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Knitting Update: Citron

Posted on May 4, 2014 by Joyce Makes Art

Ever since the start of the Adventurous April Knitalongs I've been spending every minute I could manage knitting. So I've made good progress on each of my projects although I haven't been blogging.

The first project I want to share is Citron, with more to come later this week.

If you've never done a garter tab start to a shawl before, it can be a bit intimidating. You have to think about it right: to make the start look like a semi-circle, you will cast on a few stitches and knit for a few rows before picking up stitches along the edges to get your shawl off to the right start. Don't be afraid to stick your needle into any available space between the stitches as long as you're consistent. Doing several swatches to see what approach you like best is a life skill! I've made it through two repeats and am pleased with the colors and the drape, so on we go.

The yarn is Elliebelly Moth & Goat, a blend of silk and cashmere that has just the right drape for Citron. Although I didn't think about it in advance, the yellow color makes the shawl in progress look like a big slice of lemon!

The Start of Adventurous April

Posted on April 20, 2014 by Joyce Makes Art

This week saw the start of the Adventurous April Knitalong. In keeping with the mood, I cast on all four of my planned projects the first day.

1-Lente: I'm knitting a Lente cowl in Elliebelly Premium British Merino. This is a paintbrush colorway I kept a couple of skeins of for myself. This is an easy knit and once you settle into the pattern after a few rows, you need neither look at the pattern nor use stitch markers as it's a simple repeat of two different rows. This one is all about the colors. I'm looking forward to wearing it.

2-Citron: I got a small start on this pattern, but won't work on it seriously until I get the others further along. I expect this to be a long term project that I can work on over the summer. I am in love with the yarn, Elliebelly's Moth 'n Goat, which is incredibly soft. The Marmalade colorway is a bit lighter on this yarn than on other fibers and very pretty.

3-Canadian Summer: This pattern was written by local knitter Susan Barstein. It's a sweet piece of shimmering froth. It is literally shimmering, because this yarn has a beautiful, almost metallic, shine to it. I'm going to finish the Lente Cowl before I take this one up in earnest, because the stitch patterns are just similar enough that knitting the two at once leads to confusion and mistakes. Sadly, I know this now and I know that this yarn is very splitty when you are unknitting it. So, Canadian Summer will wait until Lente is done.

4-Antler: I'm knitting the baby sweater version of Antler. The yarn is a baby camel that I dyed up with dark green/black low lights, and I'm pleased with how it is knitting up. So far, I've knit a big piece of stockinette, which will become the body of the sweater. Next up, the sleeves.

I snuck in one extra project, and casted on a square for the Barn Raising Quilt, that you are all probably getting tired of hearing about. This square is in Elliebelly Juliet Sock yarn in the Provence colorway.

Adventurous April has given me a good stock of Works in Progress so that there is always something to pick up and work on during a soccer game or a movie. Combined with my other projects, I feel like I've got plenty of knitting to get me through the summer.

A Sweater That Fits

Posted on April 13, 2014 by Joyce Makes Art

I'm ridiculously proud of this sweater. It fits. And that hasn't always been the case with my knitting!

Earlier knitters indicated the pattern was a tight fit and to size up. I swatched, I measured, I did the math. I needed a size large on the bottom and a medium on top, with sleeves in an in-between size. So I fiddled with all the numbers, with the help of some very nice people on Ravelry.

The sweater is fitted. and its meant to be worn buttoned up, so it really mattered to get the fit right. And as you can guess from it' slightly loose fit on Miss E, it fits me perfectly. It fits so perfectly that she really can't steal this one from me!

The pattern is incredibly clever — as you form the leaves with yarn overs and decreases you also accomplish shaping for the sweater. I was easily able to adjust the length in the right place for my petite frame by omitting a few rows in between the leaves on the bottom and the leaves on top. As someone who suffers through alterations of everything I purchase, it's delightful to have a sweater where the waist actually hits at the waist!

I love the sweater so much that I finished it was a set of buttons I purchased on our Iceland trip. They look as though I purchased them for the sweater, although I didn't, and make it truly one of the most satisfying items I've knitted.

Preparing for Adventurous April

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Joyce Makes Art

I'm going to start four projects for Adventurous April. They are four very different knitting adventurous that I hope to make good progress on and complete during the course of the summer. If you're interested in joining us, the adventure knitalong starts April 15, but you can join us at any time.

First up for me is the Antler Baby Sweater, knit in Elliebelly Baby Camel. I'm indulging this month by knitting more than test swatches of my own yarn, and three of my four projects will be knit in different types of Elliebelly Yarn.

Next, I'm going to knit a Lente Cowl in Elliebelly Premium British Merino. This pattern was designed by Monika Sirna, who is also the author of the Lutz Jump Hat I knit last month. Lutz Jump was a fairly complicated knit, but the pattern was very clear and well written, so I am really looking forward to Lente.

I am SO excited to be knitting Citron! I've wanted to do one forever — it looks like a little piece of froth to float around your neck on a cool evening. The yarn is Elliebelly Moth 'n Goat — a silk/cashmere blend and I am excited beyond belief to be using it for Citron. This project is my odds on favorite to be first cast on.

The final project is in our KNIT ALL THE THINGS category, for knitters who wanted to pick their own pattern and knit it with the group, rather than knitting one of our official knitalong patterns. Susan Barstein writes wonderful patterns, and I've had her Canadian Summer pattern and the yarn to knit it, Blue Sky Alpacas' Metalico, in my stash for a while. I agonized over pattern selection for the KATT, but I'm so happy to be casting on Susan's awesome cowl.

Ravelry is a really wonderful place where knitters come together. Adventurous April, and events like it are one of my favorite parts of Ravelry. I hope you'll come along and join us — you can knit, watch us knit, cheer us from the sidelines or whatever, but because Ravelry encourages more experienced knitters to help newer knitters get started, this knitalong is appropriate for anyone of any skill level.

Why I Love A Good Knitalong

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Joyce Makes Art

In the past, I rarely participated in knitalongs (KALs). The deadlines didn't fit into my work schedule and family life and it wasn't always easy to find the right group knitting the right pattern. I've flirted with KALs a couple of times, but after the fun of Malabrigo March with its Multi-KAL approach, I'm a serious convert. The enthusiasm and the support were contagioius.

I still have four unfinished projects from Mal March, but I got a good headstart on them. My Modern Garden sweater is almost done and there is one last project, Amy March Slippers, that I have yet to cast on but am looking forward to doing.

During the fall of 2013, I decided to catch up on all of my knitting. I finished up everything I was working on except for two long terms projects, my Barnraising Quilt (because it really does take a long time to knit a quilt out of sock yarn) and my Summit Fairhope Shawl, because I have to be completely alone and undisturbed to keep up with the pattern, which doesn't happen a whole lot. Other than those two long term projects, I was going to be one of those knitters who worked on one project at a time and finished it before moving on.

But I'm not that knitter. I'm a CAST ON ALL THE THINGS kind of girl. And, sometimes you just have to know who you are. In addition to the Mal March leftovers, and the long term projects, I've got a Storm Cloud Shawlette cast on that I work on when I need to keep my hands busy so my mind can focus on complex issues.

All the yarn

I'm getting ready to finalize my choices for the Adventurous April KALs on the Elliebelly group, which start in just five days! I've got all of this yarn pulled out and am mulling over my pattern choices and planning to swatch over the weekend. I can't wait to see everyone else's knitting and get going with my own.

I Have Sleeves

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Joyce Makes Art

I don't knit a lot of sweaters, so everytime I do, I tend to see something new.

Modern Garden is no exception. In this sweater, you knit the sleeves from the bottom row up to about chest high. Then, you knit them into the body of the sweater, keeping up with the patterning on the sleeves and in the yoke (and remembering to place your buttonholes, which has been an issue for me on this one) and complete the sweater.

The sleeves are bulky and I'm knitting them on DPNs, instead of magic loop because I don't have an additional circular needle in this size. They were a little too cumbersome to take along with me on vacation, so I put the sweater aside and worked on hats while I was away.

But I picked the sweater back up last night and am working on sleeves. The first one is ready to incorporate into the yoke and my hope is to have the second one there tonight so I can put everything together and move on to the yoke next week.

And, a reminder. We are starting a Knit Along on the Elliebelly Group on Ravelry on April 15. You're welcome to join us — you can knit with any yarn you choose and there is no official date you have to finish by. We would love to have you, whether you are a new knitter or a more experienced one.

Adventurous April at Elliebelly

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Joyce Makes Art

It's Knit Along Time at Elliebelly. Adventurous April starts on April 15 and (mercifully) doesn't have a deadline. You can knit with any yarn that you like — those with Elliebelly still in their stash, me included, are planning on using it, but any yarn is fine. We've chosen four patterns to focus on, but there is also a catchall "Knit All The Things" category for those who want to knit other patterns but hang out for the camaraderie.

The pattern choices are:

Citron - a shawlette
Abalone - a seamless, short sleeved cardigan
Lente - an easy cowl that can be knit in any weight
Antler - a cute little baby cardigan that is a perfect first cables project

Please come and join us! Anyone is welcome. You can find the Elliebelly Group on Ravelry here (if you aren't a Ravelry member, it's a free, easy sign up and a must for knitters). There is a sticky post with the rules here and you can find some background on Adventurous April here and here.

Everyone needs a knitting adventure now and then. Come and knit. Make new friends and drool over the prizes. And even though there isn't a deadline for finishing your project(s), you're sure to walk away with something you will love.