Non-folding fold-back front cardigan

I recently finished this cardigan. It's from the Tahki Yarns spring/summer 2007 designs, and is called a fold-back front cardigan. The folding back did not happen -- it looked really droopy that way. However, I discovered that I could fasten it with a shawl pin on the front band, and it looks swell.

The yarn is Gerifil Spaghetti, which is a funky yarn that does not give even stitches. It does have nice shiny bits in it which makes it interesting, and the cardigan holds its ribbing really well for a close fit.

The only thing I did differently was to use a twisted ribbing on the sleeve openings.

Trumpet Skirt Cast On

I've cast on for the fit-and-flare trumpet skirt from Knitting Lingerie Style. I'm using this slubbed yarn, so the skirt will have some texture. (The texture will also hide a multitude of knitting sins).
I know it defeats the purpose of the lingerie look, but I don't like the holes. I love the trumpet skirt look, however, so I'm going to try using alternating panels of knit and purl. My gauge is only 17 stitches/4" so I'm going to cast on 120 stitches for the smallest size.

This will be a good travel project for car rides and airplanes. It's one piece, simple, and I'm forced to use a circular needle. I normally like long straight needles, but they don't do too well in an airplane seat.

Boxy cardigan done!

The pattern is the Michael Kors boxy cardigan from Vogue Knitting Spring/summer 2007. The yarn is Di.Ve Zenith 100% merino wool. I used under 10 balls.

I’m pretty pleased with the result. It is a very soft, draping, lightweight all-purpose cardigan, casual, but not too casual. The yarn is very soft with no sign of itchiness. (I can get itchy even with merino wool). It does split a little too easily though.

Customizations: I put the ribbed border on the sleeves. I did not like the split collar in the back as called for in the pattern, so I increased the ribbing to 2-knit/3-purl in the back and shoulders to allow the collar to fan out and fold over without too much strain. I used short rows for the collar so the front band is about 3.5” but the widest collar section is 4.5”

I think there is something funky about the pattern for the front sections. I had no problems with the sleeves, but I changed the decrease rate on the front sleeve-side edges so that they did not decrease as sharply to a point and end up very short of the corresponding sleeve edges.

More Books

I'm convinced that knitting books are like gardening and cooking books. I don't actually use that many of the ideas/recipes/patterns, but the photography is really nice and it's nice to have them on a bookshelf. Regarding the Knitting Lingerie Style, I'm thinking of knitting the fit-and-flare trumpet skirt, and possibly the bed jacket.

On other knitting notes, I'm knitting the ribbed band and shawl collar for the boxy cardigan from Vogue Knitting spring/summer 2007. I should be done within a week.

Boxy Cardigan Progress

I've been making progress on the Boxy Cardigan from Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2007. I knitted a ribbed border on the sleeves instead of leaving it as an unfinished edge. The border also gathers in the sleeve opening a little bit. I really like the look of the extra-deep raglan sleeves. (I seam as I go).
I think there's an error in the pattern. I finished the left front, but it ended up 10 rows short and seemed to narrow too quickly. I'm going to re-do the decreasing start by decreasing every 4th row instead of every other row for the first 5 decreases.
This is knit with di.Ve Zenith merino yarn. The yarn is really soft and does not appear to itch. It does split a little easily, but I can put up with that. I like it enough to buy a bunch more an webs on sale for 3.99 a ball.

Doggy Knits

I recently purchased the Doggy Knits book. I just LOVE the photos. I'm not sure that Tomokee even needs to wear sweaters, but I'll probably make one anyway because they are just so darn cute. TAD ("The Audio Dude") thinks that making the dog wear sweaters is just an insult to the dog. He just has no sense of style.