I Threw My Sweater in the Wash

Thanks to all of you who commented and gave suggestions yesterday. It was really helpful! As you can see from these rather dim photos (imagine: I adjusted the brightness on these, so they were really dark at first! must get better flash on new camera) I am now wearing the Damned Orange Sweater.

What I did was put it in the washing machine and wash on warm with warm rinse, and on gentle setting. Since we now have a front-loader, that means not much agitation at all. Just a wee bit. When it came out, it smelled good, but didn't look much smaller, so I bravely threw it in the dryer and let it go for a while. The dryer decided it was dry and stopped long before it was actually dry, but that's fine. It did look a bit smaller, so I took it upstairs and just laid it flat on my drying rack.

This morning, I put it on (with lacy cute thing under it so I'd itch less), and yay, my fingers DID emerge from the ends of the sleeves, and the shoulder seams were where the seams were on the lady in the very dim picture on the pattern. I think it will do. It is just right in the arms--hugs them gently. The width is still a bit much for my taste, so it accentuates my...girth, yeah, that's the word. But it will do.

I think it looks just fine from the back. It's even attractive, perhaps! I can tell that the yarn fulled just a tad, but I didn't lose much stitch definition. The cables show up just fine, as you can see. I probably could have put it on "regular" wash and it would have gotten a little smaller, but I was afraid of over-doing it, because it's no fun trying to un-full a sweater.

You may ask yourself, "Hey, how come Suna didn't measure to be sure the sweater wasn't going to be too big?" Well, she DID. The gauge was right, and I thought I had blocked it to the right size, but my only guess is that I should have made it the smaller size. I keep thinking I am larger than I actually am. The thing was supposed to have a 40" chest, and I think I am more of a person who would wear a 36-38" chest in finished dimensions. I simply made it a size too big. But I fixed it sufficiently that I will wear it, though maybe as was suggested in yesterday's comments, as a slouching around the house sweater. Um, I mean lounging. I honestly don't slouch around THAT much.

For sure, it's cold enough today (and will be tomorrow) to wear a very warm alpaca sweater! So, hooray, I finished it in time to get some use out of it!

Moving on, I did quite a bit more on Wrenna last night, and it's possible it will be finished tonight--for sure tomorrow. I DID try it on, and I think it will be fine. I am making a mix of more than one size, due to using such different yarn from the one called for in the pattern, but it seems to be coming out coordinated enough. There were many knitting challenges last night--I had a bad headache, the phone kept ringing and that darned family kept asking for help. The nerve. But I still did quite a bit!

Orange Disappointment

I am glad I got to do all that good knitting on Bridget and Wrenna, because they are positive things that encourage me. But I am pretty discouraged today.

The results of blocking the Damned Orange Sweater and sewing it together did not result in the triumphant sense of completion and fashion happiness I’d anticipated. First, it took forever to sew all the seams. And even my nicest mattress stitch did not prevent a couple of little bulges in the sleeves (I will say the side and shoulder seams mostly look good). When I held it up, though, I thought, ya know, this looks bigger than it did when it was in parts.

Then I put it on. Oh, the immensity of the let-down was…immense. The danged sweater is huge. Did I make the wrong size? I thought I had blocked it to the measurements of the size I made! The shoulders hang at least an inch off, which makes the already-lengthy bell sleeves so long that you can’t see my hands. It looks like I’m a little kid putting on Mom’s sweater or something.

A year of knitting complex cables in really decadent yarn, and I get a giant orange sack. Pout.

I need to figure out what to do here. I have some options, and would welcome input as to what you think would be best.

1. I could undo the sweater near the cuff and take out a couple of inches, knit an increase row to get to the number of stitches on the needles where I stopped unraveling, and graft the thing back together. That would take care of sleeve length.

2. I could wash it again and re-block it, smaller. I am not sure how much smaller it would get, but it would not hurt the yarn at all to do that. And re-blocking would make the shoulder seams look better, guaranteed.

3. I could wash it on delicate in warm water and see if it fulls just a wee bit. All it needs is to get a little smaller. Then I’d re-block, or course. If I did this, would the cables still show? Would the sweater pill like crazy?

4. I could wash it in hot water on normal setting. Then put it in the damned dryer. If it gets too small, I can give it to one of my tiny friends.

5. I could press the sleeve seams, then chalk it up to experience and give the sweater to a taller, larger person. Perhaps someone who looks good in orange and lives somewhere cold. Anyone want a very warm and soft sweater?

Does alpaca felt a lot or a little? Is there a different alternative I have missed?

Two New Starts!

Wrenna Start
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I am so thrilled to be finished with the orange alpaca sweater (named the "Damned Orange Sweater" by the gals at the LYS) other than the sewing up, that I started TWO new projects. As usual, I am tempted by new projects I've found, but I AM using either yarn I already had OR something free.

I admit that the yarn for this first project is new, not from stash. BUT I used the generous gift certificate that my friends on my special email list gave me to buy this sinfully soft 100% alpaca yarn (Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande). The project is Wrenna from the new French Girl Knits book.

I really love this book, because the patterns are imaginative and different, and the construction methods are new. She uses fun yarns and I like everything about the projects except for the huge amounts of grafting involved to keep them seamless. ARGH. I think I'll pay someone to graft any of the grafty ones I end up making. I like everything in the book, just about, but some is a bit young or unflattering for me.

Anyway, rather than review the book, let me tell you a bit about Wrenna. In the book it is knitted with that extremely bulky Twinkle yarn, which I don't own and they don't have at the LYS. So, I got the bulkiest thing in the store with the gift certificate. I checked on Ravelry, where Kristen Griffin-Grimes kindly gives suggestions and ideas for alternate yarns.

Though the brown yarn is a little less thick, I managed to get the gauge OK. Most of the patterns in the book are knit on larger needles than the yarn usually calls for anyway, so this will be OK, I think. I am really not used to knitting with size 15 needles, though, so it's a bit tedious. The photo shows the project up to the underarm break. When I am done here, I will see how much more I'll have done by the end of the night.

Because Wrenna takes a bit of concentration (lace pattern plus something seems to happen on every row), I also started something with great expanses of stockinette in it. And a yarn I love love love. This is Bridget, from the latest issue of Wild Fibers. In the magazine it is made from lovely natural black wool from Wales. I am making it with one of the yarns I got at Kid 'n Ewe, Plain & Fancy Sheep & Wool. Co.'s sport/DK weight single ply yarn made from Texas wool. It is dip-dyed in shades of dark gray and brownish gray that really, really look wonderful (the photo hardly does it justice). I got the gauge perfectly, so I sure hope I am not making it a size too small! If it is, my friend Karen at church will probably snatch it off me--it so looks like something she would love!

I need to sew the Damn Orange Sweater together this evening (it took a while to dry), and then I will have photos for you of it.

I am pretty darned excited to have two new projects going. The Wrenna will be done soon, but I expect Bridget (named after my favorite goddess!) will be with us a while.

Buttons and Slogging...and Happy

Briefly: Today I am proud to be an American. I am glad I lived to see this day.

But back to knitting (you can read my other rants in my other blog--just ask for a link). Here's the final shot of that recent Baby Surprise Jacket with buttons on it. I could not find the little scottie dogs on it that I wanted, but I did find ladybugs in the right colors and size (I decided to NOT get sparkly ones, though there were some at the Hobby Lobby we went to). I'll keep looking for better buttons.

I am slogging away with the last sleeve on the orange Inka Alpaca sweater. I got quite a ways up on it, only to discover that the previous sleeve wasn't exactly done the way the instructions said. Unfortunately, I was following the instructions on sleeve #2. Because the first sleeve came out so nicely, I figured I'd better mimic it. So this one is going to take a long time. Sigh. I guess I better go back to work on it. I sure want to work on those ideas I've had and projects I want to work on. But. must...finish...sweater.

Bye, and enjoy the rest of an interesting day, or week.

Poor Lonely Sock

Spring Cable Sock in Progress
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I wrote this whole post and lost my connectioni to Flickr, so I am bravely trying again, this time pausing to copy the text every so often.

Anyways...here you see my poor sock that has been on the needles since the beginning of November, back when i was a single person, not a wife, even. The good news is that the sock is now a whole sock, and its friend is getting close to the heel, thanks to three days of time to knit at work, plus time at choir yesterday.

These are actually quite beautiful socks, and this blurry, sorta washed-out picture really does not do them justice. They are made from that Creatively Dyed Luxury yarn i have raved about previously. It is so soft and the colors are so deep and varied--mostly shades of turquoise but also green and burgundies. You probably can't tell, but there is a cable in a seed stitch background on one edge. The second sock will have the cable on the other side. Now I have to decide, inside so I can see them or outside so anyone who happened to look at my foot would see them? (The only people who ever look that closely, of course, are other sock knitters.)

I would love to be able to tell you that I had a wonderful experience grafting the toe of the first sock. But, alas, I got distracted about 3/4 of the way through and got off somehow. had a nice hole. This taught me what my real grafting issue is: I just can't recover if I mess up. I have a horrible time tinking grafts, getting the stitches back in position, and re-doing it. So, never look closely at athat sock.

Now, remain seated. I don't want you to hurt yourself if you faint. But I actually have been working on the orange alpaca sweater. I finished the first arm and am on the second one's border. I learned something from this one, too. It can be hard to figure out what you were doing on a project that you've modified the instructions on. I am doing the sleeves in the round, and had to figure out how I did the first one. They look nice, though, and that saves two long seams to have to carefully do.

I look forward to getting this done, and feel like then I can start a new sweater (from stash of course) with no guilt. Then I can finish one of my shawls. One new, one finish. I can do that. Sure.

Blocking Away

Lookee, I finally found some time to start blocking Wrap Me Up. Since I'd already fallen down and twisted my back trying to refill the dogs' water dispenser (hint, don't do that with a sore arm and with high heels on that would slip if you spill water), I figured that any necessary contortions would just add to my issues. And sure enough, I had to do some contorting. So the pictures here show each end of it, but I am sparing you the middles.

As the authors of the pattern hinted, the wrap is a bear to block. Some parts of it really didn't want to be as wide as other parts, especially the really firm section that was my favorite (it's the bottom middle in the top picture, but doesn't show up very well in the little picture). So, I did a lot of tugging and pinning in a very confined space, because the only safe place I could find to do the blocking was beside the guest bed. I can keep the dogs out of there, I hope!
Beccano says it smells like a wet sheep, but I washed it with lavender soap, so I think it smells good. I am hoping it is dry by Saturday so I can work on the border and have it ready to wear next week.

In the meantime, OpArt is moving along briskly. I have it on my longest Knit Picks cable, and I only have two blocks of each color left. Of course, rows are up to around 500 stitches each, so I'll still be working on that one for a while. But. Yay. I see the end in sight, and I see the end of Wrap Me Up, too!

Sigh, next it is more socks for Lee's dad. I know they will make him happy. Then, then I hereby swear or affirm, I will finish my orange alpaca sweater. I think that's all *I* want for Yule: a finished sweater.

And by the way, yes, I can type a blog post after a Margarita from the wonderful Mesa Rosa restaurant, even if some of my Facebook pals have their doubts!

So Alpaca-y!

Eyelet Pattern on Inka Pullover
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I promised a photo of the Inka Color yarn and the pullover I am making. Here's a close-up of the eyelet border on the bottom of the sweater. The little scallops will block flat, I am hoping/assuming. I like the way this looks, with the garter stitch spaces in between the scallops. The center garter stitch section becomes the center of the large and lovely cable panel in the middle of the sweater. It's very graceful--all stockinette and subtle. I will take a picture of it once I am a bit further along in it, though my Flickr pages do have a wider view of how far along I am now, if you want to look.

I am enjoying this yarn. It is more alpaca than wool, which makes it feel really good, but I think there's enough wool that it won't be too droopy. The edging being eyelet, though, means that if it's drapey, that will be a good thing. The yarn looks very orange in the photo, but there is some red in it that adds depth. So if you run into any Austermann Inka Color yarn, snap it up. Of course, I got it at Elann.com, so it may not be easy to find any more.

And just for completion's sake, here's a picture of the buttons we selected and put on Maurizio. They are just inexpensive Hobby Lobby buttons, but they were such an ideal size and color--they are medium brown with a bluish sheen--just perfect. Lee looks so sweet and warm in it. Which is good. It's chilly in parts of our house.

Off to make another post, on a topic that cheered me up!

Maurizio Blocking

Maurizio Cardigan Blocking
Originally uploaded by sunasak

It's a good thing I had a day at home with nothing on the agenda but cleaning and laundry, so I could tediously finish sewing all the seams on this cardigan. I think it came out pretty good, and I can't wait for Lee to try on the finished product.

The sleeves were a royal pain. I am not fond of how they did them--it was a very long, shallow cap that was very hard to match and seam, and the bottom of the sleeve had an awkward jog in it that did not want to ease in politely. So don't be too harsh on my seaming technique. What you can't see are very nice side and sleeve seams, hee hee.

I didn't do a full block on this, but instead just steamed the parts that needed straightening. Mostly that was the neckband, which still wanted to curl under, thanks to all the stockinette. One of the button bands wants to flop, too. I find that really interesting, since they are exactly the same. Same yarn, needles, and number of stitches. I think the pockets came out pretty well, though not perfect. Good, I won't get a swelled head.

I put the cardigan on when it had just one sleeve, and it was very nice and cozy. Ultra Alpaca feels really good, though I must say there are more guard hairs in it than I expected to see. They blend well with pug hair, though, so they have their good points. And it is probably what keeps the yarn in the mid-range of price rather than the high range.

I think I am next going to make the Elann Austermann Inca pullover next, in that orange Inka Alpaca I got recently. It is a really lovely pullover, and I might get it done in time to wear a couple of times this year. I guess I am in an alpaca phase.

However, I have a quick project to do first. One of my oldest email friends from my old nonprofit job asked me to make her a felted bag, and she liked the Lucy Bag when she looked over my projects. Since that only takes a few days and since I have a LOT of Cascade 220 in oranges and yellows, I said I'd do that for her, especially since she will exchange the bag for some hand-made soaps.

Before THAT, I will finish my striped scarf. It's REALLY cold outside, so I can wear it over the next few days. So, off I go watching the bead show on public TV and finishing the striped scarf! Ah, the life of the home maker. If only I had more bon bons.

Future Project

Alpaca/Wool Yarn
Originally uploaded by sunasak

This is the yarn I may use for a sweater for Lee. It's Berocco Ultra Alpaca, 50% alpaca, 50% wool. The colors are, I believe, agate and tiger eye blends. He wants the body blue and the cuffs, edge and pockets brown. OK. His choice!

I want to make Guido, the simple manly cardigan pattern in the beloved Debbie Bliss Rialto book, but the LYS doesn't have Rialto in sufficient quantities in the right shade to make it with that yarn. I put a piece of my off-white Rialto in the picture to show they are the same DK weight.

I did buy some more Rialto on Saturday, though. The pink colorway, so that I can make the short-sleeved cable sweater in the Rialto book (don't have the book here so I can't remember its name). This yarn will make beautiful cables and is in a really nice pink. Pink, I either love it or hate it depending on shade.

I did a lot of heavy lifting over the weekend, which made my hands hurt, so I didn't get as much done on Juliet as I had hoped. I am mostly through the first sleeve, however. Distractions at the yarn shop, and fatigue at home meant I kept messing up and tinking rows. I am about ready to start the gusset on the sock, which I only worked on in the car or U-Haul. Photo tomorrow.