Filed by Julia at 8:08 pm under Get Your Yarn!!
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Things are moving right along on my “in no hurry” Sweater. I finished the body over the weekend, and seamed the shoulders. Since I’m kind of cobbling this pattern together, I decided it would be a super smart thing to set in the sleeves before picking up stitches for the hood, to make absocertain that they fit nicely into the arm holes. Seriously, if I found out after having knit the hood that they the caps/armcyes didn’t match, I would cry, and cry and then whine.

And they fit, very nicely, infact. Color me happy.
Set in sleeves used to be the hardest thing ever for me to seam, somewhere down the knitting road we found some happy medium, and now they are my most favorite arm treatment. Ever.

I’m about 7 inches in to the hood now, and let me tell you, I can. not. wait to knit the button bands and go pick out buttons. I know exactly what I want. (I’m super ridiculously excited about the buttons.) Good thing too, because this hood is taking awhile.

* In shop news, I updated yesterday, as I’m trying to do every Wednesday, even if I don’t get around to announcing it here. In fact, I think I’ll try to throw it up in the sidebar, when I have an update, from now on.

I didn’t get around to putting the Wee Kits up yesterday, I kind of took Tuesday off, I was seriously exhausted from really pushing the whole work/dye/reskein routine. So I took a personal day. It was lovely. Anywho, I’m planning a special Saturday update, with Wee Kits, and a few new variegated colors too. Stay tuned.

Filed by Julia at 5:29 pm under General,Knitting
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Well, Howdy. And Thanks for all the wonderful comments on my Hoodie. I do love it so. I’ve been basking in the finished-ness of it for the last little while now, and finally decided it’s time to start a grand something new.

I love the shape of the Aprés Hoodie so much, that I’m cobbling together a button up cardi pattern with the same kind of hour glass shaping, and set in sleeves, but no lace, and a very woolly yarn. I’m using Knitpicks Telemark for this one, a yarn I’ve been curious about since knitting Jared’s Red Light Special. I knew I wanted a nice charcoal gray for this one, I think I caught it from Ashley’s recent parade of gray sweaters.
So I ordered up some color cards, and a skein to swatch with. I really do like this, though I checked it out on Ravelry, and some did feel it was a bit rough, and yes, but that’s what a good woolly wool feels like to me. I like it, and it does soften a bit after washing.

I do have a bit of a gripe though- just one about misinformation. The recommended needle size is a US3 or 4, and I first swatched on a US3, the fabric was ridiculously tight, and it really kind of hurt to knit. Then I tried US4, and it was better, and it turned out to be what I’m knitting this sweater on, but that got me curious, because this is supposed to be a sport weight yarn. So I got out my trusty Wraps per inch (WPI) tool, a must have item for all serious fiber folk, and came out with a light DK reading for this yarn. That really does make a big difference, because a fabric made from this yarn on US5 or 6′s would be heavenly. Though for the sturdy hard wearing winter sweater I had in mind, I really like the US 4′s. To each her own I guess.

The first thing I calculated and knit were the sleeves, because jebus I hate knitting sleeves last, they always seem to take longer that way. I didn’t think I was ever going to get through the ASH sleeves, and I knit them after the body. So I wasn’t going to make that mistake again. Now I’m happily knitting the body, knitting it flat, but all in one piece. Almost mindless, except for when I have to do some shaping calculations, but loving it all the same. About 6 more inches on the body and I’ll divide for the upper fronts.
I don’t have the same frantic want to have it done, like I did with the hoodie, so it’s really just kind of nice easy knitting. Hopefully it’ll be a great sweater!

* PS, I updated the shop today, there is a ton of Vesper Striping Sock Yarn. Next week, there will be more Wee kits, and finally, some more Vesper Variegated!

Filed by Julia at 4:58 pm under General
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