It's a Simple Shalom Sweater!

Shalom Sweater
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Well, that went quickly, did it? Especially considering I didn't work on it at all on Tuesday or Wednesday. I am not terribly thrilled with how the last skein of yarn was such a different color from the others, but people say that makes it look "natural."

After I finished it, I took it to the LYS and consulted with Andrea, who is the best seamstress I know, about how fat the arms looked. She agreed with me that it would be a good idea to stitch the armhole down a bit and make it smaller. I took an inch off each side, and it came out SO much nicer. Now it is a very handsome sweater vest. I think it really looks good from the back--it is a length I like. I can't believe something I made so fast came out so nice. The "I'm Allergic to Wool" yarn knit up thick but not as heavy as I feared. It will be warm, but not too warm in the fall/winter. I actually wore it in the yarn shop today and was not hot.

I also got a really good button for it. It's one of the Crone Art fimo buttons they have at Bluebonnet, and it really brings out the subtle colors in the yarn (there are touches of blue and brown). I considered an agate button, but we thought it might be too heavy.

Today has been a good knitting day. The hurricane Ike did not affect us here much at all--just some wind. But we had a lot of people at the LYS, some refugees, others just needing to get out of the house. I got to teach someone to crochet and to do "lace surgery" on a friend's MS4, which had experienced a dropped stitch. It is VERY easy to "miss" one of the stitches in a K3tog, and that is what had happened. I honestly can't believe I fixed it, because I thought I had just put it together a bit and she'd have to re-do it. But nope, while it was not 100% perfect, my repair sufficed! I was so glad to be able to help, and to look at the pattern, since I won't be making that until a long time from now, given the size of my queue!

I decided to make a simple scarf after giving a new knitter the idea to make a K1P1 scarf out of self-striping sock yarn. I got my former student going on one out of Odyssey, which changes colors really nicely, then I decided to buy some of the new Encore Sock yarn the shop got in, and make a K1P1 scarf for Lee in the reds and blacks colorway. I like this pattern, because the way the ribbing contracts, you end up with what appears to be the knit side of stockinette on both sides. This DK weight self-striping yarn, by the way, would make a great hat and mittens set, too. It's machine washable, so it would make a good gift for a teen.

OK, back to knitting! Just had to share my finished object!