Tag Archives: bulky

Swatching Like A Responsible Knitter

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I really want to cast on some of my birthday yarn from my momma for a sweater for me.  I did some searching and had three finalists pulled. And in the end garter stitch won. I picked the Charlotte Winter by Carrie Bostick Hoge won out.

It’s a top down bulky sweater with raglan increases all knit in garter stitch. No purling!! (Well except for the sleeves). And I was a  GOOD knitter and started a swatch.

The bottom garter section was knit on the pattern US 15s while the top section was knit on US 13s. I found that not only was it easier to knit on the 13s but I also like the fabric better. I even washed and dried my swatch to be sure! Now I guess I get to do some sweater math….

Happy Knitting!!

Dryer Ball Experiment

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It was a lovely weekend here in Kansas and so I turned my 3 year tornado loose in the backyard to burn off all his little wonderful energy. I meanwhile wanted to try an experiment. I had been catching up on the backlog of the YarnHoarder YouTube podcast and recently watched her segment on dryer balls. I have had one in the past but I wasn’t impressed. Amber mentioned that she uses several at once and it cuts her drying time in half.

So my 36 week preggo body waddled to JoAnns and came home with some 100% wool to felt. I picked up three different weights to test out….roving, bulky, and worsted.

Jellybean even took play breaks to help me wind into balls!

I got them all wrapped up into balls and ensconced into pantyhose. Jellybean thought this part was HILARIOUS. I wasn’t very scientific about the size. I just split each skein into two balls as best I could tell. They totally didn’t turn out equal. Score one for eyeballing it!

Now I just need to wait for either a load of towels or jeans to pile up so I can pop these into the wash to get them felted!

Happy Crafting!

WIP Wednesday: Storytime Scholar

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I’ve reached sleeve purgatory in my Storytime Scholar!


I’m making the 4T size and I feel it’s taking forever. I thought I was close to finishing the first sleeve but when I held it up against a slightly too big tee….I still need more. Sigh


It really is close. And it’s bulky yarn so I just need to suck it up. I don’t mind the knitting, it’s just I can’t wait to get this on Jellybean!

Happy Knitting!!

WIP Wednesday: Storytime Scholar

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My Storytime Scholar is cruising right along. I’m past the pockets and almost done with the ribbing. 

It’s knitting up very well with semi-dense fabric. Which I’m hoping will withstand the toddler abuse. I keep thinking it looks frighteningly big. But the thing with kids is that they keep growing!

My next step will be to bind off the ribbing and then I think I will seam up the pockets. The pattern calls for to do this last but the extra flapping fabric is bothering me. After that I guess it’s the dreaded sleeves. I’m saving the collar for last in case I need to use yarn management.

Happy Knitting!

A Warm Solution 

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So Jellybean is an active wiggling 15 month old and we are heading into the heart of winter. He has several jackets and coats but we never leave them on in the car seat for safety reasons. So that’s lots of on and off clothing wrestling with a marginally cooperative toddler in the bracing cold of the Midwest. I had a flash of inspiration…he needs a open cardigan much like the kiddy or momma vertebrae. Something to keep his arms/shoulders/back warm without anything on the front to interfere with the efficacy of the car seat straps!

Enter the Snugbug by Tiaga Hilliard Designs!

  
@Tiaga Hilliard Designs 

I pulled some Knit Picks Brava Bulky in red from my deep stash. I’ve already cast on and worked down to the armhole divide. I’m in love and may have to make more than one!  

Happy Knitting!!

Bulky Projects Go Fast Right?

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During my bout with the flu I felt the urge for something warm and bulky. That urge led to this…

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The start of the yoke of a second Shalom Cardigan. I had some lovely softness aka Knit Picks Biggo yarn in my stash. At first I thought it wanted to be a blanket but the yarn whispered and I listened. So a sweater it was! I’m going to be close on yardage so it might be a little more cropped than my first. But since its worn over a tank or tee anyway, who cares!?

In the interest of full disclosure the sweater is not any further along than this photo. I worked on it in between feverish naps and haven’t picked it up after I got to feeling better. But it’s bulky yarn so it should just fly off my needles right?

What do you knit when you don’t feel good?

FO Friday: Sprout Cardigan

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Ladies and gentlemen….we have a winner! 20140720-072515-26715709.jpg 20140720-072514-26714640.jpgI had to add almost 5 inches of garter stitch to the bottom of this sweater. But you know what? It looks pretty darn good! This is now a very comfy and gorgeous sweater.

Pattern: Sprout Cardigan

Yarn: Berroco Comfort Chunky in Pumpkin

Size: Medium (I should have made the large)

Needles: US 9

Even with all my struggles with this sweater, I still love it. This is definitely a keeper in my wardrobe. Not to mention on of the few sweaters that fit around the growing baby bump. I think all of my initial problems would have been solved by simply making the large sweater. The large version better fits my torso length even those my bust measurement matches up with the medium. Please don’t let my struggles deter anyone from this pattern. It is a pretty nifty garment!!

Happy Friday and Happy Knitting!

Sprout…..Take Three

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Some of you may remember my Sprout cardigan frustration and attempted fix. I cast on an astronomical number of stitches around the edge of my cardigan and worked several rounds. I won’t say how many Netflix shows this took. But alas it wasn’t to be, the whole thing looked awful. Too many stitches around the collar and lapels and not enough length added at the bottom…

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So what you see above is take three! I frogged my last attempt and picked up solely along the bottom. I’m now working back and forth in garter to add length. Because this project is a mix of garter and stockinette anyway this should just blend in. Fingers crossed!

I don’t want to give up on this project as I find myself attached to this sweater. I want to wear the darn thing!! I’ll keep you posted 🙂

Happy knitting!

Sprout Repair

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Thank you all for your suggestions last week in my Sprout dilemma. I have decided to attempt some additional alterations to make this sweater workable for me.20140706-160618-57978781.jpgMy solution: pick up all the stitches around the outside and knit additional garter stitch border to continue the garter stitch that runs along the lapels. That’s a LOT of freaking stitches. It took three of my cables from my Knit Picks nickel interchangeable set…

It took me 20 plus minutes to work around the circumference. And I’ll add a few stitches at each corner to “smooth” out the edging as I turn the two corners. But I think is going to take an few Netflix episodes to get to a satisfactory “fix” lol.

I’ll keep you posted…happy knitting!

 

Conundrum in Length

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Well….the seaming is done. And for the record I’m not happy…20140629-115105-42665355.jpg

 

Despite checking gauge at the beginning of the project and following the pattern to the letter….this sweater is FAR too short. It falls just above my natural waist and no where near my hips where I would like. Harumph…

I have two options:

A) Gift this to my sister who has a much shorter torso but the same bust measurement.

B) Add more garter rib around the bottom to extend the length….

Thoughts from the blogosphere?