celticdragonfly (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
celticdragonfly) wrote2006-02-21 10:40 pm
celticdragonfly) wrote2006-02-21 10:40 pm
Entry tags:
Braids cardigan
And so in a comment on my previous post, it was asked:
Good luck with the sweater! What pattern are you using? What size needles? What color yarn? Fellow knitting geeks wanna know!
That's it, she dropped a hat. I will now tell you ALL about it.
There's the picture that's on the pattern.
This kit was given to me by a friend from the Bujold list who'd started it but abandoned the project in the past. I think she got onto it from the same list I'm on now, which was doing it as a project: http://www.ample-knitters.com/braids.html
http://www.ample-knitters.com/braids_gallery.html has pictures of other members on the list with their completed sweaters. I'm doing the short version of it, because, well, that's how much yarn the kit sent to me has. Good reason.
The yarn is Wendy Aran, a 75% acrylic 25% wool worsted weight. Yes, the yarn snob will work with partial acrylic. It still has a nice feel to it, and it's machine washable. It's a lovely dusty blue color.
The pattern calls for 40" circular needles in size 5 and 7. The previous owner is apparently a looser knitter, as she had size 4 and 6. I am a tight knitter, and usually go up at least one size. You use the smaller needle for the beginning 1 1/2 inches of hem, then go up to the bigger one. So I just frogged out what she'd done on size 4, and cast on with the size 6. I'm not sure the crochet cast on was ideal for what is basically a K3P1 base, it may roll a bit, but I was damned if I'd do long-tail cast on for 292 stitches.
Before going out to buy the larger size 40" long circular, I did swatch. I have a 16" size 8 metal circ, and I did a gauge swatch on that. It calls for 20 stitches to 4 inches, and I got 19. I was getting a nice fabric, and I figure a *little* bit too big is okay, better than too small, and I figured dropping down to size 7 would be too small. I also didn't have any size 7 in metal handy to swatch on, just wooden, and that would possibly throw the gauge off a bit. I chatted with Linda at Jennings Street Yarns before buying, and she agreed that was probably the right call.
So today I picked up the size 8, 40" circ, finished the 1 1/2 inches on the size 6, and have moved on to the size 8.
The sweater is knit flat in one piece through the body, then separated and knit up the back and fronts, then the sleeves picked up and knit down in the round, then a button/buttonhole band picked up around the edges and neckline and done in garter stitch. So, no seaming. Yay. IMO this is how sweaters SHOULD be designed. It's going to take a LONG time - I am guesstimating I have something like 30-40 hours worth of work just for the body. We'll see. I hope it comes out okay. I figure this is my low-risk starter sweater, since the yarn was GIVEN to me, my only cost is the new circular. Oh, and I will have to go find some cool buttons, that should be fun.
The pattern is listed as "Adventurous" - eh, it doesn't seem that bad to me. Complex, but not *hard*, and once you see the pattern, well, I'm mostly doing it from memory by now, only glancing at the part for the braids, and I almost have that down. I've also started doing the "cabling with no cable needle" method, which has intimidated me, but I'm finding doable, at least in worsted weight non-slippery yarn.
I'm pretty excited about this.
Good luck with the sweater! What pattern are you using? What size needles? What color yarn? Fellow knitting geeks wanna know!
That's it, she dropped a hat. I will now tell you ALL about it.
There's the picture that's on the pattern.
This kit was given to me by a friend from the Bujold list who'd started it but abandoned the project in the past. I think she got onto it from the same list I'm on now, which was doing it as a project: http://www.ample-knitters.com/braids.html
http://www.ample-knitters.com/braids_gallery.html has pictures of other members on the list with their completed sweaters. I'm doing the short version of it, because, well, that's how much yarn the kit sent to me has. Good reason.
The yarn is Wendy Aran, a 75% acrylic 25% wool worsted weight. Yes, the yarn snob will work with partial acrylic. It still has a nice feel to it, and it's machine washable. It's a lovely dusty blue color.
The pattern calls for 40" circular needles in size 5 and 7. The previous owner is apparently a looser knitter, as she had size 4 and 6. I am a tight knitter, and usually go up at least one size. You use the smaller needle for the beginning 1 1/2 inches of hem, then go up to the bigger one. So I just frogged out what she'd done on size 4, and cast on with the size 6. I'm not sure the crochet cast on was ideal for what is basically a K3P1 base, it may roll a bit, but I was damned if I'd do long-tail cast on for 292 stitches.
Before going out to buy the larger size 40" long circular, I did swatch. I have a 16" size 8 metal circ, and I did a gauge swatch on that. It calls for 20 stitches to 4 inches, and I got 19. I was getting a nice fabric, and I figure a *little* bit too big is okay, better than too small, and I figured dropping down to size 7 would be too small. I also didn't have any size 7 in metal handy to swatch on, just wooden, and that would possibly throw the gauge off a bit. I chatted with Linda at Jennings Street Yarns before buying, and she agreed that was probably the right call.
So today I picked up the size 8, 40" circ, finished the 1 1/2 inches on the size 6, and have moved on to the size 8.
The sweater is knit flat in one piece through the body, then separated and knit up the back and fronts, then the sleeves picked up and knit down in the round, then a button/buttonhole band picked up around the edges and neckline and done in garter stitch. So, no seaming. Yay. IMO this is how sweaters SHOULD be designed. It's going to take a LONG time - I am guesstimating I have something like 30-40 hours worth of work just for the body. We'll see. I hope it comes out okay. I figure this is my low-risk starter sweater, since the yarn was GIVEN to me, my only cost is the new circular. Oh, and I will have to go find some cool buttons, that should be fun.
The pattern is listed as "Adventurous" - eh, it doesn't seem that bad to me. Complex, but not *hard*, and once you see the pattern, well, I'm mostly doing it from memory by now, only glancing at the part for the braids, and I almost have that down. I've also started doing the "cabling with no cable needle" method, which has intimidated me, but I'm finding doable, at least in worsted weight non-slippery yarn.
I'm pretty excited about this.
no subject
What I totally don't understand is why they suggest 40" circulars. The *only* time I've *EVER* needed anything bigger than 24" circulars was when I was working on a super-bulky sweater that I was knitting in the round, and the 24" ones kept the stitches squished toooo close together.
Given that the front and back are worked flat, I can't see why you need 40" circulars at all. But that's just me.
Anyway - good luck with the project! Sounds like it's off to a good start.
no subject