Tag Archives: sweater

Back to Autumn

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I’m feeling the fall creeping in! The temperatures around Kansas have dipped below 85/90 degrees Fahrenheit and the leaves are turning. On a whim last night I pulled out my Autumn League Pullover and knit a few rounds while catching up old episodes of Squirrel Pie Productions podcast. All I have left to finish is the body and the hem but several inches of both.

It’s nights like these that I’m really missing my knitting buddy. Everyone around here has taken the loss of Dex really well, especially the tiny humans. But I find myself very melancholy at night when I sit down to knit and I can’t hear his snores. This project matched his fur color and it’s making it very hard to want to pick this WIP up.

But I’m choosing to continue this project in his honor and so that I can have a wonderfully cozy Dex colored sweater to keep me company.

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!!

So Close To A Sweater

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After putting the kids to bed, doing the dishes and packing lunches I managed to add the last few rows on my Worsted Boxy back panel. From that point it was pretty easy to add the three needle bind offs to get the sweater attached.

My short rows turned out neater than they felt as I was knitting them. And I was only off two stitches on one shoulder when I was seaming. It didn’t look like it was going to show so I just decreased them away as I was binding off.

I did try this on after I seamed. It is not as long as I maybe want. But I only have one skein of yarn left for the collar and both sleeves. (They won’t take the whole skein for sure.) But if I would have added 2 to 3 more inches I would have been in yarn chicken territory. And I’m pretty sure a good blocking will add some length if done right.

P.S. the bottom hem is STILL flipping up. I literally cannot wait to block this into submission!

Self Care Renewed

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I started the back portion of my Worsted Boxy last night. It was the hubby’s night for bath and bed so I pulled a bottle of one of my favorite local Kansas wine makers and went to town on some flat stockinette.

I haven’t looked yet this morning, but I’m pretty sure I did not suffer wine induced knitting oopsies. It was actually a very much needed calm evening. (And I busted out the crazy yoga pants that drive my husband crazy.) As I’m getting older (read more tired) I find that I’m getting better about self care and taking care of my needs just as much as I take care of others. Some days is a struggle but it’s always worth it.

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!!

Picking Sweater Colors

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I am down the rabbit hole and back from looking at DK/Sport weight sweaters for my recent stash enhancement. I was flipping through pages and pages of results when Joji Locatelli’s Radiate practically jumped off the screen at me. It’s a top down yoked sweater with a two color slipped stitch design in the yoke. I bought the patter on the spot.

Then I jumped to my stash and dug out all my superwash merino DK yarn to find a contrast color. I found three, a Treasure Goddess DK skein in a Merlot wine color, a Blueberry Chick yarn in a Lilac color and finally a Moonstone Dyeworks DK yarn in honey color.

Because I have been burned before, I pulled out my phone and took a black and white photo. Immediately this eliminated the wine color because it does not have enough contrast.

The lilac and honey both contrast nicely. But I’m left really having to decide if either of those two colors are really what I want. I don’t have a specific color in mind. I’m just not 100% sold that either of those two are “it”. I need to do some pondering….I really want this sweater to be SHARP.

I need to gauge swatch anyway. I might start swatching and work in both colors without cutting the yarn to see what they look like? Or I may pull up the pattern page and look at what others have done. Or both….bwhahahaha!

Happy knitting!!

Temporarily a A Crop Sweater

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I took some time this weekend to crank out the collar of my Autumn League Pullover. And its done and looks pretty darn good (despite my dismal ability to properly pick up stitches) and it inspired me to try it on.

Thanks to try it on tubing (I have this kind) I managed to slip on this sweater to get a feel for the fit. Now…it’s basically a boob cozy or crop top at this point. But I wanted to see how the neck and sleeves felt.

It definitely has positive ease in the sleeves and the body. Yet I don’t think it looks sloppy. I can totally tell this yarn is an acrylic yarn. It doesn’t have the drape that wool does but it will still make suitable sweater. And the yarn will be gone from my stash.

As I look at my sweater I think I might alter this pattern for a split seam on the ribbing and if I have enough yarn then I will make the back ribbing a little longer than the front. I’m ready to go full cozy sweatshirt on this project. Bring on winter!!

Happy Knitting!!

Two Sleeves!

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I win at sleeves!! The second sleeves of my Autumn League Pullover is complete.

It was pretty easy to count rows and decreases to make sure my second sleeve matches the first. They may be a row off or a stitch or two different depending on how close you compare them. I copied the cuff “mistake” on the second sleeve by keeping the larger needles. They may be wrong…but darn it they match! I’m just so happy to have them both done.

In a fit of productivity I even picked up the neck band (in the correct sized needle I may add) and got the working yarn attached. I’m hoping to bang out the collar pretty quickly. Happy Knitting!!