didn’t love how the wide neck looked on my frame, so those are the only changes I made. To bring the neck in a little, all I did was pick up fewer stitches; and instead of doing the folded neckband as written (from live stitches), I finished it with my beloved folded neckband join. I’ll do a Details post tomorrow about what all I did with the sleeves. But other than that, this is straight off Julie’s fantastic pattern.

2017 FO 19 : Junegrass Cline sweater

I had seen a number of comments from people who’ve knitted this about how the raglans are seamed and that it’s worth it to do it as written. And I 100% agree. I was dubious about the backstitch at first (and could not make that look good on the shoulder seams, so did a standard head-to-head graft there) but once I got started on those long backstitched raglan seams, I didn’t want it to end. Not only does it look good, it was really pleasant to do!

As I was knitting this sweater, I kept thinking “I better love this garment, because the fabric is a dream come true.” As in, the sweater better be worthy of the yarn. Thankfully, in the end, they’re a match made in heaven.

Pattern: Cline by Julie Hoover
Yarn: Junegrass Batch One from Fancy Tiger Crafts (no longer available, see Batch Two)
Pictured with: black silk gauze shell and natural wool pants

Leather tool pouch and army Porter Bin from Fringe Supply Co. You can see all of my posts on this sweater here, Instagram posts here, and please like it at Ravelry if you do!

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PREVIOUSLY in FOs: Wool muscle tee

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Postcard from Florida

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Postcard from Florida

So you know I had this idea that I was going to somehow finish all the finishing on my Cline sweater either before or en route to Florida last week, then maybe knit half of a whole ‘nother sweater while I was away — while also somehow wrapping up my log cabin swatch and plan? That didn’t happen. Once I got the first sleeve seamed on, it was clear I still needed to knit another 6 inches or so per sleeve (more on that later), in addition to the doubled neckband, the tubular bind-offs on the cuffs, and all that seaming. But more than anything, I didn’t want to feel pressured — to hear my omnipresent internal nag asking me what I had to show for myself at the end of each day. Of my vacation. I played a lot of Onitama with my sister and husband; cooked, made cheese and swam with my niece; walked the dog; filmed dolphins mating by the sea wall; watched the sun rise and set. I did finish the log cabin swatch. And the neckband and first sleeve. And the last bit of the second sleeve on the drive home. So my New Year’s Eve Day — a “feels like -5°” stay-inside kind of day — was spent largely sitting in silence, enjoying the rhythm of my tapestry needle gliding in and out of this exceptional wool.

• Cline pattern by Julie Hoover in Junegrass Batch One from Fancy Tiger Crafts (no longer available, see Batch Two) | all Cline posts
• Porter Bin from Fringe Supply Co.

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PREVIOUSLY in Cline sweater: Queue Check December 2017

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Queue Check — December 2017

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Queue Check — December 2017

I had this notion that I was going to do a big forward-looking queue planning sort of post for today, but after so many hectic weeks I find I only want to think about what’s right in front of me at the moment.

– I mentioned the other day that I expect to be wearing my grey Cline sweater by New Year’s, and I’m still on track for that, now most of the way through the second sleeve. (This photo is from Sunday.) What’s left is to seam it all together — a considerable amount of seaming in this case — pick up and knit the neckband, then finish the cuffs downwards, once I can see how it fits. I have a road trip coming up which should afford me the time to do all of that, except I’m still somehow hoping to have most of it done before I go.

– Once that’s done, I’m moving forward with the idea of replacing my Bellows (which I gave to my mom) with a new blue one, using my Harrisville Rhinebeck yarn. I took a sitting away from the grey the other night to knit this sleeve swatch and it’s interesting how differently the color reads from how it looked in the skein — not better or worse, but more of the purple tone comes through. I feel like it might be worn at home every night with my pajamas more than out and about, but either way I know this will be a fast, warm and well-worn sweater, and I hope to get it fairly well on its way during my trip.

– And then there’s the little matter of my Log Cabin Make-along project which I’ll be revealing and starting in earnest on Jan 1!

Both of those projects — textured/cabled cardigan and log cabin knitting — are so appealing right now, on the heels of the grey stockinette, and more than enough to satisfy my fingers for the time being. But out of curiosity, I took a look back at last year’s year-end Queue Check to see what I had said about what I wanted to make this year. Of the knits, two were since completed (striped raglan and camel Channel), one is on the needles (grey Junegrass pullover, above) and the other two are still next on the list in some form: big cozy shawl-collar (above) and big cozy turtleneck (i.e., my Charles fixation). From the sewing list, three of the four were completed (blue shirt, striped sleeveless tee, white linen shell) and the remainder is already/still at the top of my sewing list for January: a simple sweatshirt or two. Ok, technically I did make myself a sort-of sweatshirt, so I guess I completed that list, but I still want a good long-sleeved fleece and/or melton one.

So I guess I know what to do!

Have a magical weekend, everyone —

• Cline pattern by Julie Hoover in Junegrass Batch One from Fancy Tiger Crafts (no longer available, see Batch Two) | all Cline posts
• Bellows pattern by Michele Wang in limited-edition yarn from Harrisville Designs | all Bellows posts

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PREVIOUSLY in Queue Check: November 2017

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2017: My sewing year in review

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2017: My sewing year in review

It was late May — mid-year already — when I sewed my first garment of the year, and it had been 10 months at that point since I’d sewn anything. The latter half of the year is the exact opposite story. Whereas this year’s knitting was about settling into a groove I’d been building toward for six years, my sewing practice has been about taking leaps and bounds forward. Up until that white linen shell that got me restarted, my sewn garments these past few years have been almost entirely of the “a front, a back and some binding” variety, but I vowed that this would be the year I’d test out of the lifelong beginner class, commit to sewing some things that couldn’t be done in a single sitting, and change my view of which parts of my wardrobe I’m capable of making myself. I feel like I owe it all the Summer of Basics challenge and the jeans-making workshop that followed. And my serger. Now that was a good decision.

There were definitely still simple little tops: the white linen shell, the grey wool sweatshirt-y thing, and my favorite sleeveless tee in striped hemp and grey wool knit. The jaw-dropping garment of the year was my first pair of jeans. The garments that really changed my closet and my outlook are the four pairs of “toddler pants”: olive (ruined in the wash but still in service on manual-labor days), denim, camo and natural wool. And the most involved thing I sewed this year (or possibly ever) was not the jeans but my Archer button-up. I’ll never forget pulling out the jeans pattern, seeing that it was fewer pieces and steps than the Archer I had recently completed, and thinking “I got this!” Not that Archer is hard, per se — it isn’t — but there is more to it.

And that’s not all I sewed. There were the baby harem pants for Allison plus two refashions: the slipdress and the army shirtjacket. Remaking the latter was one of the funnest days of my year — I had a blast in my sewing room that day, and am thrilled to now have that little jacket in my closet.

2017: My sewing year in review

Altogether, what these clothes mean is I no longer think of myself as capable of sewing simple tops and dresses while still dependent on ready-to-wear for shirts, pants and jeans (the bulk of my wardrobe, in other words). In fact, I no longer feel dependent for anything! But the other half of the giant impact of all of this is that I’ve learned to actually love sewing, rather than tolerate it. It turns out sewing more satisfying garments makes it that much more satisfying. Lesson learned!

Who knows what I might get up to in 2018.

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PREVIOUSLY: 2017 Knitting year in review

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2017: My knitting year in review

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2017: My knitting year in review
2017: My knitting year in review

This has been a banner year for me on the knitting front. One of the lowest years in terms of quantity (which is 100% ok with me, regardless) but the best ever for quality. I mean, look at the four sweaters I added to my closet this year: the black modified-St. Brendan yoke sweater, the camel modified-Channel cardigan, the vintage Bernat fisherman and the plain vanilla Improv cardigan — heirloom quality sweaters that I expect to wear and wear and wear. And really there’s a fifth for this list, as I fully intend to have the last ends woven in on my grey Cline sweater before the ball drops. To me, these are hardworking “basics” that are anything but boring. I find them heartmeltingly beautiful. And to be able to say that these are the best garments I’ve ever owned and I made them myself is just a tremendous source of pride and accomplishment. Not gonna lie.

And then there are the three other things I finished this year:

2017: My knitting year in review

The sample hats for my Debutant teaching pattern (which I’m teaching again at Squam next June); the chunky linen Sloper experiment, which has gone to my sister; and the last bits of the purple lopi pullover from the Improv top-down tutorial, the fate of which is yet to be determined. Actually, it’s determined: I’m excited about the idea of cutting it into a V-neck cardigan; I just haven’t gotten the time or nerve to do it yet. So that’ll be one of 2018’s refashion projects — something truly new to look forward to!

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PREVIOUSLY: 2016 knitting year in review

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2017 FO 18 : Wool muscle tee

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Finished : Wool muscle tee

This is the winterized version of my favorite little sleeveless tee: Fancy Tiger’s Adventure Tank View B rendered in the scraps of wool knit I used for my modified Hemlock pullover, themselves already a remnant I bought from Elizabeth Suzann a couple years ago. So it cost me about a dollar, and while it comprises an hour or less of total sewing work, it hilariously took me seven months from start to finish! I cut it out in May; sewed the front and back together sometime over the summer; hemmed it, attached the neckband and jacked up my serger attaching the first armhole band a week ago. So yesterday, on a quiet sunny morning, I took on the unnecessarily daunting task of learning how to rethread the serger and get it working again so I could finally get that last band attached and top-stitched.

I absolutely love how this little tee looks in this cushy grey wool, and it would be quite valuable as an underlayer for my cardigans this winter. What remains to be seen is whether my neck will tolerate it; it is a little bit scratchy. I’m thinking I’ll give it a good soak in a lanolin-soap bath, like I would for any handknit, and cross my fingers — because it’s so very good.

Pattern: Adventure Tank (View B, muscle tee) from Fancy Tiger Crafts
Fabric: unknown grey wool knit remnant

Finished : Wool muscle tee

PREVIOUSLY in FOs: Vanilla cardigan

2017 FO 17 : Vanilla cardigan

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Finished: Ivory cardigan (free pattern)

This here is a case of a sweater that was begun on a whim, aimed tentatively in a certain direction, took some turns over the course of the knitting, and wound up being exactly what I’ve always wanted.

I cast this on one night after finishing my fisherman sweater, having a couple of skeins left over, not wanting to be done with the yarn, and having been craving this cardigan in this yarn since as far back as my black yoke sweater. (Yep, this is my third sweater in this yarn, Arranmore. True love.) It wasn’t what I was “supposed” to be knitting next, and I thought I might get it out of my system just by knitting a few inches, so I didn’t even put a basting stitch in the raglans. But I was hooked in no time, bought enough yarn to knit it for real, and carried on.

My original sketch was significantly different, pocket-wise, but along the way I ran into this photo and was reminded how much I just really wanted this to be simple, old-school and snuggly. That I have wanted that for ages and can never quite get it. And now that I’m wearing it, I’m so glad I heeded that voice. Between nailing the scale of the pockets and taking time to get the cuffs exactly where I wanted them,* it’s pretty damn perfect. (Still without buttonholes at the moment, but it might stay that way!)

As always with my Improv sweaters, all my notes and counts and measurements are below. I highly recommend copying this one in some nice snuggly yarn — it’s a gem.

Pattern: Improv top-down (free pattern)
Yarn: Arranmore in St. Claire (6.5 skeins)
Buttons: Bone narrow-rim from Fringe Supply Co.

You can scroll through all of my posts on this sweater here, Instagram posts here, and like it at Ravelry if you do!

Finished: Ivory cardigan (free pattern)

GAUGE

4.25 sts and 6.25 rows = 1 inch (measured over 4″ = 15/25) knitted on US7; ribbing and band on US5

TARGET MEASUREMENTS

22″ back = 94 sts (46 sts/front) = ~44″ chest (9.5″ ease), inc to 46″ hip
14″ upper arm circumference = 60 sts (10 at underarm)
9.5″ yoke/armhole depth (60 rows)
17″ body length (2.5″ hem ribbing)
26.5″ total length
14″ sleeve length (2.25″ cuff ribbing)
9″ cuff circumference
6″ x 6″ pockets (30 sts, 1.5″ ribbing)

DETAILS

— CO 64 sts, divided with markers as follows ( 1 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 26 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 1 )

– Planned on 10 sts cast on at each underarm, and divided the raglan stitches evenly between sections when separating sleeves from body

— Increased at front neck edge every 4th row 11x

— Worked raglan increases as kfb on either side of the 4 raglan stitches

— Increased sleeves at raglans every-other row till 44 sts, then on 4th, 6th, 8th rows (50 sts), then work even

— Increased back/fronts every-other row until 84 back sts

— Separated for sleeves at row 60, cast on 10 per underarm

— Increased body at side seams 2x, at 2″ and 8″; stockinette for 14.5″ then ribbing on US5 for 2.5″

— Knitted sleeves flat; decreased on rows 21, 41, 61; on row 81 dec evenly to 42 sts, the ribbing on US5 for 16 rows

— Worked patch pockets separately and grafted on

— Picked up sts for garter-stitch button band, worked on US5: 14 sts along the hem ribbing (could have been 12), 56 up the front, 51 along the slope, 2 out of 3 around the cast-on edge, mirror down the other side

— No buttonholes (more on that here), may do aferthought buttonhole; buttons are symbolic in the meantime

*I have the sleeves very slight/unevenly pushed up in the photos of me wearing it. Despite how that hanger photo looks (taken just after wearing them unevenly like that), the sleeves are exactly the same length!

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PREVIOUSLY in FOs: Pants and more pants

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