Finished & Very Pleased

This was such an enjoyable project. (Never did I think I would say that about so much moss stitch!) I used just over 7 skeins of Louet Riverstone in the French Blue color to make the largest size. The sleeve length was a bit of a surprise, I somehow thought it was going to come to just below my elbow. It may the usual problem of pattern writers thinking that the fatter you are, the longer your arms are.


Because my pattern pieces were somewhat distorted, I blocked them all before sewing up. Live stitches at the top of the shoulders would have been a good idea but the seam turned out very tidy anyway. I think the blocking also helped reduce the curling on the lapel.

Which weight yarn?

I need to order a substitute yarn for this, but I don't know what kind to get because in the magazine, they say the specified yarn is 13 wpi which would make it a sport weight or lighter, but the yarn's website says it is gauge 4 which would make it worsted weight. Which weight are you all getting gauge with?

Sleeve Caps

I'm nearly finished my first sleeve cap! Yaaay, so close. But I've run into a little problem. I want to make sure that I'm not skipping something that I shouldn't. After you do your series of decreasing at each end of RS, the instructions say:

Dec 1 st each end of needle every fourth RS row 0 (0, 2, 2, 0, 0) times.
Then,
BO 0 (2, 3, 3, 3, 3) sts at beg of next two rows.

I'm knitting the second size, so I wouldn't have to decrease every fourth row. So I can just skip that little bit entirely, right? And just go right on to BO 2 on the next row? The fact that the first bit doesn't say something like, "For sizes 39.5 and 43.5 only" is throwing me off.

Intro and progress thus far...

Hello! I'm Celeste, and I'm new to this KAL.

This project is going fast, despite the moss stitch getting a tad bit tedious at times! I've completed the back and the right front, and am about half way done with one sleeve. It's been smooth sailing so far, though in reading other posts, I kind of wish I'd left the shoulder stitches live to do a three-needle bind-off. Live and learn, I suppose!

This RYC Cashsoft Aran in Aubergine had been sitting in my stash for almost a year. The color doesn't register well on-screen, unfortunately, but this is shaping up to be a highly wearable knit!

On The Needles...

but such a long way to go. I've finally cast on - trying to squeeze in this project between finishing the Baby Tulip Sweater & socks for the Monkey Sock Swap, and duties required of a high school science teacher / mother of 2 boys. I'm using Cascade 220 superwash & Addi Turbos. But.... right after I took this photo (signs of fall - good time for a sweater), I noticed I screwed up & had to rip back about an inch. If you look carefully near the top (thank goodness) the moss stitch is off. ARghhh - any suggestions on how to figure out where I should begin?

I'm going to follow Amanda's lead & do the 3-needle bind off. Why seam when you don't have to. Not sure about short row shoulders - help - that is new to me.

Thanks for the help all - this KAL should help keep me on track!

~Heather R.
ravelry: Arctic Knitter

Waiting to begin....

I have my yarn, my Addi turbo, and wait, where's the pattern? I've been such a good girl, grading and doing work during the week, waiting until the weekend to start. I bribe myself all week, sneaking peeks at my magazine as motivation, and then I leave it on my desk. Typical.
I can't wait to begin and I hope there are still some of you working on yours by the time I get started!
I'll be using Cascade Lana D'Oro in a dark purple tweed.

It's finished!

Yay!

I'm very happy with the finished sweater, though I think I'll be adding a clasp to mine (a la Bronwyn). I should have known, as open sweaters/jackets/shirts never really drape properly on my body -- the fronts just flop open and hang at the sides. Looks good here, but I don't expect the sweater to behave when I'm actually moving!

Here's a closer picture of one of the short row, three-needle bind-off shoulders (see the previous post's comments for an embarrassingly long explanation of how I did that (sorry, Holly Jo!).


I have a very long project post about this on my blog, if anyone wants all the gory details. I've got a couple other pictures over there, too.

I'm not sure I would have finished this in the time frame that I did if I didn't have this KAL for motivation and inspiration (moss stitch for an English style knitter is tedious). Thanks, everyone!

three-needle bind off for shoulders?

So, I am nearing the end of the back (old photo - just added for interest). I am wondering if anyone can tell me a good reason why I shouldn't keep the shoulder stitches live and then do a three-needle bind-off with the corresponding fronts instead of seaming? Thanks in advance for your thoughts. :)

Hey Amanda - would you mind sharing about short rows on the shoulders? I am struggling wrapping my mind around it? Not numbers or anything, just general idea. Thanks!

I think I can, I think I can...

Man, sleeves are hard. They're like the "eating your vegetables" of knitting.

So, I have one sleeve left to go (I'm about 30 rows into it). I sew as I go (so I don't have to do it all at once), and here's what I've got:


The body of the sweater is a little bit tight, but the moss stitch fabric is so stretchy, I expect it to relax a bit in the wash. And hopefully, those tubes o' stockinette will relax a bit, too!

Barring disaster, I expect to really love this once it's finished. Which is good, because I'd have a hard time choking down my veggies (ie, knitting this sleeve) otherwise.

I don't know how the rest of you are doing on yardage, especially since everyone is subbing for the recommended yarn. My size calls for 8 balls, I ordered 9, and I'll be using a large chunk of that 9th ball. Granted I added a little length to the body of the sweater (about 1/2-3/4"), but I think I would have gone over 8 balls even if I had followed the pattern exactly.

Cotton Minimalist Cardi

This is my first time blogging, ever, and my 6 year old took the pictures, so please forgive the quality. Thanks for letting me join your group!

My dear friend gave me 10 balls of Rowan Handknit DK in a lovely blue. The Minimalist Cardigan pattern seemed just right for it. It looked like a summery shape, and I thought that cotton would be a good fit for it. I really love the pattern. However, when I knitted my swatch in seed stitch, I thought that it looked too grandmotherly or washcloth-y in the cotton, if you know what I mean. So, like bobbi, I switched the body to stockinette, and the band to seed stitch.

I'm happy with the way it came out, but I do want to knit it again in the original pattern with something like Debbie Bliss Alpaca silk. I'm using a hair pin to keep it closed up top, but really like that clasp that Bronwyn (the prolific knitter) used on hers.

I thought this was a fun, easy, quick knit, but I'd change a few things. I'd either make the sleeves longer or shorter, they just aren't elbow length on me, and look like I just made a mistake knitting the sleeves. I also think that I'd do the smaller size (did the 351/2 bust), but I think it looks a little big on me. However, I do have a terrible history of shrinking my handknit sweaters, so maybe it will work out in the long run.

Anyway, thanks for letting me join your knit a long, and when I get some Alpaca Silk, I'll start posting my next Minimalist Cardi.

--Pam.

Uncertainty

I cast on for this sweater last week but I have already arrived at an existential crisis. I'm not sure I am going to like the sweater in the yarn I'm using. It seems to me this sweater wants to be a cute, slightly sophisticated city piece, and I am starting to suspect that knit in 100% wool like this it may come out rougher and more rural. Looking through everyone else's pictures of this pattern on Ravelry it appears that this sweater looks nice and crisp in a yarn that has more shine and less furriness. I'd like to ask others who are knitting this in 100% wool what their experience is. I like the yarn fine; I'm just not crazy about putting all the work into a sweater that I'm not going to wear the way I wanted to. Opinions very welcome.

More on my blog.

Reporting in and a question...

Finished the back tonight and am still loving the pattern. I've decided to move on to the fronts and I have a quick question: Do we all agree that the pattern should read the ribbing is done for 1.5" on the front (just like the back) or the 1.25" that it states? Is there some reason it is a quarter of an inch less that I just don't understand?

Thanks!!!

Almost done with right front!

I just passed the armhole shaping for the first front!!! I know i'm not that far, but still... It goes quickly. I'm knitting mine in a bright green color of cascade 220. Pictures soon!

I love it!

I finished mine! I love it! I didn't love it so much when I was sewing up the bagillions seams, but when I tried it on, it was love at first site. This is my first sweater with seams I was swearing I wouldn't do another one but I will. I made a lot of modifications, for details and more pics head on over to my blog.


Happy Knitting!
Bobbi

Button?

I've started knitting the right front side, and I'm wondering if I should make a button hole and have a button closure. What do ya'll think? For those of you who have finished, do you think a button closure would be a good addition?

Also, here's a picture of the finished back.

Intro

Thanks for the chance to join this KAL. I found out about it on Ravelry. I am using Louet Riverstone 100% wool worsted in the French Blue colorway. It is really nice to have a straight forward, not too much concentrating involved project after finishing Mystery Stole 3.


Well, the biggest slog is over. I finished the back on Saturday. It is somewhat distorted but I think blocking will fix that.


Since I didn't want the bottom edge of the stockinette sections to curl, I made a slight modification to the pattern. Instead of beginning the front with K18, I just K3 so the edge roll would be consistent and then began with the ribbing.

Minimalist Card

Well, this is the start of my Mini Card. I started a few days ago while working on other projects. I guess I'm about 5 inches into this project. The yarn I'm using is from my stash...Berroco SenuWool in Shaker Grey. This yarn is now discountinued. I was able to get it during a 75% sale at a yarn shop I went to a few years ago. Happy Knitting!!!

Not Liking this Pattern

I am about half way up the back for this sweater and am not liking it at all. Ok, you all know what a simple pattern this is, but simple patterns are my downfall! If you can believe it, I have a lifeline in mine! Don't laugh! I take the train to work, so am always blabbing with my friends, and I usually do most of my knitting there, and you wouldn't believe how many times I've gotten distracted on this pattern while blabbing and done the wrong row and had to rip it out! So I got back on track and put the lifeline in. Ok, get up off the ground from laughing now, ok??? LOL Well, yesterday, dang it, it happened again! I ripped back a few rows and started on the row I thought it should be, and I was working on it right now, and see another glaring mistake from where I must have done the wrong row . . . AGAIN! I'd be done with this sweater if I wasn't constantly ripping it out and starting over! Boy am I a moron! I have to have a lifeline AND I have to put a marker on the pattern to remind myself where I left off! ARGH!!!! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go frog again!!! Maybe I'll go do some cross stitch for a while.