FO: Petrea (CF closed-cardigan pattern)

I was so inspired by the first CF sweater that I immediately started on a second, Petrea.  This one did not come with a recipe (there is one now, I believe) so I swatched my yarn and purchased a closed-front, short-sleeve, cardigan pattern from CF.  I did the match for placement of the lace panels myself.

This sweater came out near to perfect.  The only issue I am still debating is whether to stitch close the little 'v' at the top of the button band.  A fellow ravelry member suggested a hook-and-eye so I can still unbutton the sweater, however I don't plan to wear it open.

This is another local yarn - Sun Valley Fibers DK Bluefaced Leicester (BFL) Superwash, colorway: Frosty Pine.

I am not sure what is up next - my daughters are staring to request things again: socks for #1, a short-sleeve tee for #2, a hoodie for #3.  Thankfully #4 is happy with the hand-me-downs that are still around, but I'm sure she'll want something special when fall rolls around.

And those socks I posted about a couple months ago?  The ones for my husband?  We'll they shrank in the wash (ugh - caution: front-loading washers can do a number on superwash yarns!) and now are for me.  And I've started on another pair for him...

Great-Grandmother's Blanket

A couple weeks ago I attended the baby shower that I mentioned in a previous post.  While I was visiting my Aunt asked me to take a look at a blanket that she had received from her Mom many years ago that was developing holes.  

I was able to take the blanket home and repair it with materials that I had on-hand.  It is a lovely blanket, essentially seven strips stitched together to form a rectangle.

It turns out my Grandmother knit this blanket for her Mother-in-Law while she lived with them in the few years preceding her passing.  After a few years around the house that the blanket was passed on to my Aunt.  Our estimate is that the blanket could be more than 50 years old.

I wasn't able to color-match the patches exactly.  At first this bothered me as there are also a few stains on the blanket that I couldn't get out and now there are color irregularities all over.  But I decided that my Grandmother would likely have preferred it this way - mend it with what you have on hand, no need to purchase anything new.  So that is where it ended up.  The new colors now add to the emerging character of the blanket. 

FO: Birch Bark (CF Recipe)

**Sweater was first complete in December 2013, subsequent modifications complete in January 2014, but these photos were taken this month.**

My first CustomFit pattern!  I am so excited about this knit.  It's not perfect, it's not ideal, but it turned out just as I had hoped.

CustomFit is a new piece of proprietary knitting software developed by Amy Herzog and colleagues.  It is amazing in every way - and I thought she couldn't get more amazing after meeting her in-person last year for a "Knit to Flatter" course.

From that initial Knit to Flatter course I learned so much about knitting sweaters and fit.  As a result of that class I knit up enrobed and vignette. 

And then...

I learned about CustomFit.  This software allows you to pick a general sweater pattern (pull-over, cardigan, etc.), enter your own measurements, and enter in a custom gauge swatch.  The software will generate a pattern suited just for you and your specifications.  It is incredible.

My first sweater using CF was Birch Bark (an Amy Herzog pattern).  It turned out great, but a bit on the short side.  It's hard to know if this is a result of mis-measuring on my part, or the general pattern as I've seen other similar comments about this same sweater.

After stewing about the length for a bit I decided to add more.  I cut off the hem, picked up stitches in the round and knit down to add about 1.5 inches and a new hem.  That process wasn't without error and you can see an irregularity in the cables on the panel, but it's not terribly noticeable.  In the photo below you an see where the hem ends, and the new stitches, knit in the round, begin.

Now the length is perfect, but the sleeves are a bit short in proportion.  Learn as you go...learn as you go.

I won't go back and monkey with the sleeves on this sweater, but I have learned something about proportion - especially when looking back at photos of the sweater in its pre-modified state.  I really liked where the sleeves hit in relation to the hem and that relationship isn't the same after I added length to the body.

The yarn for this sweater came from a local mill - Blackberry Ridge in Mount Horeb, WI.  It is a natural gray, worsted weight (100% wool) that is getting softer and softer with each washing.

It is a great sweater for these transitional months that WI is so popular for.  A tank top underneath for warmer sunny days and a long sleeve tee for the chillier days.

And for comparison sake, here is a photo of the sweater pre-modification:

Wrist Pain

I have been having a bit of wrist pain over the past few months - it got quite severe during one week in the winter so I really pulled back on the knitting, have been wearing a brace for typing and sleeping, and I am happy to say that there is progress.  Not too much pain anymore.  But I needed something to occupy me during my non-knitting times and I found two fun distractions.

The first is that I became a charter member of the Center for Knit and Crochet - an organization that is taking off right here in my own community!

The other is the book No Idle Hands which was given to my at Christmas by my Sister-in-Law.  What a great read!  I am not a historian, and some of the older passages take a bit of deciphering to fully understand, but I am loving learning about the history of knitting in the United States.  A great way to take a break from the actual knitting, but still feel connected to it.

I have started knitting again this spring in earnest and can feel the tension in my wrist from time-to-time.  The night brace is brilliant and helps a lot.  As does taking my knitting in moderation.