cosmicpluto knits!

a cozy cashmere sweater

As you may remember, I worked on this sweater while I was at TNNA this January. I managed to screw up the yoke pretty royally when I got home – I started the v-neck below the underarm, attached the sleeves and went merrily along decreasing for the raglan and the neck, but discovered pretty late that I had actually mis-divided the front for the bust increases and v-neck! I had to rip all the way back to the waist, argh.

But once I got everything back on track it was smooth sailing. I knit this sweater with just five 50g skeins of Handmaiden 4ply cashmere – cashmere is so light, there are a lot of yards per skein. Since the yarn is hand-dyed, I’m not reeeeally surprised about this, but there’s quite a bit of green in this yarn that looked just silver in the skein!

No pattern for this one, sorry – it’s just a simple bottom-up raglan with waist shaping. For the sleeves I did a slight balloon shape – I cast on 48 stitches for the cuff, then increased dramatically to 72 sts, which is the upper arm circumference, and just knit straight up to the underarm. For the V-neck, I started decreasing away a couple inches below the underarm, since I wanted it to be fairly deep. I stuck a little cable along the raglan lines and decreased until there were no more front stitches, then I added on the twisted rib neckband.

I’m not a huge fan of the pooling, but you know what? It’s a cashmere sweater and it’s still super soft and cozy.

happenings

I’ve been knitting, reading Jane Eyre for the first time, watching more Friday Night Lights (starting season 4) and more knitting.

I also hung out with some knitters from afar!

Jess of Fig and Plum came to knit night a couple weeks ago and it was a great time. (Excuse the weird lighting.)

And Jodi Green came by to visit while I was working – it was the first time we’d ever met, despite longtime internet acquaintance.

I did, in fact, finish those colourwork thumbs and managed to knit linings too!

It’s a good thing all the knitting for my soon-to-be-born pattern collection is done (these mittens will be in it), because the photoshoot is on Saturday!

In the meanwhile I got to start a new sweater for myself out of delicious Malabrigo Rios.

Goes great with a cuppa coffee in one of my Jennie the Potter mugs!

wintery

It’s pretty chilly out (-15C, 4F) and there’s a fair amount of snow on the ground. I’m wearing an old Malabrigo worsted sweater and my cashmere Beauchamp Cowl, I just finished a cup of hot chocolate and I’m nice and toasty. Turns out that wearing a cashmere cowl indoors really helps with the warmth factor!

All I want to do these days is cast on for more things. But I have so very many things on the needles already! My cashmere sweater from the last post is ready for the sleeves and body to be joined at the underarm, but of course I went and started another one.

I really want new sweaters, NOW! I know if I just kept on with one project I’d be much more likely to finish it quickly and have something finished. But that just isn’t how it works around here, ha. This black sweater is a compound top-down raglan, with a v-neck. I think it’s going to be a wrap sweater, since I have plenty of yarn. It’s a lovely many-plied blend of silk and cashmere, which I’m knitting quite tightly since it will grow considerably when I wash it. The only downside?

It comes in 25g skeins. It’s worsted weight. So there’s only about 45 yards per skein! I’ve not even been balling up the yarn, I just sit with the loop of yarn open on my lap or my desk, and knit straight from it. I suppose an upside is that I feel like I’m getting through a lot since I can knit up a skein in a sitting? Still, that is a heck of a lot of ends. (I tried the Russian join for one, but it just didn’t really work out very well with the structure of the yarn. I’m planning to just do my usual join and try to weave in the ends in small batches as I go.) The sweater up to where it is in the photo is, I think, 5 skeins.

Valentine Cardigan

This summer I was approached to create a new sweater pattern for Spud & Chloe’s Spring 2011 collection. Since I love their yarns, of course I said yes!

And here’s what I made – the Valentine Cardigan.

You can see the rest of the Spring 2011 Spud & Chloe and Blue Sky Alpacas collections on their blog, and you can fave and/or queue my pattern on Ravelry! There are such great things in this collection and I’m so honoured to be included.

catching up

It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? It feels like I’ve been spinning my wheels a little bit (but unfortunately, not the yarn-producing kind) – I keep starting and stopping on different things, and I have so many various projects on the go that even though I’m knitting all the time, I’m not actually finishing anything!

That said, I’m putting a bit more effort into trying to finish things up for the end of the year. I guess late fall is a good kick in the pants, since it gives me a reasonable amount of time before the new year to get things off the needles and my to-do pile. I even have some photographic evidence of said effort!

This is more backward than forward, but I ripped back the body of my mitten. It just wasn’t working out the way I wanted. I’m not sure what I want to do with this now, but it feels good just to admit it wasn’t working. Maybe I’ll just do something really simple, like an all-over colourwork lattice pattern or a checked pattern. I could use some new mitts!

I picked up my neglected Hanne Falkenberg kit – Diva in Olive/Cyclamen – and finished a sleeve! That is a whole lot of fingering weight garter stitch right there. I’m almost done the body, but it’s too big to carry around so it’s not seeing a lot of time at the moment. I’d really love to get this done my Christmas, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. It’s more of a long term project.

And, I finished a pair of simple socks that I started a few months ago! They’re meant for a Christmas present. Just my basic sock recipe, 64 sts on 2mm in Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock. I’d really love to get another pair or two of socks done for presents, along with some woven projects. I guess I’d better get on that, hmm?

How’s your year end knitting wrapup going?

Fred+Ginger Cardigan

Fred+Ginger is a sophisticated fitted cardigan with set in, three quarter length sleeves and softly ruffled edges. The lightweight ruffle is worked in dyed to match cashmere silk laceweight for a fun feminine twist on the basic cardigan. Twisted ribbing completes the buttonbands and collar.

Shown in size 37” / 94cm with no ease. Technical Editing by Jaya Purswani.
Knit in SweetGeorgia Yarns Superwash Sport and CashSilk Lace Available at http://www.sweetgeorgiayarns.com/

SIZES
Finished Bust: 31 (33, 35, 37, 39, 41)(43, 45, 47, 49, 51, 55)” / 78.5 (84, 89, 94, 99, 104)(109, 114.5, 119.5, 124.5, 129.5, 140)cm

YARN
Body: Sweet Georgia Superwash Sport (100% superwash merino; 256 yds / 234m per 4oz / 115g skein) or other DK weight or light worsted weight yarn, approximately 220-260 yds per 100g
Ruffle: SweetGeorgia CashSilk Lace (45% cashmere, 55% silk; 400 yds / 366m per 1.75oz / 50g skein) or other laceweight yarn, approximately 400-450 yds per 50g

Body Skeins: 4 (4, 4, 4, 5, 5)(5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6)
Ruffle: 1 skein, all sizes.

Body Yardage: 950 (980, 1010, 1024, 1050, 1125)(1140, 1160, 1175, 1250, 1300, 1380) yards
Ruffle Yardage: 175 (180, 190, 200, 210, 220)(230, 240, 250, 260, 275, 300) yards

NEEDLES AND NOTIONS
US 4 / 3.5mm circular needles, 32” / 80cm or longer depending on size of sweater
US 4 / 3.5mm double pointed needles*
US 3 / 3.25mm circular needles, 32” / 80cm or longer
US 3 / 3.25mm double pointed needles*
US 2 / 2.75mm circular needles, 32” / 80cm or longer
US 2 / 2.75mm double pointed needles*
* or needles of choice for small circumferences

stitch markers
eight 5/8 in / 1.5cm buttons
tapestry needle
smooth waste yarn

GAUGE
22 sts and 32 rows = 4” / 10 cm square in Stockinette Stitch on US 4 / 3.5mm needles

MORE INFO
Each 7 page colour PDF includes photos, schematic and abbreviations. This pattern features fill-in forms – fill in the numbers for your size!

This pattern is split into 2 files – one contains sizes 31-41”, the other 43-55”. You will receive both files.

SKILLS NEEDED
Cast on, knit, purl, increase and decrease, knitting in the round. Suitable for an intermediate knitter.

HOW TO BUY
Available through Ravelry (no account needed), payment by Paypal.

$7.00 CAD