Stash Buster Pullover

I finished this pullover some time ago but never got around to taking a photo or two. This is my stash buster pullover, although not entirely so because I did buy two of the yarns. I had the grey Elsebeth Lavold Silky Tweed in my stash as well as the dusty rose Batiste by Knit One Crochet Too. I had to buy one skein each of the white and pink Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool because I didn't have anything else in my stash that were suitable colors. The grey midsection is knitted side to side and the top and bottom sections are picked up and knit vertically. I also used a broken rib on the bottom and a simple knit-purl squares pattern on the pink. I think I could have used an extra 1/2 inch or so of length, but in general, it's a very wearable top for spring or fall.

Copycat cardigan

I finished this little cardigan earlier in August. It's a copycat cardigan because I used a ready-to-wear cardi that I've owned and loved for years as a template for the size and shape. The ready-to-wear version is in black and it's more finely knit but the drape is about the same and I got the sizing to match up very well. The simple 1x1 cable pattern on the front and back is just something I've knitted on cowls and such. I was thinking of adding a small clasp closure at the neckline but I might just let it hang open. The purchased sweater has these small hook and eye closures on the front but I never wear it closed. This was knitted with Debbie Bliss Rialto DK. I wanted this sweater to wear with many of my soft dresses that are gathered in a bit at or above the waist. I like this shape so much that I'm going to make another cardi using a combination of a merino yarn and kid silk haze, mainly because I've always wanted to knit a cardi with kid silk haze. I think I might do a slightly simpler stitch pattern for the next version just because it's kid silk haze and I don't want ot have to correct mistakes with it!

Knitted warmer weather top

I recently finished knitting this patternless top for warmer weather. The yarns are the Cloudborn Fibers Pima Cotton DK (discontinued) and the Rowan Summerlite 4Ply. The coral color is the Cloudborn and the white is the finer gauged Rown yarn. The white section knits up a bit more loosely, since I used the same needles, but it works out fine. The transtion section is a brick design achieved by using a slipped stitch pattern which allowed me to knit each row with just one color. Plus, I think the brick pattern looks pretty cool! This sweater is great for warmer weather and I've already worn it a few times before taking the photos.

Appenzell Pullover

I recently finished the Appenzell dolman sleeved pullover. I'm not sure that I love the very deep dolman sleeves because they do cause quite a bit of extra fabric in the upper mid-section. I thought I'd give it try. The yarn is the discontinued Cloudborn superwash worsted, so the price was very affordable. It was also a relatively fast knit. It's a very warm sweater and we still have some cooler days ahead so I've been wearing it a bit. I find the yarn is a tiny bit scratchy -- it's not a merino wool. Sometimes sweaters that I don't initially love turn out to be long-time favorites, so I'll have to see how it goes.

As for modifications, I decided to just do a ribbed neckline instead of making the large collar. I also raised the cable pattern a bit higher on the upper section. To making the knitting go faster, I just used reverse stockinette on the bottom section instead of the moss stitch. After all, if I wasn't sure I would love the final result, I didn't want to spend a lot of time making it. :)

First Sweater of 2022!

This is my first finished sweater of 2022! It is from the Ko-michi pattern by DanDoh designs. I made a few modifications to get the fit I wanted. I wanted a narrower sweater so I cast on fewer stitches and also narrowed the single-strand purple sections. I had to increase the height of the purple parts and also the number of vertical repeats in order to get the length I wanted. I added neckline shaping to achieve a more rounded neckline and shoulder shaping to prevent the top armhole parts from sticking up too much. Finally, I finished the neckline and armholes with a few purl stitch rows. I love the artsy look of this sweater!