Tag Archives: cables

Snoqualmie

Snoqualmie

Snoqualmie

Snoqualmie

Snoqualmie

Snoqualmie

Snoqualmiecardigan: 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.

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

Woodland Hoodlet

Woodland Hoodlet

Woodland Hoodlet

Woodland HoodletWoodland Hoodlet

Woodland Hoodlet

Woodland Hoodlethoodlet: 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 - - - - - -

Mental blocks

I think I’m stuck in a bit a creative hole.

Take this scarf for instance. It’s the Guernsey Wrap pattern by Brooklyn Tweed and I started it in February and then kind of abandoned it. I picked it back up again a few weeks ago and finished it all except for just blocking it. It’s been a full week and for some reason I can’t bring myself to get up off my lazy bum, soak it, and pin it out. It just sounds like so much work.

Guernsey wrap Then there’s this sweater. I knitted the front and back pretty quickly and all that’s left is the sleeves, but I feel stuck. Want to know why? Because I have 1.5 balls of yarn left and I’m pretty sure I’m going to run out before I finish, and I don’t want to get super sucked into it and then run out of yarn. Except I haven’t ordered more because I’m not totally sure that I don’t have enough. (I probably don’t.)

Fisherman's Daughter progress

There’s also my dotted Archer that’s been in the works for two weeks and I accidentally effed up one of the yoke seams and for some reason ripping it just seems like too much work for my whiny self. So that’s been on hold too.

So even though I’ve been actively trying to finish existing projects before starting on the shiny new ones, I decided to ignore that and start a new sweater instead. The last time I wore my Aidez I kept thinking how cute it would look in red, and I happened to have the perfect shade of the perfect weight of yarn. I clicked my needles happily for a few hours the last few days, vaguely remembering that there was an error in the way the cables were written but not totally able to recall what it was. I’m sure you can spot the issue in the photo.

Aidez #2 progress

Anyway, I thought about attempting the ladder-y thing to fix just the cable direction but then I decided that the ribbing is too loose and was always going to bother me and I might as well start over now. So yeah, riiiiiip.

After this, there will be finishing of all the projects. Promise.

(Realistically though, that’s probably all going out the window in a few days when my Christmas knitting yarn arrives..)

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A is for Another Archer And An Aidez

Aidez + Archer

Aidez + Archer

Aidez + Archer

Aidez + Archer

Aidez + Archer

Aidez + Archer

Aidez + Archer
shirt: self-made, pattern here // sweater: self-made, pattern here // leggings: self-made, pattern here // glasses: Bonlook // necklace: Modcloth

Today’s post is a two-for-one!

This sweater is one I made aaages ago and sort of forgot about it. It was pre-dSLR and pre-knowing-anything-about-how-to-photograph, and apparently before I had learned that taking outfit photos in a dark room with the shutters closed isn’t terribly effective. Anyway, you can find all the sweater info in this post. I’ve been thinking of making another one and I’m thinking maybe a dark red.

Next up, my latest Archer! Funny story about this one. I was perusing an online thrift shop and they had a ballerina pink silk button-up top from JCrew that was absolutely gorgeous and I needed it. Except my bank account started crying and then I remembered that I had just inexplicably without a project in mind purchased rayon challis in the perfect color and was also itching to make another Archer.

Let’s just say this one was not nearly as fun as the other ones. I always get distracted by how soft and pretty rayon challis is and forget what a bitch it is to sew with. Let’s just say it’s a damn miracle the shirt got made, and we’ll be rolling up the cuffs on this one. It’s a tiny bit embarrassing. I was able to French seam this one though, and I love that every little seam is neat and hidden.

In other news, last week I decided not to do Christmas knits this year. Yesterday I realized that I came to the same conclusion last year and then was overwhelmed by guilt the week before Christmas and ended up spending a full week knitting nonstop. SO I ended up buying yarn for ten people’s presents to get started early. I may have also bought yarn for three presents for myself. (How did that happen?) I feel so accomplished except that technically I haven’t even started yet. Yikes. Christmas knitting really needs to be started in May.

PS Epic apologies for taking ten years to respond to comments. I absolutely love hearing from you guise and I got totally sidetracked this last week due to life and things. 

PPS I am in a very silly mood today. I think maybe I had too much caffeine..

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