purlsandmurmers

Sweater Love

The sweater called New Orleans is finished. I had hoped to finish it while I was actually in New Orleans for a sewing workshop but I overestimated my energy levels following full days of cutting, sewing, and muslin making.  I have no regrets.

 

 

I adore this sweater. 

Button detail.  Brass strawberries, already in stash.  These were one of two choices that I found that I liked in my extensive button stash, a simple mother of pearl, which was elegant but ultimately too small, and these.  I both love these and had misgivings.  Once they were sewed on, however, I think they shine.

 

 

This has worked out to be everything I wanted it to be.  It is closely fitted but not too much so, I like the 3/4 sleeves.  The shoulder shaping works and the cardigan fits well, stays where I want it to stay.  All in all a success.

 

Yarn:  Lana Grossa About Berlin Spotty in color 7, two strands held together along with a single strand of Lana Grossa Diamante.  The original pattern was written as a rather straight, boxy cardigan, but since the pattern came with only instructions for the lace stripes, a loose guideline, and no diagrams or pictures, I quickly decided to make this the way I wanted.  This meant a more fitted cardigan.

 

The original pattern also called for 5 rows of garter stitch at the hem, which I did not use.  Once I decided to opt for the fitted cardigan, I realized that, given the length I desired, adding the five rows of garter stitch would either make the cardigan too long, or place the lace bands in positions that would be difficult for either fitting, or matching at the seams.  I did add garter stitch hems on the sleeves.  The sweater hem was finished with a row of single crochet followed by a row of crab stitch, the same as the front bands.  I am quite happy with this result.

I am also happy with the matching of the horizontal lace bands, which match at side seams and sleeves.  You may notice that the distance between these bands appears further apart above and below the bust, which is true.  Short rows were added, making the center front longer than the side seams.  This allows the bands to meet at the side seams, the stripes continuing horizontally even across the bust without curving up due to the need for extra length.    I was kind of guessing at much of this as I went along, knitting, measuring, occasionally ripping and re-knitting, but I am very happy with the result.

 

 

New Orleans Cardigan, Part One

I had hoped to have another project finished by the end of May, but that isn't happening. This isn't really a problem because I am really pretty happy with the way my current project, a cardigan, is turning out, even though I am pretty much making up the pattern as I go.

 

I am calling this project New Orleans although that is not the name of the pattern.  I'm not really following the pattern anyway, or I am using it as a only rough guide so I suppose this project is a bit of a collaborative mix.

 

 

In the photo above you can see a glimpse of the cardigan in its current state.  The body has been sewn together and the first sleeve knit and inserted.  I am currently knitting the second sleeve, after which I will figure out how I wish to finish the edges and place the buttons.

 

This is the sweater I started in April and fretted about ripping out in this post,.  It is knit with three strands of yarn held together, two strands of Lana Grossa's novelty cotton blend, About Berlin Spotty, and one strand of a sequined nylon thread, also by Lana Grossa, called Diamante.  I am knitting it at a fairly loose gauge on size 10 needles.  I picked it up again the second week of May, reknit my gauge swatches, and redesigned the sweater, keeping only the pattern stitch.  

 

The original is a fairly straight boxy sweater, which sounds lovely, but I wanted something more fitted.  There are basically two reasons for this.  First, although the loose gauge makes this sweater wearable in our hotter Tennessee weather, it also tends to snag and I am terrible about snagging sweaters.  Secondly the fabric, although open, is also heavy and I did not like the way the sweater hung.  One thing I have learned is that although I don't mind loose, boxy, or flowy clothes, I want them to stay in place, wherever that place may be.

 

Because I was experimenting with a more fitted sweater, I also experimented with some fitting ideas, using a draft of the fit muslin I was working on for sewing projects.  I made the back fairly close fitting, taking a vertical dart in the center back at the waist, which I have done before.  But I also did a few things that were new, namely using a stitch marker to mark the center back which is asymmetrical, and I made the armscye and shoulder shaping different on each side, corresponding to my actual body.

 

 

You can see the back, pinned for blocking above.  As you may see in the photo above, much of the difference between the right and left back is taken up in the difference of the armscye shaping.  

 

 

The fronts were easier, more equivalent in size, although the armscye shaping was different on each side.  I also added short row shaping at the front above and below that eyelet pattern that runs across the bust line.  This was done so that the eyelet stripe would continue horizontally across the front, matching the back, and not pulling up due to the need for additional length.  I think my final result looks pretty good so far, although it took me a couple of attempts to get something that worked and looked balanced.  I suspect that there will be some fiddling with the front edge and button placement as well, but I am happy enough with how this is coming along that I am looking forward to the challenge.