Plan B Cardigan

My "Plan B" cardigan is now finished and tucked away for safe keeping until next September. I refuse to wear it until then because I'd like to enter it in the 2023 Chilliwack Exhibition and the amount of dog hair Teddy would add in the meantime would not be considered an enhancing decorative element.

I would have liked a little more room in the sleeves, they are a bit narrow for wearing over other sleeved shirts. Otherwise the cardigan fits well.

I changed a couple of things about the pattern. First I omitted the notch and instead added short rows in the neckline portion of the button band to bring it closer to the neck. 

Second, I changed the size and placement of the buttonholes. The pattern called for four 4 stitch buttonholes unevenly spaced. I chose to do five 2 stitch buttonholes evenly spaced. My two stitch buttonholes were all that were needed for these large 1 inch buttons.

Other than that the cardigan was knitted as written by Hinterm Stein. Her attention to detail is exquisite.

Debuting 18 Years Later

Have you ever made something, loved the making of it, loved the finished item, but then never ever wore it?

That has been the fate of my gorgeous beaded Peacock Feathers Shawl, knit way back in 2005. I don't think I've worn it a single time! Well that is about to change. I'll wear it casually, as above, to FibresWest next Saturday. 

Here's how I displayed it for the finished object pictures in September of 2005. It shows off the lace pattern nicely, but I never wear a shawl that way. 

According to my Ravelry project page notes, the finished shawl weighs only 3 3/4 ounces with the beads. Without the beads it would have weighed less than 3 ounces. 

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Are you wearing green today for Saint Patrick's Day? Although I'm not Irish I still make a bit of an effort to wear green on March 17. I think it's a leftover from my school days when not wearing green, Irish or not, was likely to get you pinched. this year I also made a little green doll's dress.

The model is Ruby Red Fashion Friend's Sara. She is wearing a dress I sewed using a Adams-Harris pattern, "Kate". The dress is supposed to be worn with a little pinafore, but I'm still waiting for a lace insertion for that. The leggings and faux long sleeves were sewn long ago when I had ball jointed dolls.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

 

Targhee, a New Favorite

I initially had a bit of a fight with my new Nano2 electric spinner, but after sorting out a problem with the developing single not wanting to wind on, all went well and I had three little bobbins of lovely Targhee breed wool singles as a reward for my perseverance.

I then plied the 3 together to get this luscious 3ply 100g hank of squishy, bouncy goodness.

 

I think Targhee may be my new favorite to spin. It is soft to the touch and easy to spin. What more could a spinner want? Well --- MORE Targhee, that's what I want! Several sweaters worth would be nice.

Targhee is an American breed of sheep developed by crossing Lincolns and Rambouillets. I hope it soon becomes a more popular, and therefor more readily available wool, in Canada.

Setback

I finished and bound off the left front of my "Plan B" cardigan and admired it, with it's lovely contrasting patch pocket, then I went on to pick up stitches for the back portion. 

I had all 104 stitches for the back picked up when I realized that they seemed to be off centre, so I counted the remaining stitches. Something was off!

It only took me a moment to realize that I had not made adjustments for the additional 12 stitches added for the shaping of the A-line version of the cardigan. The pattern does mention in a small side note that the shaping will throw off the stitch count from that point forward. I forgot, and it is not mentioned again in the instructions. In this left front portion my error is a difference of only 3 stitches, but I'll have to frog it anyway. *sigh*

At least I hadn't knit the entire lower back section as well, before noticing my error. Besides, it's all knitting anyway, and I like knitting, right?

Bouncing Around Between Hobbies

Yesterday I managed to work on two different knitting projects. I also got a good start on an involved bag sewing pattern, and I spent some time weaving at one of the looms. It was a good day. I'm bouncing around from one hobby to another, not because of a lack of attention, but to reduce muscle strain from spending too long doing any one particular thing. 

It was nice to get a bit of weaving done. It's been awhile!

Happy Valentine's Day

 A top secret project can be revealed now that the gifts have been delivered.

These two versions of "Louie the Lovebot" were knit up last month and have been waiting around to become Valentine's Day gifts for my teenage granddaughters. They seemed to have been well received.

The pattern by Rebecca Danger was at one time a freebee on the Knitpicks website.