FO Report: KnitPicks Palette Fair Isle Cardigan

Pattern: Palette Fair Isle Cardigan by Kathleen Taylor, exclusively for KnitPicks
Yarn: Palette by KnitPicks. Twenty-eight colors total; every color available except white and cream
Needles: KnitPicks circulars size 2 and 3, bamboo dpns, size 2 and 3.
Started: October 2, 2006
Finished: March 9, 2007

Modifications:

• Instead of K2P2 ribbing, I used Meg Swanson's "Purl When You Can" method.


• I also knit three rows instead of two of the solid color bands in between the pattern bands to add length to the body.


• On the sleeves for my size, you start out with an odd number of stitches, decrease 2 stitches per row on the decrease rows and are supposed to end up with an even number of stitches. On my first decrease row, I decreased one stitch only, so I would have an even number of stitches from that point forward. This was really important to me, as most of the patterns are based on a multiple of two stitches.


• I think the only other modification I made was to do an I-cord bind off on all the edges. It made the pattern a little less visible on the button bands, but that doesn't bother me. I really like the finished look it gives the edges. I even went back and picked up stitches around the bottom ribbing to add the I-cord there.

This was really a lot of fun to knit. It was a lot of stitches and rows, I think my size was around 330 stitches per row, but the color changes made the knitting go really fast. The steeking wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be, and honestly, I wasn't nervous about cutting the knitting open. Before I did it I read Euny Jang's Steeking Chronicles very thoroughly, and decided to go with the crocheted reinforcement. I single-crocheted up and back down the center of the steek, and cut it open between the crochet. Then folded the cut edge to the inside and picked up stitches for first one sleeve, then the next and finally the button bands. I did cut one steek at a time, so there wouldn't be any undo stress on the cut edges before I was ready to work with them. Once it was finally finished and the remaining ends woven in, I loosely whip stitched the steeked edges down to the inside, and then gave it a Eucalan bath in my kitchen sink. After a good day and a half of blocking, it is ready for wear! One final note, I did the recommended buttonhole of YO, K2tog, and it looks like it's going to take a very small button to fit through that hole. This doesn't really concern me, as I rarely wear cardigans buttoned, given our mostly mild Oklahoma weather.

This counts as my second sweater for the Sweater a Month KAL. Yes, I'm a little behind, but have another nearly finished sweater waiting patiently, and then plan to really zoom along once tax season is over with - six more weeks!

Update

Still no modeled shot of my Fair Isle - I haven't been home before sunset in too many days to count. I am going to stitch group tonight, and am taking the cardi, but cannot find the memory card for the camera. BHE took weekend photos off the camera yesterday, and apparently didn't get the card back in the camera (sigh).

I also finished the Falling Leaves cardi, and it is blocking now. I don't think I've ever posted about it here, as it's been in the UFO pile since before I started blogging. I think I knit it while prego with Monkeyboy.

I started Ariann this weekend! We made a quick trip to Texas to see one of my sisters retire from the Naval Reserves after 27 years! She is/was a Chief Petty Officer, which I think is a pretty big deal. Anyway, I finished the second Leopard striped sock (need to frog and redo the first because it is too big), and cast on for Ariann in a deep dark chocolate brown cotton/wool blend from KnitPicks. The yarn is called Salishan and was sold very briefly on their website only. I assume it's something they tried out and decided not to carry. The colors were pretty limited, and it was priced to move. I'm almost through the waist decreases - I expect to get the rest of the way through them and start the increases tonight at Stitch.

I'll track down that camera card tonight, and I guess coerce a co-worker into a photo shot sometime this week!

Teaser

Well, due to my wonderful work schedule right not, I haven't seen the light of day since my Fair Isle Cardigan finished drying - two days after blocking! I offer to you a teaser shot under the halogen lights of my kitchen. Complete post with details and modeled shots as soon as I can leave work before sundown!

As an added bonus, here's a photo of my lampshade-wearing SweetPea :)

I'm still alive

Just a quick post, to say I haven't had time for posting or knitting.... I've been working like a madwoman, and BHE is under the weather. I worked briefly yesterday while the kids were napping, went home to fix dinner, play for awhile, get them in bed, and then back to work for about 3 more hours. Fortunately my office is only about 3 miles from home, but yikes!

I've finished both sleeves on the FIC, including correcting the cuff on the first sleeve, which I had knit with the wrong size needles. I've woven in all the yarn end on both sleeves and in the center front, so those wouldn't get caught in the front steeking. I had every intention of steeking the front and neckline, and picking up the neckline stitches last night, but that didn't happen. I worked on a sock some last night, while I was waiting on a report to print, but lost (!) one of my size 1 steel needles. How can something like that just disappear? I'll keep looking for it today....

I did make it by a thrift store this weekend and scored on the wool sweaters! One of them is actually a very nice hand knit cardigan. It makes me a little bit sad that a hand knit would end up in a thrift store. It doesn't look like it was worn much, or was taken care of very well, but if it were well cared for, it shouldn't have ended up in a thrift store. Regardless, I did end up with two lambswool sweaters, one merino, plus the hand knit woolen for about $15! I'm already contemplating the possibilities :)

Lastly, one of my local yarn stores (no website) is closing. They will reopen a couple of blocks down the street sometime in a month or so as a new business - still yarn, just adding partners and changing names, etc. As a result, they have yarn on sale 35% - 70% off, and books and patterns 50% off. I'm eyeing a Jordana Page briefcase/messenger style bag.

Status Report

I'm still plugging away on the FIC. After started the second sleeve, I realized I didn't switch to the smaller needle size for the cuff of the first sleeve. Just as I was finishing the second sleeve, on the smaller needles, I started watching a tivo'd Knitty Gritty where the guest demonstrated an I-cord bind-off. I decided to try it on the cuff after two rounds of ribbing in the black, and I love it! Pictured on the left is the newly finished second sleeve and on the right is the first sleeve that still need the cuff to be reworked.

Most of my time and energy are being sucked up by my job, and what little free time I have at home after the kids are in bed is spent vegging out in front of the TV. After sitting in front of a computer at work all day, the last thing I want to do is more of that when I get home, so that's why I haven't been blogging much. I'm caught up on most of my shows, except for Veronica Mars, which I'm four weeks behind on! I didn't watch Lost tonight because TBHE rented The Prestige. It was really good! Nice twists throughout the movie and a couple of great ones at the end. I love movies that make you think!

OK, I'm exhausted and have another super busy day tomorrow, so off to bed!

Keep on Knitting

Fair Isle Progress: I've finally finished the first sleeve! I steeked the armhole and picked up the sleeve stitches just over a month ago. It seemed to go pretty fast once I got about halfway through. Obviously I had a decreasing number of stitches along the way, so I'm sure that's why.

I think I'm going to go start the steeking on the second armhole as soon as I finish this post, but I may not pick up stitches tonight - we'll see how far I can get :)

In January I also knit a sock (yes, one). I knit the entire sock, toe up, on size 2 dpns. I started the second one, decided the gauge seemed a little loose on size 2's, so I frogged out the second sock and started over with size 0's. I got about halfway up the foot and decided the sock felt too much like body armor. So I frogged it and started over on size 1's. These are my first socks knit from my own hand painted yarn, actually from any hand painted yarn, so I'm really learning a lot. (My very first pair of socks were knit out of worsted weight cotton/acrylic blend following a pattern from Knitty Gritty. My second pair were the Simple Stripes Fair Isle Socks from KnitPicks on size 2's, and the stranding makes them fit a little differently than single yarn socks.) If these work out with the size 1 needles, I'll frog the first sock and reknit it to match. I also don't like the way the picot edging is curling on the finished sock; I don't know if I need to switch to a smaller needle for the rows that are folded to the inside, decrease the number of stitches, or sew it down a row further than what I did. I plan to experiment with the second sock to fix this, but any tips are welcome and encouraged!

In non-knitterly news, my work schedule has picked up. Some of you know I work for a CPA firm, and I am officially in tax season now. I'm going in early, working late, working about half a day on the weekend, so my knitting time is really suffering. I take the sock every day with hopes of working on it at lunch, but I usually end up just eating quickly and getting back to work. I've set a pretty aggressive deadline for myself to have certain projects completed by Feb 15, and I don't like to let myself down. I have more goals lined up for once the Feb 15th one is met. I can't wait for April 17th!

Happy New Year!

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm ready to get back to work tomorrow! I've had nine days off, and while it was nice, I'm was fighting a cold most of it, and am ready to get myself and my family back into our usual routine.

While I was off, I got quite a bit done (although not as much as I planned -I always plan more than I can do!) I finished a scarf for my dad. This is Wool-Ease Thick & Quick (had to be machine washable & dryable for my dad), and the pattern is six rows of K2, P2, then six rows of P2, K2. I also made him a hat, same yarn, with a knitted on facing. Very simple & masculine. He got the hat for Christmas, and the scarf a few days later when I finished it.



I also cut my first armhole steek on the Fair Isle Cardigan. This was also the first time I have ever cut my knitting, on purpose or by accident. I wasn't nearly as anxious about it as I thought I would be! This is a picture of the cut armhole, there are more pictures and an explanation here.

Last week, three of my four LYS had year end sales, and I bought something at all three. Loops was the first one open, the day after Christmas, and I bought seven skeins each of a beautiful blue heather Cascade 220 and ivory Cascade 220. Loops has so much yarn it can be a little overwhelming, but they also have a great playroom for the kids.

Two days later, Naturally Needlepoint & Knitting opened, and I bought 9 skeins of Silky Wool in a beautiful deep purple and 2 skeins of black Koigu. (Yikes, the stash is growing!)







And then I made it to Fringe, and filled in the blanks on my growing Interweave Knits collection, and also bought 2 balls of Cascade Fixation in a lime, violet, and white colorway. Fringe is a great shop, and made me wish I worked downtown again so I could go knit there at lunch. It's in a great old building with high ceilings, and is the store I feel most at home in. Stephanie also has a few skeins of my hand painted sock yarn for sale in her shop :)

I had plans to make it back to all three with more specific shopping lists, but unfortunately, the cold knocked me on my butt! I'm feeling better now though, and cast on for a new project yesterday. Details on that tomorrow!

Shhh!

Has it really been nearly a week since I posted? I am here, I've just been very busy. I'm also doing some secret knitting for my SP9 partner, so I can't talk about that at all! I'll just say, I really love KnitPicks, and I like the free shipping, but why must it take 10 days to go from Ohio to Oklahoma? That's four states away! Okay, enough of my rant :) I did get some fun stuff, though. Besides what I got for my spoilee, I also ordered some Wool of the Andes to make a Farmers Market Tote - a felted bag with a free pattern from their site. Instead of the crayon colors pictured, I'm using the red, green and brown from the new heathered wools. (Apparently KnitPicks site is down right now, so there are no links for you). Anyway, they are very fall-like colors. I'll have to hurry to get it knitted while it is still fall :)


In other knitterly news, I've been flying away on the Fair Isle Cardigan. I posted this picture a few days ago on the KAL, and haven't made much progress since then, since I'm working on gift and charity knitting. Have a great weekend!

((Sob))

Last night my 3 1/2 year old Monkeyboy told me he wanted to sit at the kitchen table and the bar to eat dinner. I told him if he could figure out how to be in two places at the same time he had to tell me. I'm looking at the catalog from Woodland Woolworks that came in the mail a few days ago, and I just want to knit, you know? Just sit and knit and knit and knit, and no one will want dinner, the house won't get dirty, I won't have to quit to go to bed, and my left wrist won't ever hurt from too much knitting. Because there can never be too much knitting.

I am in love with these three sweaters from the Best of Tuir book by Dale of Norway. (I'd probably knit the olive and oranges ones in different colorways, as those colors makes me look sick, but I love the red.) I must. have. this. book. There's a lot of interesting looking sweaters pictured from Rowan 40 also. I'm not going to mention any of the other gorgeous sweaters in the catalog.

But first - I have to finish the Palette Fair Isle Cardigan (still on the orange / green band), knit all the projects I have in waiting for my kids before they outgrow the planned sizes, organize my office/sewing/crafting room, and oh yes, pass the CPA exam.

So how do you exist in more than one place at a time? I'd settle for more hours in the day, if anyone knows that too.

Checkers

So I've been swatching for my Palette Fair Isle Cardigan. I swatched in the round, since the cardigan is knit in the round. I've heard that some knitters get different gauge in the round than flat.. Since I don't know if I do or not, and I don't want to find out on this project, I cast on 100 stitches and knit nearly 4 inches on size 3 needles. I got 31 stitches & 35 rows to 4 inches. According to the pattern, I should have 32 stitches and 36 rows. I don't think I'll change needle size, but I was contemplating knitting the extra solid color rounds dividing the pattern bands to make the cardigan longer.

I did the math and the row gauge only makes it about 1/2" longer than what exact row gauge would be. However, the difference in stitch gauge makes it about 1 1/2 " larger around, which might be to my advantage. I'm halfway between two sizes and I can't decide whether to go up or down. I can almost guarantee I won't wear this buttoned, and I don't like to swim in my cardigans. But I don't want it to be too small either. I want it to be just right, especially considering all the work that will go into it. I will probably wear this with a thin knit turtleneck (storebought, slightly heavier than t-shirt fabric, if you know what I mean).

So, opinions, please: My bust measures 41 1/2", so I fall between the pattern sizes of 40" and 44". What size should I knit?

BTW, you and any other interested parties can sign up for the KAL here, or just watch the progress of some beautiful fair isle cardigans, vests and socks! Spread the news!

(Im)Patiently Waiting

I have nothing new to report on the knitting front - I have yarn on order from three different companies, I think all for over a week now, and not a single package is here yet (sob). I get this itchy-knitty thing, where I want my yarn and I want it now. Until it gets here, I have the almost irresistible impulse to shop, shop, shop. Unfortunately, my bank account could not bear the abuse.

What do I have on order? I ordered some Silky Tweed, on the recommendation of Wendy for a Simple Knitted Bodice and Sizzle. I don't think the gauge is right for the Sizzle, but I have confidence in my mathematical abilities ;) I also ordered a kit for this cool looking pullover that I've never seen before. I think it's brand-spankin' new. And finally, some deep chocolate brown superwash and this pattern. I've decided with two little ones to contend with, and the BHE doing laundry more than half the time, most of my often-worn sweaters should be machine washable. And this would get worn a lot, considering how cold my office can be sometimes.

Oh! There is something to report! Laura over at Sugar Bunny Boulevard and I are co-hosting a KAL to begin October 1st, if anyone is interested, for the KnitPicks Palette Fair Isle Cardigan. I cast on for a gauge swatch last night, on the recommended size 3 needles, but I am doing a swatch in the round. I've read other knitters knit at a different gauge in the round than flat. I don't know if I do or not, but this isn't the project where I want to find out the bad way! It's slow going since it takes so many stitches of fingering weight to fit comfortably on my 16" needles. I'll post more in a day or two when my swatch is longer. BTW, I'm swatching on my new KnitPicks needles, and I love them! Pointy points, smooth joins, super flexible cable, and slick needles!