FO Friday: Mackenzie 5-Ply

Jellybean has a finished sweater!! The battle of the Mackenzie 5-ply sweater is over and I won! It has two sleeves and a matching hemline.

I even went so far as to install the buttons, sew in my tag, and wash and block this bad boy. Though it’s largely acrylic and doesn’t need blocking. But after my grubby hands…it definitely needed a bath!

I just ADORE the side seam treatment. The little garter panel just makes it looks so polished!

And it’s safe to say that Jellybean loves it! He ripped it out of my hands and put it on before I could even put buttons on it!

It makes him look so grown up….sniff sniff….

Pattern: Mackenzie 5-ply by Rebecca Newman 

Yarn: Knit Picks Brava Sport in Eggplant. I used 2.84 skeins or roughly 317 yards for a modified 7 year old version.

Needles: US 5s

Mods: See my Ravelry notes for my sleeves mods.

I’m sooo happy to have this off the needles. I was frantically knitting this on Super Bowl Sunday in order to finish one last WIP for the Down Cellar Studio’s Pigskin Party KAL. And I managed to weave in the ends by halftime! And this FO has seemed to kick off my “let’s finish all the WIPs mojo” so I’m hoping to ride that wave for a bit. I haven’t even touched by scrap blankets in over a week!

Happy knitting!!

Two Matching Sleeves

Finally after one false start and a lot floundering around on sleeve island. Jellybean’s Mackenzie 5-ply sweater has completed sleeves!

Thanks to my stitch markers and some row counting here and there I was able to knit the second sleeve with (roughly) the same amount of rows to match the first one. I was glad I chose to knit these before finishing the entire body. That’s a lot fabric to turn and turn and turn. Sleeves are definitely not my favorite but it was nice working on a nine inch circular and not DPNs. No ladders in these sleeves!!

I went ahead and knit the cuff according to the pattern. I toyed with the idea of knitting all ribbing but I think I’ll let Jellybean wear it like this. If need be I can always rip and re-knit the cuffs. I’m going to have more than enough yarn for this project!

Happy Knitting!!

A More Tapered Sleeve

I managed to rip out re-knit the sleeve to Jellybean’s Mackenzie 5-ply sweater. It’s still a little huge in the sleeve cap area because there were only so many ways to deal with the number of stitches I started with that helped make sure the chest circumference worked.

I took out 20 stitches in total over about 6 or 7 inches of work. I tried to help myself for sleeve number two by putting a locking stitch marker on each decrease. My hope is then to knit a row by row copy of the first sleeve when I do number two.

The garter section after the ribbed section creates a little bit of bell effect. I’m not sure I’m totally sold on it. So I didn’t weave in the ends in case I want to pull it out and just do ribbing. I REALLY need Jellybean to slip his arm in before I start the second sleeve. Because if it’s still comically large then I will probably rip it out again. But four year olds have their own agenda…so not sure when I will convince him. Sigh

P.S. If these mods work I plan to put them on my Ravelry project page in case they help others.

Happy Knitting!!

Mackenzie Sleeves

I am working PB’s Mackenzie 5-ply on US 5 needles. And I also need small circumference US 5 needles for my Northeasterly blanket. So I may have had to procure some nine inch circular in US 5. Luckily, Chia Goo has my back and my needles arrived toot suite.

I secured the body the best I could and started sleeve number one. There are *almost* too many stitches for the nine inch circ and I need to watch stitches falling off when I put this back in the bag. But I like the fact that I’m not getting the ladders I tend to have when I work on DPNs. I’ve completed the first decrease section and now it’s straight knitting for 10 inches of sleeves. So here’s hoping I don’t get slogged down on sleeve island!

Bonus feature? I can’t start my blanket until I finish the sleeves. So talk about motivating factors!

Happy Knitting!!

Chugging Along

Jellybean’s sweater now has a decent amount of body knit up. (And a nice collection of yellow lab dog hair…)

I still have a ways to go as the body needs to have 20 inches. I may have 10 or 11 inches done. I measured but for the life of me I can’t remember what the number is, I just know it wasn’t 20. This project has been a nice meditative knit for what little TV watching I get these days. Just round and round with a little interest of garter bands on each side “seam”. Jellybean has really enjoyed watching this grow though he hasn’t seem interested in helping with any stitches. Such is the proclivities of a 4 year old.

Happy knitting!!

Houston We Have Sleeve Separation

Oh thank the knitting gods and goddesses…Jellybean’s sweater is finally divided for sleeves and cruising in the round!

By the time I got to the last raglan rows I was really having to work move all those stitches around my needles. There were a TON! The only slightly upsetting thing is that my gauge changed from working back and forth to in the rounds and there is a line I can see in the finished fabric. No one will ever notice but me….but it still makes me sigh every once in awhile.

But I have successfully divided and have…gulp, 20 inches of body to go. I think I might need a couple of good movies in order to crank this one out! I”m back to work today but I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is ready to rock in the new year!

Happy Knitting!!

Finally In The Round

My Jellybean has been PATIENTLY waiting for his sweater. It’s a sport weight top-down raglan cardigan in his absolute favorite purple. But I have had trouble mustering the mojo to work on it.

I had trouble getting it cast on and it took two tries. I was making good progress until the rows were getting really really long. And the work is really bunched up on the cord of my needles. And I have been to busy (read: lazy) to get a longer cord from downstairs. I am ALMOST at the sleeve divide and thank god have gotten this thing to the point it’s in the round. So yay, no more purling!!

I really do love this pattern so far. The only thing I’m not wild about is the button holes. But I’ll reserve judgement until the buttons are installed. Either way Jellybean is really anxious to be able to wear this thing so I need to get to knitting faster!

Happy knitting!!

Better The Second Time

My buggered cast on has been rectified. I was able to restart and *correctly* follow the first set of increases.

This is my Mackenzie 5-ply for Jellybean in the 7 year old size. It’s a pullover but it has a button placket at the neck. So I am slogging through the knitting across and purling back right now. I’ve done the first button hole and ready to start the second.

I have the project living in my Bags by Awesome grannie bag. It’s the PERFECT sweater size and Jellybean likes that it has donuts on it. Win win 🙂

Happy Knitting!!