F.O. Aibrean

Pattern: Aibrean by Isabell Kraemer

Colour:  Tannenbaum

Yarn: 80/10/10 Madelinetosh Sport, a merino, cashmere, nylon blend
          4.5 skeins alternating 3 skeins throughout body and two skeins on                     sleeves

This was my first time knitting with a sport weight and I have to say that I am really happy with how light it feels on.  It's warm, but not too warm, if you know what I mean.  I sometimes shy away from knitting sweaters in heavier yarn, feeling like I won't get enough use out of it because it can only be worn on the colder days.  But this, to me, is exactly the perfect level of warmth for a sweater and will get a lot of use.

Needles: 4mm Signature Convertible Circular Needles

Added Notes:  
1)The stitch pattern is both on the front and back with the exception of the sleeves.  I was a bit leery of having to work this pattern for so much of the sweater but I was pleasantly surprised with how quick and easy it was.  Another bonus is that the majority of the sweater is worked in the round and alternate rows are just knitted.  Also, it is easy to see where you have made and error and so simple to fix if you do.

2)  Blocking is essential to this pattern.  Before blocking I was nervous as the sweater was quite tight fitting through the body.  But it blocked out beautifully and the width of the body grew by four inches which was perfect for me.

This is my third sweater by Isabell Kraemer (see my Mailin and my Seashore) and I really admire how well written her patterns are.  As I have mentioned before, they are the sweaters that get the most use in my cupboard.

Next up:  I have joined the Very Shannon Tops, Tanks and Tees KAL, I will be knitting CineCittà by La Maison Rililie. 

CineCittà

If anyone else has joined, let me know, and if you have never tried a Knit A Long this is a great one.  It just started so it's not too late to join.  Even if you don't want to join you can follow along on Instagram at #TTTKAL.

Happy knitting everyone : )

The Magic of Blocking

One of my favourite parts of knitting is blocking.  Blocking is a method of stretching and shaping a finished piece to reach the dimensions suggested in the pattern.  It also makes your stitches look and nicer and appear more even. Lace especially needs to be blocked to open up the design to show off all those lovely stitches.  

To demonstrate what I mean have a look at my Playground Shawl by Justyna Lorkowska knit in Caterpillargreen Yarns. This pattern alternates grey garter stitch rows with colour rows, knit in a easy to follow lace pattern.  It looked quite nice prior to blocking but a bit small.

Before

But then I blocked it.  The shawl grew after blocking and the lace just opened up and looked so much more attractive. Have a look:

After

Here's a few other shawls, that I knit, which really show off the magic of blocking:

Algiers by Kirsten Kapur:

Before

After

 And finally, Brickless by Martina Behm.

Before

After

I especially love blocking lace sweaters and cardigans.  I find that when I knit these kind of patterns I often worry that my F.O. is going to be too small.  But after blocking the lace opens up and size is no longer a concern.  For example, look at Lake Effect by Amy Miller:

Before

Look at the difference below!  The lace looked so much better and the size was just what I aiming for.

After

There are lots of great videos on how to block your knits.  I hope I convinced you to try it out if you have never attempted it before.  You won't be sorry.

I wonder what I can block next?