what’s that yarn?

Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 | knitting, sweaters

Sorry to keep you guys in suspense! I really thought I’d written that I’m using my handspun for the top-down cardigan from my last post – I dyed it as well. It’s a two ply merino, and I’m just hoping to have enough for a sort of croppedish cardi with maybe half or three-quarter length sleeves. I’ve got about 2.5 skeins, and I used 1 whole one for the yoke.

I’m not sure whether this one will be written up, although I am considering working up a TDR spreadsheet that would give you numbers for your own sweater based on your gauge and measurements. We’ll see! There’s so many other TDR resources out there, so I don’t want to be redundant!

I’ve got just way too much on the needles these days, I knit and knit and don’t feel like I’m ever getting anything done! Case in point, this sweater:

(It’s darker than in the photo.) It’s a bottom-up, seamless set-in sleeve cardigan a la EZ (Knitting Workshop) in Handmaiden Casbah. I used silver grey yarn for the inside of the hem and chocolate brown for the rest of the sweater.

The body is done and the yoke is alllllmost done. I’ve stalled out a bit because I need to think for a few minutes on how to proceed on the back neck. I cast on the sleeves provisionally and joined them for the yoke after about an inch – since I’m unsure how far my yarn will go and I don’t want to run out in the yoke! So after the yoke is done I’ll pick up the sleeve stitches and work them back down to the cuffs.

The thing about this sweater is that it’s a seasonal one – I’m planning to do just a couple (probably one big and two small) snowflakes on the shoulder. As you can see, there’s nothing there yet, because I tried using intarsia and it looked like ass. The design is just too sparse and non-block-like to keep the edges neat. So duplicate stitch it is!

But the snowflakes mean I really should finish this one in the next two weeks or so for maximum wearbility. I’ll wear it in January and February too, but before Christmas would be nice.

10 Comments to what’s that yarn?

1 Debbie
November 19, 2008

The sweater is going to be lovely. I love the yarn. Great choice! You know, you can’t show us something and not offer us the pattern!!!

2 Sarah
November 19, 2008

Can I ask you how many skeins you’re using for the sweater? I have some Casbah in my stash and haven’t been sure whether I could get a smallish sweater out of it or not… and I haven’t found too many sweater patterns using fingering weight yarn yet (besides thermal, which I already have on the needles!).

3 yarnpiggy
November 19, 2008

The yarn is lovely. Fingers crossed, there will be enough to finish!

4 CathyT
November 19, 2008

Yes, please finish it! It looks great -

5 Seanna Lea
November 19, 2008

That’s really cute. I want to do something similar, but I was thinking I could find or make a fairisle pattern for the snowflake element. Probably something that would work better like a patch pocket with an image on it.

6 Knittripps
November 19, 2008

A seasonal sweater sounds like so much fun!

7 Melissa
November 19, 2008

Oh wow, I love it. Can’t wait to see the finished product!

8 Christina
November 20, 2008

Oh, snowflakes sound fun! Do you have a chart recommendation, or are you just winging it? It’s a really pretty sweater too… I just finished a scarf in Casbah, and I’m completely in love with it

9 Preita
November 20, 2008

I think this color is just beautiful! Sometimes plain st st sweaters are the best & most useful of them all

10 Kelly
November 21, 2008

I am a newbie reader of your blog. Have you seen the Shibui transition gloves or transition socks? I was thinking if you blended your 2.5 balls into another handspun or bought yarn, you could make the size sweater you wanted. I was thinking on the body as well as the sleeves. I wish I could spin as evenly as you! I am a newbie at that as well.