Tag Archives: bottom up

Ladders….Not The Good Kind

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I have continued to pick up my Weekender and knit a few rounds at least a couple times the past week. This is good knitting for movie night with the husband because I only have to pay attention to two spots and they have stitch markers. I am now just beyond four inches done for the body. But once again that little knitter in the back of my brain was jumping up and down trying to get me to notice something…

I am getting pretty significant ladders on the other side of my slip stitch detail. Like I can see my fingers through them when I pull at the work. I am pretty sure this has something to do with my tension and I am working the slipped stitch.

Now the really big question is….how much does this bother me? You can’t really see it when the knit just hangs. But I feel like I could adjust my technique and correct for this. Am I really ready to rip back four inches of sweater body? I think I need to sleep on this one…

 

Weekender Progress

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I took my Weekender along with me on holiday travels. It got a fair bit of activity on it before the Arya Shawl took over my brain. I think now I have roughly three to four inches of body knit so far. That is decent progress considering last we spoke about this one I had only just connected the ribbing in the round.

Being as I’m working with Malabrigo, I am alternating skeins using a helical method. It can get kind of tangled and I have to stop every inch or so and untwist my working yarns. But I’m pretty sure that says more about my knitting skills rather than the method. With small humans in my house I have to pick up and put down my projects A LOT.

Everyone once in awhile I flip my project over to look at the “right” side. Thank goodness Andrea Mowry designed this to be worked inside out. This knitter could not purl that many stitches in the round! But I do find myself admiring the slip stitch detail on the front and back.

I do admit that I’m a little concerned that A) this Kansas winter won’t stay cold enough for long enough for me to need a worsted weight sweater and B) I won’t actually finish this till spring at this rate…oh well!

Happy Knitting!!

Let’s Helix This Thing

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My Weekender is joined in the round! I flew through the first hem like it was nothing. And then it took me a day or so to power up enough for the second tubular cast on for the back hem. But I managed quite nicely and have the whole project joined in the round.

My next new challenge is to use helical knitting to alternate my hand dyed skeins. This is my first go at it and I’m interested to see how managing the yarn cakes will go. I used a single skein to knit my ribbing because honestly I didn’t have the brain space to alternate while knitting flat and absolutely no one would notice if I had or hadn’t. I have markers in for the center front and center back slipped stitch detail.

I’m knitting the 48.5 inch bust sweater for roughly 4-5 inches of positive ease. Which is less than the pattern calls for but as I’m more average size than most knitting models I don’t want something so baggy that it will make me look bigger than I actually am.

I also would like to note that I have not gauge swatched either. I am going to gamble on this one because it’s an over sized sweater anyway and I hope to be able to block it a little either way if needed. Surely this will end in disaster but I’m doing it anyway!

FO Friday: Worsted Boxy

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Y’all….I made a thing and it is done! My Worsted Boxy is off the blocking mats and ready for fall.

Pattern: Worsted Boxy by Joji Locatelli

Yarn: Berroco Vintage in Mushroom. I used 437 grams or 948 yards of yarn.

Needles: US 7 and US 9

Mods: Omitted rolled stockinette collar and used a single crochet edging

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I realized as I was packing away my supplies from this project that I might have made an oops. I’m pretty sure I knit the body of this sweater on US7s instead of US 9s. Between that and the fact that I picked a pattern size to purposely have less positive ease I have probably four to five inches of positive ease instead of ten as called for in the pattern. And the sleeves hit me above the elbow instead of below as shown in the pattern.

I am still happy with this project. The fabric I created is nice and dense enough that I don’t need a tank underneath. It’s definitely boxy shaped and I think hangs nicely on my frame. And I only had 70 grams of yarn left so I probably could not have made the next size up. I don’t know, maybe with the larger needles I would have not used as much yarn? I might go back and add another row of single crochets around the neckline. Simply to add more stability and make it look like a formal neckline.

I’m not sure I would knit this particular sweater again. I could possibly be tempted to do a fingering weight boxy or the v-neck boxy?

P.s. the hem totally stopped rolling after blocking! I win!!!

Happy Knitting!!

I Win At Sleeves

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Sound the trumpets because I have FINISHED THE KNITTING OF MY WORSTED BOXY!

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I stayed up embarrassingly late last night just to finish the second sleeve. I’m going to need a second cup of coffee to make it to work but it was totally worth it! And I was watching “I Mom So Hard” on Amazon video and laughing until I cried and my husband asked if I was okay. If you are mom, seriously check it out! But trigger warning it does have strong language and adult humor. It might not be for everyone.

The arms of my sweater can often feel tight. So I picked up a few extra stitches and worked the instructions for the next size up in the pattern. It worked great because now the sleeves are snug but not bindingly tight.

Now I’m off to weave in my ends and get this ready for a blocking/bath this evening after dinner. Soon this sweater shall be mine!!

Happy Knitting!!

Debating Necklines

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Over the weekend I applied the pattern written neck band to my Worsted Boxy. Guys…I hate it. Straight up white hot disgust. Take a look….

It looks sloppy and when I try it on, the weight of the sweater pulls ALL of the roll out of the collar so it’s just a big chuck of stockinette. And my tension got wonky in a couple of places and I may not have picked up in the cleanest fashion. It all just look Homemade instead of Handmade.

So I ripped it back and grabbed a crochet hook (that took me like 24 minutes to find) and added just a simple single crochet edge treatment. I have a few ends to snug up and weave it. But this feels MUCH better to my eyes. And it sits much nicer around my shoulders when I tried it on.

Now on to sleeves! Happy Knitting!!

Completed Fronts

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I hit another milestone on my Worsted Boxy by Joji Locatelli. I completed both fronts and have the live stitches on holders.

It was pretty fast to zoom up the stockinette portion of the front. I did have to slow down and take my time to work the short rows in the shoulder shaping. But at least I wasn’t working with 300 plus stitches anymore!

Of course my mom addled brain put the cord in wonky when I put the second should on holders. My OCD can’t handle that it is twisted and won’t lay flat. So I’m off to fix that!

Happy Knitting!!

Boxy Separation

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I am at the sleeve separation in my Worsted Boxy I forgot to move my progress keeper from earlier this week but I know I added roughly three and a half inches of stockinette to get to the desired length. I did stop right before the pattern recommendation but I know my Berroco yarn will grow when I wash and block.

And I pulled even more cord stoppers out from interchangeable set and put the back stitches on holders. Look at me being a responsible knitter and using tools as they are prescribed!

Now I’m off to Knit and Purl Island for several more inches on the front. I am going to try and pay attention now that I’m working flat to make sure my gauge doesn’t go all wack-a-doodle. I hate when I get a line in my fabric when I switch form flat to the round. Not enough to fix it, heaven forbid, but enough to make a nice harrumph out loud.

Happy Knitting!!

A Good Chunk of Stockinette

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Y’all….stockinette is giving me life right now. Round and round on nice fast metal needles is my jam. And my Worsted Boxy is seeing the results.

The bottom hem is still rolling like crazy. It drives me crazy to try and get good photos of the project. But since my last post I have managed to add about a hands span of work. My Tikka Masalla progress keeper has been making me smile as I pass it every round.

I think based on my last measurement I need like three more inches of body stockinette and then I can separate for the sleeves! I’m both dreading and looking forward to it. I will halve the number of stitches I have to work when I separate but I will also have to purl as I will be working flat. But I know I’m looking forward to a finished sweater for the impending Fall!

Happy knitting!!

WIP Wednesday: Worsted Boxy

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Thanks to many nights of re-watching the Big Bang Theory series over from the beginning I’m making fairly decent progress on my Worsted Boxy by Joji Locatelli.  Despite doubling the ribbing rows, this darn thing still flips and wants to roll. Hears hoping blocking helps!

I’m most of the way through my second skein of Berroco Vintage. This is the Mushroom color that has a decent chance of washing me out completely. But I’m knitting and loving it anyway! I took a quick measurement and I’m about 10 inches into the body. So I still have a ways to go before splitting at what I assume will be the armholes. I really should read ahead in the pattern!

P.S. Both my mother and my husband keep giving me crazy looks because I’m knitting a worsted weight HUGE sweater in August…..in Kansas. I’m just a special kind of crazy I guess! Happy Knitting!!