Shawl, sweater, and needles

It's been so long since I've posted, I almost forgot how to blog. :) I had a variety of thing happen in my life, good, bad, and lovely, which made most of the fall and winter a quick blur. Finally life is approaching normal again, but with a few nice changes.

One thing that hasn't changed is my knitting. :)


I finally finished up this nice little red sweater on a sick day a few weeks ago. All that's left are the buttons - I'm thinking those big toggle-type things would suit it best. It's still not my favorite sweater on me, but I hope to find someone it might suit. :)



The lovely colors in that shawl are so difficult to photograph - here it is in the sun. I used the same pattern as my last shawl, and even the same yarn - but this lot was considerably darker and more varied. One might say the same thing of time I spent as I stitched it, which makes it fitting, I suppose. :)



I purchased a really confusing batch of metallic circular needles recently - I should have read the description more thoroughly, as it described the odd sizes rather well. I put sticky notes with my best guess on the size, using my Knit-Chek as guide. When will I ever use size 1 or size 0 circulars? Well, add it to the collection. :)

Stitching Saturday: Sweater progress

I can't believe I am almost finished! Knitting a sweater was one of those things I was putting off until I felt like a more established knitter. I never really felt more established, so I just went for it, and I was surprised how easily it progressed. I'm following along with the My First Sweater class on Craftsy, and I highly recommend it, if you are a visual learner, like me. Sometimes, just being able to see someone do something is what I need to make a new skill stick. The sweater pattern is free on the Lion Brand site and is the Cardigan Collared Variation.

I just finished the collar - my favorite part of the sweater, and am knitting the right front buttonhole band. I didn't think I would like the eyelet detail, but now that I see it all together, I like the subtle texture it creates. I knit a small - what I usually wear in shirts and sweaters, and it is roomy and fits just right. The only issue I see is that the sleeve cuffs fit super-snug, while the rest of the arm is a more relaxed fit. I also knitted a longer cuff on the sweater and sleeve edges - it just looks nicer to me that way.

The yarn I chose I am "meh" about - Red Heart Soft. I didn't choose wool because I didn't want to worry about blocking just yet. It also just doesn't get cold enough in South Texas for wool. :) The Red Heart Soft is soft, and washable, and not the least bit scratchy. But I didn't buy all 5 skeins I'd need to finish all at once - I had 2 in my stash, gifted by a friend, then bought a skein here and there. They all had different weights (some bulkier, some more worsted-weight), some felt softer, some more stiff. At least the color was consistent.

Here are some earlier progress pics before I hit a wall and took a break:



Really enjoying this process so far!

My first sweater, part deux

I first started on a sweater quest about a year ago - but I was super-picky and indecisive about which pattern to go with. I started with a fabulous rainbow yarn, but I ended up combining so many different patterns that I just confused myself, and the half-knitted sweater is sitting sadly in my closet.

Enter, my first sweater, part deux...

I dug up some Red Heart Soft yarn from my stash (from a lovely batch I still have thanks to my crochet friend Linda - thank you again!) I still have the My First Sweater class to follow along on Craftsy, and I chose the Raglan Collared Cardigan pattern this time around. I'm knitting a size small which will hopefully fit - if not, I know a few skinny minnies who might get this for Christmas. :)

Stitching has gone fairly quickly - here is the back, all finished up:



I've also stitched through one half of the front, picture soon for that. So far I am loving the color: Really Red - and the yarn has a slightly chunky feel. I'm knitting on size 8 needles, which is also why it's going quickly.

Miss Korea was the drama on tap for this round of knitting, and my red sweater was a perfect (though unintentional) match to all the gorgeous reds that appear in the first 4 episodes.

I adore their use of color, and the beautiful way they repeat that red over and over again in this crowded nightclub scene:



The girl who plays Oh Ji-young, an elevator girl who decides to go for Miss Korea, is absolutely gorgeous. I adored the cuteness of her stewardess-like elevator uniform, and I also adored how tough she was..



And, of course, she is heartbreaking when she cries...


I loved the scene where she rescues her two co-workers from a party with her sleazy bosses, and replaces them with naked mannequins from their department store.. priceless.



There was something about the magical red of her lipstick, I found myself super-distracted by its prettiness every time it was on screen - it was like it was its own character... :)



There are other wonderful moments throughout this drama, like the mini romance of two side characters, which ultimately hinges on who is willing to cook for who:



Overall, it was a good watch, but much more male-centric than any drama I've seen yet. It had a slightly gritty feel, with the mob elements, and although Miss Korea is kind of the main character, I repeatedly got the sense that the story mainly belonged to the male characters. It seems more like the rare kind of drama a male audience would enjoy, so I'm really happy there were such strong female characters.

Back to sweater knitting!

Knitting on Wednesday: Sweater Quest

So I was thinking I'd pause with the new knit stitch a week posts while I catch up on some new and old knitting projects. And I don't have a catchy phrase that rhymes with any day of the week, so I'm going instead with "Knitting on Wednesday." :)

I went on a sweater quest recently, not unlike last year's quest for a blanket. My Log cabin blanket, by the way, has grown quite nicely, and I'm almost finished with it... pictures soon. My sweater quest was long and arduous because, quite simply there's A LOT of ugly sweaters in the world. No really, not misunderstood or naturally beautiful - ugly, ugly sweaters. When it doesn't even look good on the nice-looking model, I have to think twice about it. :)

My inspiration was this beautiful sweater, from Late Summer:

I don't know a ton about sweaters, but this looks to me like a simple crewneck (?) sweater with an open, lacy knit pattern. Since this is my first sweater, I considered only beginner patterns I could easily keep track of...

1. Cropped Sweater by Andi Satterlund

I love this style of sweater and the scoop neck, but I think I'll save it for a later project with a tighter weave...


2. 3/4 Sleeve Classic Pullover

I like the 3/4 sleeves, since I always push the sleeves up my arms, anyway, and it looks like a looser fit. I just wasn't sure I could adapt it to suit a more open knit...

3. Alcina Sweater

This sweater already has a lacy, open look and I love the neckline - I just wasn't sure if I could figure out how to knit it without the ruching at the waistline (total beginner, I know).

4. My First Raglan Pullover

In the end, I decided to take the My First Sweater class on Craftsy, and work along with their free pattern, above. I'm intimidated by complicated knitting directions, so it's comforting to have a visual to follow along with. I don't love that rolled neckline, but I'm thinking I may be able to modify it if I don't get too lost. Also, I'm not sure about that eyelet design on the raglan sleeves, but I'll give it a chance, or modify it.

I started with a sport-weight yarn on size 9 needles, which would make for an open look, but not quite as open as the movie version:



The color match was fairly close, but all in all it didn't inspire me...  then I dropped some stitches at the beach, and had to totally unravel it.  Bummer. :(

Then I found this magical yarn:



I'm knitting on size 11 needles for a more open look and I love the way the striping pattern works its way over the fabric, kind of a rainbow-y, tie-dye effect. I did a swatch test and worked out the math (I think) to make it work. And no, it's not the smallest sweater on earth (though the finished sweater might be fairly small) - it's very stretchy! :)

Here's a closeup of the yarn, the color name is Stained Glass, and it is quite gorgeous in person:

So what do you guys think? Have any of you knitted a sweater before? Any knitting tips for me would be appreciated! :)