Sweater Surgery

When I was at the Goodwill picking up a sweater to make into swants, I found an amazing fair isle sweater.  I wish I had taken a picture of it; it was a big, boxy 80's drop shoulder number made of some sort of hearty nordic wool.

But it was a giant men's sweater.

So I ripped it apart and am attempting to change it into a set-in sleeve sweater that will fit me (this is a really good description of the different kinds of shoulders, if you care).  The sweater was serged/overlocked together at the edges, so I just cut away the side seems.

Because it was a drop-sleeve sweater (and I have giant ape arms), I need to add a lot of length to the sleeves.  I happened to have some yarn that matches the yellow and white yarn already in the sweater.  I picked up the stitches where the sleeves were serged to the body of the sweater.  Now I am knitting until they are long enough, adding the proper shaping in as I go.

I also had to change the body of the sweater from a big rectangle into a set-in shape.  I mapped out the middle of the sweater and then how wide I wanted the shoulders and waist to be (in the neon thread you see) based on my measurements.

Then I cut the sleeve holes.  Cutting knitting is nerve-wracking, but the yarn is sticky enough that it doesn't unravel too much.

I left the original collar.  So now I just have to finish knitting the sleeves and then sew it all together on the sewing machine. 

My Greatest Masterpiece So Far

I spent the last week working for the law school.  300 second-year students were learning how to put on trials in a week long program.  Lawyers came from around the country to teach them.  The first years, like me, worked the event as videographers, baliffs, and escorts to the several hundred high schoolers that served as jurors.   Throughout the week, I had LOTS of knitting time during cross examinations and closing arguments to finish my purple sweater.

While I've made other cool things in the past, sometimes they didn't fit perfectly, some didn't need to fit, and some where downright disastrous.  This time, I think I've made something to be proud of.

Awesome, right?  It fits like a glove (or rather, like a well-fitting sweater).  The only problem I can see is that the left sleeve appears to be slightly longer than the right.  Or my right arm is longer than the left...it is unclear. 

Both sleeves grew quite a bit in the washing anyway, so I think I will just redo the sleeve on the left one to make it the same length as the right.  Or I will just leave it as proof that it is handmade when people don't believe it isn't store bought.

Me celebrating the fact that everything I own is purple.

Booty shot.  Look at that fit!

One of my co-workers told me, "It looks like you bought it at a store."  I told him to bite me.  My million-hours-to-make sweater looked way better than store-bought.

Spring Leaves

I started this project last summer, but finished it just in time for this one.

The Leaf Paneled Sweater by Karapetyan.  Not entirely what I pictured (it is in the book Runway knits, so maybe I thought it would make me look like a runway model?), but pretty darn close.  I like the peek-a-boo lace down the front, even if it makes it completely inappropriate as work apparel.

The only problem is that is is a smidge, just a scosche, bigger than I would like it to be.  I have flirted with the idea of getting it wet and throwing it in the dryer to shrink it.  I even went so far as to make a swatch and dry it.  But something about this mercerized cotton seems to be impervious to my dryer no matter how hot I make it (that said, I am sure if I ACCIDENTALLY threw it in the dryer, it would come out barbie-sized just to spite me).

I've decided the only solution is to eat more cookies and/or grow a larger bust.  I think these are wise, practical plans.

Knit Along?

I am not much of a joiner.  Or rather, I like to do my knitting alone so no one can know what terrible TV I watch while crafting.  But lately I've been trying to make my knitting a more social activity.  I've started going to a weekly knitting group hosted by the Emory law librarians.*  I try to teach other people to knit when they let me.

And now I am going to do this knit along with Canadian Living Craft Blog.

No, I don't usually read Canadian Living.  I just happen to really like the pattern they are making and have a sweater's worth of purple Cascade 220 stuffed under my bed just screaming for a purpose. 

The pattern is the Classic Raglan Pull-Over by Jane Richmond.  Doesn't it look like a favorite sweater just waiting to happen?

Joining a knit-along will help me with any trouble I run into and will hopefully give me the motivation I need to get it done.  They've given themselves six weeks to do it.  A sweater in six weeks?  I can do that, right?**

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*For some reason knitting and books just seem to go well together).
**Answer: Probably not.  My current knitting project has been on the needles since last June....

Holiday Recap: Part 2

Almost everyone got knitted items for their gifts this year.  Mostly hats.

My mom, her friend, my sister, and Nate.

Nate's and my mom's friend's were my own basic hat pattern.  Nate's is from the same wool as My First Sweater.  My sister's hat was the best, I think.

The hat is Simpatico! by Grace Mrowicki...nice cables.  Cascade EcoWool in Black.  I added the tassels without knowing how so they are my own design

Janey is nuts.  My understanding is that this look (as well as words like "wicked" and "sick") means she likes the hat.

My mom has big hair, so I gave her a big hat to fit on top.

It's a Shroom hat like the other million I've made this year.

My mom's birthday is on the 25th, too.  I gave her My First Sweater.  She looks a heck of a lot better in it than I did.  I'm glad she will wear it more often than I would have.  The weather in Atlanta wasn't quite cold enough.

I was wearing my Never-Ending Sweater.  All kinds of wool happening this holiday.

Happy New Year!

Truly Ambitious

I over-packed for winter break.*  And by over-packed, I mean that I put, like, five random, unmatching outfits and a sweater into my giant suitcase that was supposed to hold three weeks worth of clothing and Christmas presents. 

And then I filled the rest with yarn (can you imagine what TSA is thinking right now?  Actually, I brought two frogs on the airplane with me once when I was a kid.  And a sewing machine.  And I know for a fact that my friend Michele carries her entire Passion Party consulting kit and a collapsible pole on the airplane with her, so maybe 35 pounds of yarn isn't that big of a deal to our loyal administrators of transportation security).

Because I am a good planner.  And there are only four yarn stores in the immediate vicinity, so where would I find any yarn if there was a wool emergency?

In any case, one of the things I brought with me was the pattern and yarn for a Twenty Ten Cardigan by Veera Välimäki 

It is supposed to look like this when it is done.  Currently it looks like this:

Basically, a bunch of nothing.

I did make a swatch, but hated the fabric that the particular gauge made (first world problems....), so am trying to figure out how to make the math work with a tighter gauge.  That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen but what is holiday season without a little disaster?

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*In DC for three weeks.  I can't tell you how happy that makes me...

Spring in the Fall

Yesterday's post (or my room, for that matter) probably gave you an indication that every day is a struggle not to be kidnapped by 1980's neon (at least until I see the accompanying shoulder pads and power suits).  A significant portion of my wardrobe features hot pink and spandex, thankfully not usually in the same article of clothing.

So, predictably, I was super excited when this came in the mail.

Don't judge.  There was a sale.  LB Superwash Merino

I immediately cast on one of these:

A swatch.  Or in this case, two swatches in one because I was lazy.  Had to go one size up for gauge as usual (that only make sense to you knitters.  For the rest of you, just know that it means I am high-strung/a tight knitter)

And then started on this:

A sleeve!  I am starting with the sleeve because swatches are lying liars and I wanted to see if the knitting would resemble a normal-sized sweater in any meaningful way before dedicating myself to the body.

My latest project is, predictably, a lime green sweater.  In this case, the green is less "acid/nuclear reaction" green and more "first spring buds."  Actually, the colorway is literally called "Spring Leaf," which I chose because I refuse to have a sweater in the color "Dijon."

It's supposed to look like this when it's done:

Lion Brand Sketchbook Cardigan  In, coincidentally, Dijon.

Only, in neon.

FInished Sweater

I totally forgot that I hadn't posted these pictures yet.  So.....

Tah dah!!  Finished Sweater!!!

I am not totally thrilled with how short or tight it is, and the button band is a little messy.

But I really like the pattern up the back and hood.

The yarn fluffed up nicely when I gave it a bath so it is nice and fuzzy.  Will be nice to wear if it ever stops being hot in the South....

I have lots of extra yarn, so I think some Cruiser Mittens like I made last winter are in order...they have the same stitch pattern.

The Never-Ending Sweater...Ended

I feel like a friggin' genius.  This is a ridiculous feeling because the basic skills needed to knit forty-four inches of straight stockinette stitch are less difficult than to, say, ride a bike.  But then again, I fell off my bike the other day...three times in ten minutes, actually...

You've been hearing me complain about my Never-Ending Sweater (also known as the Lion Brand Speckled Shrug) here and here and here and here.

In fact, Ravelry tells me that I started this project in September, meaning that I worked on this thing for nine months before I was finally able to weave in the ends.  Holy crap.  It's been to two births, four concerts, to Atlanta, Indiana, DC, Marland, Virgina, and New York, to I-don't-know-how-many movies and get-togethers and countless bars and restaurants.  Basically, this sweater had a long and interesting life before it even became a sweater.

So now, please appreciate the following gratuitous chest shots (middle picture is closer to what the real colors are like):

It is a little baggy in the back (a shawl pin will fix that right up), but I really like the way I took a big rectangle and just sewed two edges together to make the sleeves.

Like this.  Schematic borrowed from lionbrand.com

REALLY warm wool, and it is, you know, 92 degrees out.  So, I am going to go take it off and drink a bottle of water now.

The Neverending Sweater

On Thanksgiving, The Boy's Mom took pictures of me knitting. 

See what I am knitting there?  Remember this tiny piece of knitting I had a couple of months ago?

Now it has grown!

The problem is that it is miles and miles of the most boring stockinette stitch.  Because of this, I only knit on it when I am doing something else.

That has resulted in such an interesting story of this sweater.  It has been to Iowa, Syracuse, all over DC (buses, metro, car, train, airplane), to several parties and to concerts for a half a dozen different friends.  Oh, and to Harry Potter.  I think I might make a label that explains all that to sew into the inside.

Unfortunately, it is still only half the 44 inches long it needs to be.....sigh....

Choices!

If I am going to make a sweater from scratch, I will need a pattern.  Which one should I choose?

The woah-pocket one: Knit Color Block Pullover

The what-the-hell-is-that one: The Criss-Cross Shrug

The fluffy one: the Knit Diva Pullover

The flasher (in two different styles): Homespun Coats

The super patriotic one:  American Flag Sweater

Actually, I'm still on the hunt, but I do like like this one because it looks easy:

Shawl-Collard Cardigan

And this one because it looks hard:

Dressmaker Detail Cardigan

What Does it Take to Make a Sweater: Sheep Shearing Edition

I figure the first step in this process is to figure out what it is that I need to do to make this sweater I promised to make. The steps as I see them are:

• Find a sheep
• Shear it
• Prepare the wool
• Spin the wool
• Dye the wool
• Figure out how to knit a sweater
• Knit that sweater

K, so I'm going to worry about finding the sheep a little later. There are a couple of fiber festivals in Virginia this fall that seem likely. Or do we know anyone with a farm?

Colonial Williamsberg Sheep Shearing. 
Maybe I should get a hat like that...

Let's start with shearing the sheep. I guess the first question is: what kind of sheep do I need? Apparently the main types of wool are fine wools, medium/crossbred wools and long wools. Fine wools include the well-known Merino and the lesser known Rambouillet. The fibers are very soft and short which, I am told, makes it hard for beginning hand-spinners (aka me) to spin.

Long wools have a course texture. They are better for outer garments or woven blankets. And the long fibers may tangle during spinning. Probably not best for a beginner....

Medium wools are still suitable for wearing but have longer fibers than the fine wools making it easier for beginners like me (can you count me as a beginning if I have yet to begin?).

I'm gonna go all Goldielocks on this one and choose the sheep that is juuuuuust right (aka a medium wool producer). That means I need to find something like a Blue Faced Leicester, a Border Leicester, a Coopworth, or a Romney.

Then once I have the sheep, I have to do one of the following:

A) Find an expert to shear the sheep for me. This is what many farmers do, as a professional sheep shearer is quick and much less likely to hurt herself or the sheep. Problems: There is actually a national shortage of sheep shearers, meaning it is unlikely I will find one in my neighborhood (even if I did have a sheep handy to be sheared). Also, they are not so likely to jump at the chance to shear just one sheep...they like to do a whole heard at a time to make it worth the time and effort.

B) I can shear the sheep myself. To do that, I would go to eHow.com and figure out how to do it myself. They advise that I:

Step 1: Hold sheep in a clean area or pen while waiting to be sheared to keep the wool clean.

Step 2: Find a clean rug for the sheep to stand on while being sheared. Shear sheep away from their pen or sleeping area.

Step 3: Get rid of any feces or other debris that might be present in the coat before shearing.

Step 4: Shear sheep in warm weather to bring out the oils in the coat. This will help keep the blades lubricated to produce a more even coat.

Step 5: Cut close to the body of the sheep.

Step 6: Keep the coat all in one piece as you shear and do not go back and shear a second time.

Step 7: Consider purchasing a shearing platform which allows the sheep to stand with its head secure while being sheared. This also gets the sheep up off the ground which makes it easier on the shearer.

What?!?!  I feel like this is like giving me instructions for cutting someone's hair that consist of: 1. Use scissors; 2. Cut with a firm hand; and 3. Make sure not to make it too ugly. It's missing a few useful details on technique.

It's possible that the Internet is not the best place to learn this particular skill.  I might need a mentor. Shear panic....

Writing Sheepishly

My office had a team-building day earlier this summer. At the beginning we were supposed to say our names, something we wanted to do this summer, and something we wanted to do sometime in the future. I said my name (hey, I’m JoAnna), what I wanted to do this summer (go to the beach) and then without thinking, I said what I wanted to do sometime in the future. My mom at the moment is hoping that I said that I want to go to law school, get a good job and support her in her old age. Sorry, Mom!!! Instead, I stated confidently that I would like to knit a sweater from scratch, starting with shearing the sheep. My co-workers looked at me like the wacko-banunu person I apparently am and asked the most obvious question: where will you find a sheep???

I asked myself a more important question: where the heck had that declaration come from? It is my experience that if you say something out loud it stops being make-believe and becomes something about which people start asking, "Why you haven’t finished yet?"  I immediately saw that I was in trouble.

In fact, this is the third time in the last year that I have gotten myself in just this type of trouble. I announced that I was going to apply to law school. Oh.  My.  Gosh. No, I haven’t applied yet. No, my essays are still in my brain and not on paper. No, I have no idea where I am going to go. But yes, you are right. I really should get on it.

Next, I announced that I was going to get my doula certification. Yes, I am attending births. Yes, that makes me a “real” doula. No, I am not certified yet. But yes, you are right. I really should get on that, too.

Now the whole sheep-to-sweater thing.  Oops. 

I made the mistake of saying these goals out loud and now I need to get my applications in for school, I need to finish my doula certification, and, apparently, I am in desperate need of a sheep and a sweater pattern (and some serious instruction by a person with experience working with sheep and sweater patterns).

Can you hear it coming?  It's the premise of this writing venture I have here!  I recognize that people keep asking me about these goals of mine because they care. I realize that I should give these people who care some updates on my status.  So I am going to track my progress on these three goals (getting into a less-than-laughable law/grad program, getting my doula certification, and making a sweater from scratch) and hopefully the saying-it-out-loud on a blog will make it come true.  

And I should do it in a reasonable amount of time.  Before, say, August 1 of next year, so people will stop pointing out that I really should get on it already.

Does this seem a little ambitious? Yea, I am a little hesitant (sheepish, perhaps?) making the declaration knowing that at least with the doula and the sweater stuff, it is totally possible that I won’t make my deadlines. Wish me luck?