Finished Project: Twister Summer Pullover

Above is our Twister store sample. We used 8 skeins of Berroco Linsey, and it worked out great! The pattern says one size fita all, and it does, it is very roomy and confortable. The sweater is a light pullover with a twist in the front, and it was a very straightforward knit, great for summer & cottage knitting. 

The bag it is shown with is the Janice Market Bag, one of our freebies. 

You can find us at knitomatic.com!

Belly Flops

Some times things just don't work out the way you wanted them to. I'm currently on a mis-sizing jag. The last 3 projects have ended up either too big or too small. Part of the reason I'm sharing the details is because people are always assuming that because I'm experienced, everything I make works out perfectly, if not flawlessly. Is anything in life ever like that? 

I finally got around to finishing this hoodie for my niece Lucy. I thought it would be a Christmas or birthday gift. I used some stashed Koigu Kersti, it was pink enough for her, and un-pink enough for me to work with. The pattern is a basic hoodie pattern from Knitting Pure and Simple. I especially liked this version on Ravelry. I worked hard to keep the colours from pooling, I knit the whole thing alternating 2 balls of yarn. On the arms I even threw in a third when necessary. 

I wasn't sure which size to make. Lucy will be 2 this January. The baby version of this pattern goes up to 24 months, but the child's version starts at size 2 to 4. I erred on the side of safety and went with the child size. I now know that when it comes to kids there is no such thing as a size 2 to 4, there is only a size 2 or a size 4. When finished, the sweater was a size 4. Not the end of the world, but she wasn't going to be wearing it this year.

The edges were curling up on the bottom and the hood, so I set about blocking it. I washed it in Eucalan and lay it out on the dining room table. It grew in a very unusual and unexpected way. Kersti is routinely used by other people as a worsted weight yarn, and I had taken this for granted. The manufacturer, however describes it as a DK weight yarn. It seems that while Kersti knits like a worsted, it blocks like a DK. Hence, my sweater was knit on too large a needle for the yarn, and when washed the stitches stretched to their normal size. The sweater jumped up another size. Lesson learned - always listen to the manufacturer, they know their yarn. 

Regardless, I took it over to my brother & sister-in-law's house, in the hopes of getting a picture of Lucy  swimming in it.  She refused, I guess it felt more like drowning. My sister in law held it up and yelled across the house to my brother "Hey, look what Haley made for Lucy! It's a sweater that'll fit her when she's six!"  Whatever, it looks great, and it'll fit her *some* day. 

So there you go, sometimes the universe has different plans. Lucy will be starting grade 1 when she's 6, maybe she will need a really special sweater from her aunt to help her out with the change that year. 

More flops to follow ... :-)

You can always find us at Knitomatic.com

Petite Facile Progress: which button?

Our Petite Facile kids pullover is almost finished!  It looks great and I'm so impressed with the yarn (Cascade 220 Superwash Paints), it didn't pool at all. If I had produced it I'd feel proud. I just have to wash and block the sweater (think I'll add some vinegar to the bath to make sure the colour stays vibrant), and dye the button purple. 

I also can't decide which button I like best. What do you think, triangular or oval? 

I'm not loving the single big button hole. Maybe on the smaller sizes it's ok, but on the larger size the upper edge tends to flop around. If I did this again I'd make 2 or 3 button holes, and certainly make them smaller (I'd experiment with a 1 or 2 stitch button hole).  

As always, you can find us at Knitomatic.com

Karate Sweater

An early peak at the most recent store project, the Karate Sweater by Wenlan Chia from her first book, Twinke's Big City Knits. We are using Cascade Magnum in colour 9418, a very intense royal purple. So far, so good - looks great!

Here's the picture from the book.

february baby sweater

 
i finished my february baby sweater last week. i cheated and knit the arms in the round.  it looks very cute. the yarn colour actually looks ok with the lace. but more importantly, i got to use some of my strange coloured vintage glass butttons.clearly, baby clothes are what odd colouured vintage buttons were made for. it only took 1 skein of dream in colour classy, not bad!

people have been commenting on the Dream in Colour yarn, saying that it is very well priced. well, that it was, becuase i accidentally priced it incorrectly, at the cost price.  so if you got it for $11.80, lucky you, but the price has now been adjusted to $22. 

good news, i got a sofa for the store!  i will post pictures tomorrow. it is a very nice sofa, which i have spent many hours cleaning with Eucalan.