Woolercoaster's Wonderful World of Knitting: Augst 19-25

Thanks for joining me this week.  I really enjoy researching what's new in the knitting world and I hope you find it interesting too.  Let's get to it:

Pattern Deals:
Is there a baby knit in your future?  Look no further than Little French Knits.   Florence Merlin is the designer behind these sweet patterns.  Check them out here.  If you visit the Knitionary blog, a discount code is provided for 50% off these designs, until the end of August.

On the Yarn Radar:
I am in love with this new Gauge Dyeworks colourway.  Isn't it gorgeous?  You can see it knit up in different patterns here.  I especially like this shawl.  If you like it as much as me, head on over to sign up for the Gauge Dyeworks newsletter so that you will be alerted as to when it is available for purchase.

Hot Patterns:
1.  I have a soft spot for Canadian designers and Sylvia McFadden of Softsweater knits is one of my favourites.  I have knit two of her patterns (Lanterns and The Elder Tree Shawl) and, of course, there is the very popular Waiting For Rain shawl that is in my queue.  Her newest collection, published this week, is called Eclipse consisting of three gorgeous pi shawls.

The Sun
©Sylvia McFadden

The Moon
©Sylvia McFadden

Late August
©Sylvia McFadden

2. Have you seen a very popular pattern called Sunset Highway by Caitlin Hunter?  This fingering weight colourwork sweater is unique because the sample is knit with indie dyed speckled yarn.  Check out some of the completed projects to see the many gorgeous colour combinations that have been completed.

3.  Spice, a  new collection by Quince and Co. has been published this week as well.  I am a big fan of  Quince and Co. yarn and I admire their commitment to publishing new designs.  This newest collection contains two sweaters, two shawls and a cardigan, by such designers as Michele Wang, Leah B. Thibault and Elizabeth Smith.

Dal by Leah B. Thibault
©Quince & Co.

Masala Shawl by Michele Wang
©Quince & Co.

Massaman by Elizabeth Smith
©Quince & Co.

4.  And finally, as soon as I get my current socks off the needles, I am casting on the NoShow Socks stashbusting pattern by La Maison Rililie blogged about here.  These socks are designed to be lower cut, and therefore, perfect for hiding under a pair of shoes. I am really looking forward to knitting this unique design.

Tip of the Week:
If you have the time, a great habit is to check Ravelry daily as often designers offer a new pattern either at a discount, or for free for a window of time.  I have been able to pick up many patterns this way.  There are plenty of patterns that are also offered free for an unlimited time.  For example, check out Island Wildflower, a beautiful crochet blanket.  It would be a great stashbuster.  I also loved Ninni  (a fingering weight lace cardigan) and Tiliana a huge fingering weight shawl by Hannah Maciejewska designer of the popular Moyen Age. 

That ends my round up for this week.  Did I miss anything that caught your attention?  I encourage you to add your favourites from the week to the comment section below.  Have a great week.

Slade: Version #2

Slade:  by Michele Wang

The photo above is my son finally getting to wear a cardigan I knit for him way back in November.  But it didn't always fit this well.  Here is my tale of woe:

When I started my blog two and half years ago I cheekily named it Woolercoaster:  the Ups and Downs of a Knitter.   Up to now I have mostly shared my knitting successes with you, but today I need to discuss a fail.  When I originally blogged about Slade, a Brooklyn Tweed pattern, that I had knit for my son, I admitted to you that I was not happy with the sleeves.  I wished for some expert knitter to appear in my life and magically tell me what I should do to fix them.  I still am not sure where I went wrong.   Although the body fit well, the sleeves I knit were a total fail. See what I mean? 

Following the well written pattern by Michele Wang, I knit the original sleeves from the cuff up, and then seamed them into the sweater.  All I can tell you is the sleeves were ridiculously huge.  I attempted several times to rip back and reknit the upper sleeves and reseam them, but to no avail.  I knew in my heart of hearts that if I truly wanted my son to wear this cardigan, I would have to reknit the sleeves from the beginning.  

I don't really know anyone with tons of experience in this area so I was left to my own devices.  I put the sweater away and finally got the courage to look at it last weekend.  I decided to rip out every stitch of those sleeves and start again. Using 5.0mm needles I picked up 60 stitches around the armhole and proceeded to do a set-in sleeve, using a previous cardigan pattern (Capall Dubh), that I had knit before, as guidance.  

Set-in sleeve

Once the cap was done I decreased two stitches every ten rows until I got down to 52 stitches.  When it came to the cuff I knit the ribbing in 3.75 mm needles. Happily the result is much better fitting sleeves (still not perfect but definitely wearable). 

I am trying hard not to think of all those hours I spent on the sleeves and just focus on how much better the cardigan looks.  The great thing is my son is so appreciative and loves handknits, so I foresee him getting a lot of wear out of this sweater.  

Slade: An F.O. (almost)

Ta-dah!  Here is my latest finished object for my very patient son:   Slade, a seamed cardigan, by designer Michele Wang, published in Brooklyn Tweed's Men Volume One.  This enjoyable pattern was clearly written and easy to follow.

The pattern suggests that the ribbing in the back, front and sleeves begin with a Tubular Cast On. This was the first time I used this particular cast on, and although I found it quite fiddly, I am very happy with the result.  I think it works perfectly in a pattern like this.

Ravelled here

The only part of the cardigan that I am not happy with are the sleeves.  The sleeves are knit from the cuff up and seamed into the cardigan.  There seems to be an excess amount of knitted fabric in the upper part of the sleeves.  My gut is telling me to try to reknit the upper sleeves and reduce the amount of stitches to make the sleeves lay more nicely.

But I am ignoring that inner voice for the time being.  Honestly, it is at times like these that I wish I had a friend who was a super knitter, who could tell me what to do to fix it.  Hopefully I can figure it out myself.  I think I just need a bit of a break from from this cardigan for the moment while I get some Christmas knitting done.

I have not yet found the perfect buttons for this cardigan, but I think it's the kind of cardigan that looks better unbuttoned. 

As for the yarn I couldn't be happier.  I used Harrisville  Designs WATERshed, a worsted weight 100% wool yarn.  It feels very similar to Brooklyn Tweed's yarn. (in fact it's made in the same place).  This is the colour Granite which I showed you in an earlier post.  I bought this yarn at Urban Yarns in Vancouver.  If you can't get to this yarn store to check it out, they have a great online store where you can order any of the many beautiful colourways available.  This yarn was so lofty that it even hid the seaming I did.

The flecks of colour found within the yarn just add an extra degree of interest to what is basically a plainly knit sweater.  I would definitely like to use this yarn again.

Maybe next time I will try Harrisville Shetland which is a 100% wool fingering weight yarn, also available at Urban Yarns.  If anyone has any words of wisdom to solve my sleeve problem let me know! 

I hope you are all finding time to craft at this busy time of year.  : )

Knitting Comfort

After hearing about the terrorist acts in Paris on Friday, I feel very shaken up by all the reports of what happened that day.  I find it very challenging as a teacher of a grade seven class to make sense of it all, and to deal with my students' fears.  I pray for all the victims and their families.

The Thinker/Le Penseur at the Rodin Museum in Paris

It seems silly to talk about knitting at times like these, but I know many knitters who would agree that knitting can be a very relaxing way to take your mind off your troubles. So knitting it is!  Lately I have been devoting all my free time to finishing up my son's sweater Slade by Michele Wang.  I am putting pressure on myself to get it done soon, because this year I would like to try to get a few knitted gifts finished in time for Christmas.  All I have left of the cardigan is one more inch of ribbing along the front and then it's onto the seaming.  My cabled needles are a bit short so the ribbing may look a bit oddly shaped in the photo below.

Slade by Michele Wang in Harrisville Watershed awaiting seaming

One of the first Christmas items I will start once the cardigan is done, is a scarf knitted in Madelinetosh Pashmina Worsted in the colourway 'Fog' (75% merino, 15% silk, 10% cashmere).   I made sure I picked a worsted weight pattern so hopefully it will go fast.  I chose the pattern called the No Purl Ribbed Scarf, a free pattern by Purl Soho.  This is a simple pattern that I hope will showcase this luxurious yarn. 

Madelinetosh Worsted Pashmina

I always seem to plan to knit more Christmas presents then in reality I have the time for.  The scarf is the most important project to me to get done so I will see how long it takes and then plan from there.  I am looking forward to getting some smaller projects on the needles.  Do you have any Christmas gift giving plans?