Category Archives: finished knit

Snoqualmie

February 22, 2017 Peneloping

cardigan: Snoqualmie by Michele Wang, pattern here // shirt: Grainline Archer, pattern here // legwarmers: pattern here

Snoqualmie is done!

(Semi-related: I’m pretty sure every single time I’ve typed “snoqualmie” it’s come out “snog.” Every single time.)

Anyway, I did this one for Heather’s Snoqualmie Knit-along last year. I started knitting it sometime in March, got caught up in end of the semester projects, and then it was summer and I was sweating too much to hold a pile of wooly cables in my lap. I picked it back up a few weeks before finals week of fall semester as stress knitting. And in fact, since it was my first semester of a full class load (plus work, plus I’d just started my internship), there was a lot of stress knitting and I actually accidentally finished it the week of finals. Oops.

I love everything about this pattern (I also love everything about Michele Wang). I wear this sweater ALL the time. The only issue I have with it is that I used Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool because it’s on the cheaper side and it’s usually knitted up pretty nicely before. This time it’s pilling like crazy. To be fair, I am wearing this sweater pretty often, but still. It seems a bit excessive. It’s such a comfy oversized boyfriend blanket of cabley goodness that I could totally see knitting a second one. I’ll have to try a better yarn next time and see if it makes a difference.

I struggled a bit with figuring out what kind of buttons to put on this one. It’s a pretty hefty cardigan so I wanted over-sized buttons, but the ones I tried first were a similar toggle style made of some kind of plastic or resin that was much heavier and pulled one side down too much. A friend gave me these lovely wooden ones that are super lightweight and exactly the size and style I was going for.

I knitted a 41 1/2 size (the second smallest size) and while I love how giant it turned out, I might size down or re-check my gauge on the next one just for variety. I like that I can pop this one on over leggings or a dress, but it might be nice to have a slightly more fitted one for wearing with jeans and a t-shirt. I’m also considering adding some grosgrain ribbon or bias trim to the inside of the button plackets and maybe around the back neckline edge for extra support. Does anyone have experience with this? I’ve seen it on RTW sweaters but haven’t actually tried it on anything I’ve knitted.

Now excuse me while I go snog this sweater. I mean snuggle.

greenberries

March 12, 2014 Peneloping

sweater: self-made, pattern here // glasses: BonLook.com (affilliate link) // pants: AE // boots: Hunter

Sometimes I finish a project and immediately get dressed up and run upstairs to photograph it. Other times, I wait three years.

This sweater was my birthday present to myself in 2011. I had been eyeing fancy yarns and decided to treat myself to a sweater’s worth of Madelinetosh (colorway: thyme). I almost chose Composition Book Grey but I think I just liked the name.

Hello babbies!

Anyway, the pattern is the Blackberry Cable Cardigan and it was so much fun to knit! It was three years ago but I’m pretty sure the blackberry stitch was a bitch and a half but the rest of it knitted up easily. Cables are the best. They’re not actually that hard but they make sweaters look so fancy and complicated. Hee. I also love how hourglassy it turned out with the very deliberate waist definition.

My only issue is I overestimated the sleeve length and ended up with sleeves that are about 3″ too long and didn’t have enough yarn left to make the shawl collar as wide as I’d wanted.

Someday I might fix it. Someday.

15 Comments finished knit blackberry cable cardigan - green - knitting - madelinetosh - outfit

Red Riding Hood, or That Time I Knit a Sweater in One Day

November 27, 2013 Peneloping

hoodlet: self-made, pattern here // dress: self-made, blogged here // tights: Modcloth // top: Banana Republic

First of all, totally unrelated to anything but holy crap the Doctor Who special was amazing. I was a mess. I kept tearing up the whole time and then toward the end I completely lost it.

Anyway, how cute is this little hoodlet?? It’s not the most practical garment but who cares about practical when there’s giant smooshy cables and bobbles and a huge hood complete with a tassel?? I love. In fact I’ve been lusting over almost every tiny owl knits pattern for a few years now and bought her book as soon as I realized it existed. Twenty-one adorable animal themed whimsy knits? Yes, please!

I had originally planned on doing this in a cream color, or something ashy, but then I was perusing the Ravelry page for it I saw one done in a dark red that was absolutely gorgeous. And then I realized I still had a bajillion skeins of a dark red chunky yarn that I had planned on using for a different project but that would be perfect (whoops, sorry Aidez..). I started knitting around 1pm and finished it at 1:23am. I can’t even begin to explain how much my hands hated me after that. Especially when I woke up bright and early the next day to start working on my Stonecutter. Sorry hands.

I had read on someone’s Ravelry page that they had wet-blocked this and lost all the chunky texture from the cables, so instead I put it on my dress form with a towel stuffed underneath to make it a more bulky shape, and then just sprayed generous amounts of water on it from a spray bottle. I most just wanted the stockinette to smooth out a bit and for the whole thing to lengthen a bit and was hoping gravity would help with that.

Now that I’m looking at the photos again I’m noticing one giant cable on upper row and I have no idea how that happened. I kind of love the mismatched effect but I’m 95% sure that was a mistake. Oh well.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving! I’m going to be curled up in this hoodlet and comfy pajamas and watching movies all weekend with Boyfriend and Stonecutter.

18 Comments finished knit cables - handknit - knitting - outfit - red riding hood - tiny owl knits - woodland hoodlet

Finished Project: Georgia

February 14, 2012 Peneloping

Pattern: Georgia by Jane Richmond
Yarn: Knitpicks Stroll sock in Basalt Heather
Started: August 15, 2011
Finished: January 29, 2012

Ravelry page

There is some sort of fairy magic conspiracy associated with stockinette stitch.

When I first started this sweater I knitted half of it in three days. And then it dragged on and on and on. And then there was some frogging. And then I was all done except for the sleeves. And then three months went by where I could hardly seem to put a dent in it.

And then I picked it up two weeks ago and finished it in two days.

Fairy magic, I tell you.

(Sorry for blurry, camera phone..)

This sweater took me two tries. I think the first time I started off knitting a size 36 which was waaay too big. It’s possible my gauge was wonky. When I started over I knitted a size 32 until the sleeve separation and then starting knitting a size 28 for the rest. I also added a few inches to the body.

And now I have to decide what color to make the next one in.. Maybe a ballerina pink? Or bright red? or green? (Knit ALL the colors!)

PS Happy Valentine’s Day!

3 Comments finished knit cardigan - finished knit - georgia - jane richmond - knitting