Video: Every Sweater I've Made - Episode 2

 

It's that time of the month again ... where I tell you about sweaters I made years ago lol. This time I'm talking about my:

• Ishnana
• Agatha
• Florist Bolero
• Chuck
• Endearment

I'm giving the whole rundown of each - what it was like to make, if I liked the pattern, what yarns I used, and how much I wear them. Click below to watch this month's episode :)

FO: Agatha Cardigan

Get ready for a photo dump, guys, cause this project was a long time coming :) I finally finished my Agatha Cardigan!

I started knitting this on December 27th of 2014 and I only just got it finished. I blame Florida - I was doing ok (picking up and putting down a few times) until March when it started to warm up and I had no desire to knit a long sleeved wool sweater in 90 degree weather. I set it aside in hopes of cooler climes, and while those lower temps have not hit here in the slightest the heat has let off from "I'm never exiting my air conditioned home" to "at least it's not so humid at night" and apparently that was enough for me. I got on a big sweater finishing kick after all my other summer sweaters and this was next in line. I forced myself to finish this before I could start another (and I already have 2 new projects ready to go), so I managed to pick this back up at the end of August with just past the armhole separation knit on the body and I finished it by September 24th. Not too shabby :)

This is the Agatha pattern by Andi Satterlund, making this my 6th sweater pattern I've made from her patterns. What can I say - I hate doing math, lol, and I've figured out how to make her patterns fit me so the math portion is basically null and void at this point. I've always wanted to make this sweater since seeing Lauren's Blagatha several years ago. At the time I had just learned to knit and knew it would be too complicated for me, so I never bought the pattern waiting until my skills improved. Then last year when I participated in the Marion Knit Along, my prize for finishing my sweater was a pattern from Andi of my choice :) I was thrilled and knew exactly which one I would get - Agatha. I had to wait until after Christmas to start, but as you can see I barely made it past that deadline and began 2 days later.

I used some yarn I picked up for a sweet deal from Craftsy before Christmas - Cascade 220 Superwash Quatro in the Lupin colorway. Usually I'm not a big fan of variegated or multi colored yarns, but this one has just a very subtle twist of 3 similar colors giving a very neat look. That's one of the reasons the sweater was so hard to photograph - those little flecks to the sweater are actually the color variation. I will say though - I almost got heat stroke taking these photos! Public Service Announcement: Worsted weight wool is warm stuff! I had to knock my AC down to 70 degrees and aim a fan right at me, lol. Hopefully I am able to wear this here. I have heard that this winter should be colder than normal, so I am definitely ready. (by the way I hate that derpy photo of me with my hair back, but I wanted to show the neckline. Just for the record ...)

I really enjoyed this pattern even though I am an English knitter and all that back and forth-ing with the ridges got a little annoying. Normally I hate ribbing, but there seemed to be just enough stitches between the switching between knit and purl to not make me want to stop working on it. I love many aspects of the design - the side shaping is so cool how the ridges just merge into each other, and of course I love the lace - but my favorite part of this sweater has got to be the sleeve lace. It looks like staggered leaves and I just love this simple touch.

The sleeves are finished with long cuffs (which make it even hotter, lol). I love this in theory, but they didn't come out quite like I hoped in my version. The ribbed section of the cuff is 4.5" long and you are supposed to just fold it in half - as you can see they are folded back much farther on me (the entire 4.5" in fact). I didn't really think about checking the sleeve length while knitting them (dumb mistake), but without the cuffs as well as before blocking they seemed like they were going to be a good length. They must have stretched out quite a bit in blocking because they are WAY too long now. I look like a Whoo from Dr. Seuss with them unrolled. The only thing I can think of is my drying method I used when blocking: since this is superwash yarn, I soaked it in a bowl with Eucalan and then put it through a rinse and spin cycle in the washer, so I think the centrifugal force of the washer stretched them out. It's not a huge deal since I think I can probably fix this if I block the sweater again, but I seriously can't be bothered at the moment, lol. So I will just have very long cuffs this winter, or if my hands are cold I can just unroll them and have built in mittens :)

I did make my usual changes to the pattern. I knitted the Size Large for the bust and sleeves, but I eased up to the Extra Large for the waist. I've done this a few times now, and I'm starting to think I will go back to just a straight size Large in the future. It's certainly not that my waist has shrunk, but I think now that I'm not knitting so tightly and the fact that wool is so stretchy combines to make it a little too loose. I noticed this particularly on my Sunshower Cardigan - after wearing it a few times the waist is noticeably too big now) . Thanks to the recovery of wool, it's not an issue on this sweater but I think I'll give it a try next time around (which will be in just a few days, lol). The other change I made was to lengthen the sweater by about 2.5 inches at the waist. I have a long torso and I had plenty of this yarn so I wasn't worried about running out. I really like the length on this and it ends right at my natural waist. The only hang up with adding this length was that it made the button hole spacing out of whack. I had to do a little math and either have the buttons spaced out more (only using 6 for the whole thing) or doing way more (11) which is what I did. It wasn't hard to figure out, so I just had to make sure they were evenly spaced.

As per my usual obsession, I put petersham ribbon button bands on theis sweater. I really love this finish, and I completely lucked out with having enough black ribbon in my stash left over from my Emelie. I had 1" left over. I also lucked out with having enough buttons in the right size which was REALLY lucky because I typically don't have that many of any of the buttons in my stash. I think that may change next time I have the opportunity to get more buttons on the cheap since I've been making more items that take larger amounts of buttons (I plan on working out McCall's 6696 next and making a slew of shirt dresses - yay buttons!) Because of my black buttons, I went with the black ribbon and I'm really pleased that you can't see the black at all from the front.

Some close up details: Ah, I do love a petersham button band :) I actually had to borrow my mother's sewing machine to make the button holes since my foot is hanging up. It worked out in the end though. I do love how the buttons look - they are faceted black plastic ovals with little black crystals around the outer rim. I think they make the sweater look a smidge more dressy, so that will go with how I probably will wear this most of the time. And I couldn't resist showing a close up of the back lace. Plus you can see the little color variation a little better in these shots.

And I had to include a photo of it open since it will be worn like this a lot. I also really like the little outfit I made for the photos. The sweater looks really cute with my Melissa skirt :)

So there you have it - my Agatha cardigan :) I know that I will use this pattern in the future (maybe with a cotton yarn and with shorter sleeves) and I seriously can't wait until it's not a health risk to wear this out in public, ha ha. Bring on the cool weather! I know you northerners are cursing the impending winter, but as a pale Floridian I wait for this time all. year. long. Yay, sweaters!

Summary:
Yarn: 4.5 skeins of Cascade 220 Superwash Quatro in the Lupin colorway - $21.00
Pattern: Agatha by Andi Satterlund - Free (given as KAL participation prize)
Notions: 1 yard of 1" wide black rayon petersham ribbon - $3.00, 11 black plastic buttons - $3.00
Time: On and off for 9 months
Total Cost: $27.00

WIP Wednesday: So Close Yet So Far!

Well the good news is that I've finished the knitting on my Agatha Cardigan! I've got it all blocked and ready for button band stabilization.The bad news is that when I tried to put buttonholes in the ribbon with my sewing machine last night, it freaked out in a big way. My buttonhole foot is plastic and it seems that the needle has been hitting it on occasion, making a rough ridge that the thread likes to catch on and pull upwards in the stitch generally making it look like crap. I'm planning on sanding the piece when I get to work tomorrow, but until then my cardi must sit unfinished :(

I did manage to sew the ribbon onto the button side of the band, so at least there's that. I'm really pleased with how that finished side looks now and you can't see the black through the purple yarn at all - definite plus :)

In light of my sweater not being able to be finished, I finally started a project I've put off for too long. I'm making Giddy-Up the horse for a baby shower on Saturday. I used this marled black wool that made for the perfect color to mimic the intended owner's own horse she grew up with, so I'm hoping this gift is a slam dunk of sentimentality, lol. I'm working to finish it up today.

And I also cut out another project for Sewing Indie Month a few days ago - a denim Melissa skirt by Muse Patterns. I'm really keen to get started on this, but I'm not sure if my buttonholer will cooperate. We'll see. I'm sure that a denim skirt will come in really handy in my wardrobe.

That's about it for me this week :) I have to go make my signature butterscotch cream cheese swirl brownies now, so if you'd like to see more projects just head over to Gracey's Goodies to see what others are up to!

WIP Wednesday: Second Sleeve Syndrome and A Gift

It is official - I have finished the first sleeve on my Agatha cardigan! This is the longest sleeve I've ever made, and I will admit that I couldn't wait to get it finished, lol. I've heard of second sock syndrome, but do you think there is a second sleeve syndrome? Equally as detrimental.

I do love the sleeves on this pattern though. I love the lace panels and I love how the decreases look on the underside. I also love how the sleeve looks cuffed (which is how it's designed to be worn). It's funny - I deliberately made the button and neck bands so that they wouldn't feel like a drudgery when the rest of the sweater was finished ... but now the sleeves have taken their place. I guess there's just no avoiding it. Now to make another sleeve :) I want to finish it even more at the moment because the weather is feeling ever so slightly fall-like. I've actually wanted a sweater about mid-day at work, which is unheard of for me. Anyway, I hope to finish this one up soon so I can start on my next projects.

On the sewing front, I've been a little wishy washy. I've cut out a muslin, and taped together a pdf pattern but I have yet to sew up that muslin or trace and cut out a muslin of the other pattern. I just haven't been in the mood to do much more than knit lately. I did have an evening where I made a long awaited gift I promised back in May. I told my mom that I would make her a t-shirt for her birthday since she liked my Floral Plantain so much. She wanted hers made from this red heavy ITY knit that she had a scrap of, but it wasn't enough fabric so the project has waited for a replacement. I stopped by a thrift store I haven't been to in several months last week and came across the exact same fabric but in a royal blue color. I grabbed it and made the executive decision to make the shirt out of this fabric :) I love making the Plantain pattern because it basically requires no brain power at this point having made it so many times.

I finished the shirt in maybe 1.5 hours, and then spoiled the surprise by asking my mom what type of neckline detail she wanted. I had several trims and sent her photos of each to choose from. In the end she chose these blue rosettes that seriously matched the color exactly - this was just meant to be, ya'll. Unfortunately she did not make her choice that evening, so I have not had a chance to sew the roses on yet. So this sits on my dress form waiting until I get it done. My mom tried the plain shirt on and likes it though, so at least I know it will be a success :)

So that's what's going on round these parts this week. Head over to Gracey's Goodies to see what others have in the works.

WIP Wednesday: Sweaters and Planning

So, having finished yet another sweater project this past week, I now have only one sweater currently in the works (a miracle, I know, lol).

I started this Agatha cardigan back in December of 2014 but I kept setting it aside to work on other projects. When the end of March rolled around, I had a good deal of the body done but I just had zero desire to work on a long sleeved worsted weight wool sweater in 80+ degree weather (especially when I knew it would be another year before I'd get to wear this even if I pressed on and finished). I set this project aside until I would actually have a prayer of wearing it. With all my sweater finishing, it's pretty safe to say I've caught the sweater bug again. There really is nothing quite like the feeling of accomplishment that comes with wearing a freshly finished hand-knit sweater. It's addictive, I tell ya. Now all I can think about is turning all my stashed yarn into more sweaters.

I'm trying to make myself finish this Agatha before I start anything else. I really do love this pattern. I think it's one of the most interesting designs I've ever tried out - I love the different lace panels and I adore the sleeve design. The leaves going down the whole sleeve are just so so pretty. I also completely love this yarn and it's little twists of color. It's Cascade 220 Superwash Quatro in the Lupin colorway. This yarn is so springy and fantastic. It's just awesome all around! Since I finished the body last week, I started sorting through my button stash to see if I had anything appropriate - I didn't want to find myself ready to put the buttons on only to discover I needed to buy some (live and learn, I guess). At first, I didn't think I had anything. I modified the length of the sweater and ended up needing 11 buttons - not a number I have too many choices in, let alone of a particular size and color. I was resigned to making a trip to Joann's on labor Day to take advantage of their sale, when I dug out my stash buttons again and tried a set I wrote off at first. They are shank buttons that had little clips on the back to hold them onto the card, so I just used the clips to attach them to the button band and have a look.

Um... could these buttons be more perfect?! I can't believe that they work so well. They are the perfect size and just a little bit fancy. They are oval shaped black buttons with a faceted center and little black crystals around the outer edge. I bought them who knows how long ago in the clearance at Hobby Lobby and I happen to  have 12 buttons. Can we say meant to be? Sadly this busted my justification to go to the Joann's sale, but that was all for the best since I'm trying not to spend money. I even have enough black petersham ribbon left over from my Emelie cardigan to line the button bands of the sweater too :) Now I just have to actually knit the rest of it, lol.

In other news, I've had sweater planning fever. I've got about 10 sweaters running around in my head at the moment as well as the yarn to make them with in my stash already. It's ridiculous. If I am good at anything though, it's planning things to make, so I thought I'd share a few of my favorite thoughts here.

This is the most tempting project at the moment - I've always loved the Ginny's Cardigan by Mari Chiba from Unofficial Harry Potter Knits. That owl lace pattern is seriously just so cool, and I've made several "dressy" sweaters now so I feel it would be nice to make a more "outerwear" style sweater to throw on in the winter. I also have plenty of this amazing kelly green/teal yarn in my stash. It's Limerick by Wisdom Yarns and it's a DK weight 100% merino superwash wool. Wouldn't those owls looks so cool in that slight color variegation?! I'm going to be making a swatch for this one tonight. I don't think I can help myself.

The other project that I just can't stop thinking about is the Zest Cardigan by Jennifer Thompson. It's a pretty complicated design with all over lace plus that cable section on the back. I love that it's a little more casual than the things I've been making lately. I'm torn between two colors of Knit Picks Palette yarn I have in my stash. I love the canary yellow in the example photo and I have the exact same yarn in my stash, but I also have an all over lace bright yellow cardigan in my wardrobe I got from Anthropologie a year ago, so I don't really need another. I also have enough yarn in the Macaw colorway and I do love a bright green :) This one may be a bit too complicated to start before Christmas since I will certainly have to set it aside for gift making.

I'm also super excited about my participation prize from the Nosegay Vest Knit Along - Andi is giving all the finished vest makers a copy of her latest design, the Penelope Cardigan. Isn't that nice?! She made a sweater like this for herself quite a while ago and I have always loved that little scalloped yoke detail. Now she's finally written up the pattern and it will be in my hot little hands in 2 days :) Obviously this is super tempting to make up as well, lol. I'll have to dig through my stash to see what I have that may work since this will be the next knit along in October.

Anyway - I've got the itch! lol I can't have just one sweater on the needles. It feels so unnatural. I really want to start putting my stash to good use, so I'm sure I'll be reporting starting one of these soon. I've also been doing a fair bit of sewing that will be reported here soon. Stay tuned!

So that's what going on with me this week :) Head over to Gracey's Goodies to see what others have in the works.

WIP Wednesday: Secrets and Sweaters

Well, I was a loser again and waited two weeks to make up the next set of clues for the Fuzzy Mitten Mystery KAL - but he's all caught up and looks so cute!

 I'm pretty much sure that my suspicions were correct now - I think it's a turtle :)

Just take a look at that little tail! I'm so excited to get the next two clues. Also, it turns out I didn't use the wrong color, so I will still be able to use my awesome kelly green yarn as planned. Yay!

I also managed to work on my Agatha a little on my Agatha cardigan as well :) I've got all the decreases done and now I'm just working the waist until it's the length I want. I had to fudge things a bit to go from a size Large til the bust and then change to size X Large for the waist. I just changed the number of decreases so that it gave me the number of stitches required for the XL. It actually was pretty easy to do, so hopefully the fit is good.

I also had to fix what seems to be a weird pattern error. The left pic is "before" my fix - the pattern had me work purl stitches until a certain point and then start a knit ridge. Looks bad, huh? I'm not sure why it's written like that, but I didn't like it, so I dropped that stitch all the way back to the cast on, and used a crochet hook to make them all knit stitches instead. The right pic is the "after". Much better :)

That's it for my knitting this week :) I've still been diligently working on my house, which really just makes me super tired, lol. I'll update more on that soon. If you'd like to see what others are working on, head over to Gracey's Goodies and look around!

WIP Wednesday: And Now For Something Completely Different...

Leave it to an unpleasant illness to increase my knitting time by about 10 times what it had been! Everyone at work has passed a lovely sinus virus around to each other, and last week was my turn with it leaving me not feeling like doing much of anything besides knitting, though even knitting was set aside for naps. Something good came out of all that knitting time though ...

I finished knitting my Craftsy socks! Holy cow, it feels like a miracle that they are finished, lol. I was so excited just to finish them and move onto something else that I have yet to block them. I can't wait to see how they look once the lace is opened up!

I was pretty proud of my yarn usage on these - when I finished weaving in my ends, these are the only pieces of the yarn I had left that were longer than 1 or 2 inches. One of these is 24" long and the other is 28" long - pretty efficient if I do say so myself :)

Once the socks were done, I just felt like using a larger yarn than fingering weight, lol. So when I went to my wips that have been sitting on the sidelines for the past few months, my poor Emelie cardigan remained in its bag untouched. I'm at the point where I have to figure out the button band, which is just too much counting and math for my sick brain right now. Plus it's not fun to knit a black sweater with fingering weight yarn when 95% of your knitting time is after dark. So what did I pick up instead?

My Agatha cardigan :) I honestly can't remember if I blogged about this project or not, but technically I cast on the back piece on December 27th. I only did about 3" of the back piece and then set it aside, probably because I felt guilty about not finishing those socks yet. The yarn is Cascade 220 Superwash Quatro that I got a sweet deal on back in December. It's wonderfully springy and fun to work with. The color is called Lupin and it's a twist of purple and fuchsia - it's kind of hard to see the color variation in the photos, but I really like it :) I'm already down to just a teeny ball of my first skein of yarn, so I'd say I'm about 20% finished thus far. I just joined the pieces at the underarms last night. All the lace has this so scrunched up that it looks like a vest for a toddler at the moment, or maybe for an organ grinder's monkey, lol. When the pattern is stretched out, it's quite nice:

Sorry for the blurry photo. I'm really liking the lace panels though. This pattern is the Agatha Cardigan by Andi Satterlund. I received the pattern for free after the Marion KAL - everyone who participated got their choice from one of Andi's patterns for free, which I thought was really nice. I've had my eye on this pattern for quite a while, so I took advantage of my freebie and I'm still happy with my choice :) I think it's a very pretty design. I'm planning on making this longer than Andi's usual cropped length since I have an extra skein of yarn, so we'll see how it goes. All the progress you see aside from the first 3 inches of the back have been knitted since February 28th, so it's definitely moving quickly.

And in other news, I finally hung this baby up on my sewing room wall :) This is actually a Papyrus brand birthday card that my husband gave me a year or so ago and I just loved the cute 3-D design so much I decided it needed to go on the wall. I finally found a simple frame at a thrift store, spray painted it white to match the room, and removed the glass to hang it up without squishing all the fun pins ad bow. I'm excited to finally have it up on the wall at long last!

And in other fun news, I received a delicious prize I won from Hunter Hammersen on Violently Domestic. She held a blog giveaway for this yummy skein of Plucky Feet by The Plucky Knitter in the Karat Stick colorway AND I WON! WOO HOO! It just came in the mail yesterday, and she even threw in a bag of these nifty locking stitch markers. Thanks so much Hunter :) I love it all!

So that's what I'm working on this week :) Definitely much more than I've had to show for quite some time. To see what others are working on, head over to Gracey's Goodies and check the links. 

Have you tackled any long time wips lately?