Vintersol

I am not a sweater wearer - I mean I love a good cardigan, but pullover - no way!  What do you do when you have a hot flash?!

Eleanor and I both wearing "Made by GiGi"

Once again, my LYS Lancaster Yarn Shop decided to have a knit along.  Okay!  So I'm a joiner - sue me.  A customer had knit a beautifl fair isle yoked sweater and it was on display.  Everyone wanted their own.  So, I picked colors and knit it up - thinking if I didn't like it - I'd gift it for Christmas or steek it into a cardigan that could easily be taken off! 

I selected Kenzie for the main body of my sweater.  The color is "seal" and it's a light gray with navy tweed speckles.  I then choose Malbec (Navy with lilac tweed) for the contrast and Lilac Prairie Spun for the yoke background. 

This sweater has what's called a hybrid construction.  You start at the yoke 'seam' with a provisional cast on, knit the yoke - which was fun!  Do an iCord bind off, then take out the cast on picking up the live stitches and knit your way to the hem.  It's pretty cool! 

Stats:
Cast On:  September 3, 2018
Cast Off:  October 25, 2018
Yarn:  7 balls seal, 2 balls malbec, 1 hank lilac - 1696 yards total
Needles:  US6s
Mods:  omit second set of short rows to create length in the back.

I am honestly surprised how much I wear this sweater and that it goes with everything.  So far, I haven't had to take it off because I'm too hot.  I might even knit another sweater - soon! 

Ursula - the First

I am a knitter as well as a person who sews her own clothes.  In this grand cross country, life changing move, I am very blessed to have found an incredible LYS.  The Lancaster Yarn Shop is everything I could want in a shop - the owner is knowledgeable, friendly, and incredibly helpful - not only in the realm of knitting.  She often tells JB & I about things to do, places that have to be seen along with sharing great produce stands and restaurants.  

In January of this year, I signed up for her 4 week class to knit Ursula by Kate Davies.  This had several items on my knitting bucket list that I wanted to try - stranded colorwork and steeking.  Steeking is scary stuff, my friends, scary stuff!  I bought all the yarn to make a darker colored version of this sweater and then I fell in love with a stranded colorwork hat in the shop and had to have a sweater in those colors.  If you look closely you'll see my hair matches the colors in the sweater.  

I learned a lot of things making this sweater.  First - swatch, swatch, swatch and then try on.  Multiple times.  Because even though you've got gauge with your swatch, you might relax as you carry on.  

While I like this sweater a lot, I'm not sure I love it.  On me, to me - it feels a bit frumpy.  I know it doesnt look that way to others (or else the knit night ladies are all just being kind). It could also be how I styled it.  We had been at an industry conference and I was over it by the time I wore this outfit.  We had also spent 2 hours in the car coming home. 

It looks good from the back.  

In the future, I would add the ribbon to the button bands, but I would not actually add buttons.  I would use snaps - possibly magnetic ones.  This sweater will get worn - just not as much as I had hoped after all the work that went into it.  

I have enough yarn left over to make Eleanor a similar, but different sweater.  AND I still have enough yarn to make another version of this sweater.  

Classic Oak Cardigan

Quite possibly, I should have posted about E's Little Grey Cardigan before sharing the cardigan that I made for her daddy - but that's not the way things work around here.  But - you will need a bit of the back story. 

So - when The Princess and The Sports Writer found out they were expecting, well they decided not to find out what they were having!  What's a crafty momma to do?  Well, I knit a grey sweater for the baby - could go either way, gender wise.  But while I was making it - I thought, wouldn't it be nice if I made something for The Sports Writer? So, I found a similar pattern ordered yarn and then moved across the country.  

Once we got settled - I got started knitting this bad boy.  Originally I had hoped to have it done by the baby shower - but that didn't happen - see moved across the country.  I finished this sweater this summer and then held it ransom until the kids came out here and I could get photos.  Ravelry says I started this sweater on November 12, 2016 and finished on August 30, 2017.  This was not my only project during that time.  

 So, as I said, I held this sweater ransom until the kids came out and I could get some pictures of it.  I wanted some of them together and some of them separate - but I'll take what I got.  

I'm so happy with the fit of this sweater - the sleeves are long enough, the length is perfect.  It's not too big - which I was worried about and the shawl collar is perfect.  

Here you can see the back of both sweaters - Daddy's sweater has more cabling than E's - but I love them both.  While the shoulder seams look a little bit dropped - that is the style of the sweater.  

Here you get a glimpse of E's sleeve and the cable panel on the front of Daddy's sweater.  This was a fun project and one I'm glad I took on.  Both sweaters were made with Cascade 220 in shades of gray.  Both of the sweaters close with leather buttons.  And both of them have their cuffs rolled up :)  

Thanks for letting me make these lovely sweaters for the family.