Minor Sweater Surgery: Fledgling Featherweight

This year, I've decided my goal is to knit and spin through all the yarn in my stash before I buy anything new. First thing on my list is to finish any unfinished objects hiding out in my closet. Last May I started knitting the fledgling featherweight by Hannah Fettig of Knitbot. This little cardigan was top priority as little people grow rather quickly, and who knows how much longer Sadie will be able to wear it. I knit the size 2, and the pattern is sized from age 2 to 12 years.

I put it away months ago when I only had one sleeve cuff and the collar band left to knit. I was frustrated because I didn't like the way the cuffs were knitting up. It was so sloppy and uneven and I was dropping stitches all over the place. The gauge was so loose that it was difficult to easily fix mistakes, or see them for that matter. I knit the body of the garment with size 6 Addi Turbo Lace needles which seemed to work well with the looser gauge the pattern requires. The problem happened when I switched to my Clover bamboo DPNs (double-pointed needles) to knit the sleeves in the round. You can see from the picture above a distinct line on the sleeve where the stitches begin to look a lot sloppier than the rest of the garment, especially the cuff ribbing.  

After washing and blocking the cardigan, I realized there was only one solution: re-knit the cuffs. 

I picked up stitches in the row directly below the ribbing.

I cut off the bind-off row and carefully unraveled back to my needles. This was not easy as the yarn, Malabrigo Lace Merino, is extremely sticky, especially after washing it. I then reknit the cuff with size 3 DPNs from Knit Picks in their rainbow wood. I used fresh yarn to knit these as the yarn I unraveled was felted and fuzzy and no longer very pretty. Not a big deal as I had plenty of yarn left. 

Huge difference, and I'm much happier with the result. 

Both cuffs re-knit with the waste yarn I cut off.

Oh, what a difference 3 needle sizes makes. It also had a lot to do with the slickness (or lack thereof) of the different types of needles. I have to say that at this point in my knitting journey, I definitely prefer nickel-plated needles to wood. Knit Picks rainbow wood needles aren't bad as they are a lot slicker than some of the plain bamboo ones out there. 

Great fit on my 28-lb 2-year-old. 

Yarn is Malabrigo Lace Merino in Damask Rose.

Finished Object: Eole for Girls Cardigan

Earlier this summer, we visited Guthrie, Ok and made a stop at the local yarn shop, Sealed With a Kiss.

They were having a sale.

This tub was filled with knitted samples, all discounted. Some gorgeous stuff in there. Can I climb in?

The bench outside the shop.

I got to browse the shop while he kept the little one occupied.

I found some discontinued yarn that was 70% off, so I bought a toddler's sweater's worth, and a sweater's worth for me. It's 100% wool, 8ply, DK weight. This should be a hard-wearing wool that won't pill easily. The only downside of buying a discontinued yarn is that if I run out, it will be really hard to find more. I bought all the remaining Lilac and Grey balls that they had left.

Four months later, I cast on the Eole for Girls cardigan.

It has the cleverest design; I love the unique increases on the sleeves, with its windmill pattern.

The sweater is finished with an I-cord bind-off around the entire edging. It took some fiddling with a lot of different needles, but I managed it.

Here it is finished and blocking.

And on my happy little model.

Winter Knitting

Nome, AK

Earlier this year, I spent two months in Nome, Alaska with my in-laws while my husband was deployed. We visited Nome last summer, and it reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit. It must've been some kind of record because everyone was complaining about how hot it was, even me, and I'm from Florida.  Need I mention that they don't have air conditioners up there, or even fans for that matter? 

Bering Sea

When I visited this year during the winter, the difference was phenomenal. I believe the temperature was pushing 20 below freezing. Let me tell you, this Florida girl spent quite a bit of time inside. Which was great for my knitting, as I was able to crank out quite a few projects, fueled by my daily mug of hot chocolate.

My biggest project was a sweater I knit for my husband. It was my first adult-sized sweater, and I was so happy when I finished it. It's a raglan with 6x1 ribbing, which keeps the knitting interesting, yet simple enough to knit in front of the TV.

 He braved the Oklahoma heat to model it for me.

Staci Perry, the sweater designer, also created an extremely helpful video tutorial that goes with this particular pattern. I encourage you to check out her videos, especially if you are a beginner/intermediate knitter. They have helped me tremendously. Her YouTube channel is called VeryPink Knits.

I'll leave you with some moments from Nome:

The drive to town.

Velvet Eyes, pet reindeer

Iditarod finish line

The northern lights!

Moving, Frogging, and UFOs

I have not knit or sewn or done anything remotely creative in about three weeks. We moved into a new place about a week ago, and I've been blaming the move for my lack of motivation. Current unfinished objects, stuffed sadly in a drawer:

Fledging Featherweight by Hannah Fettig I can't get over how adorable this cardigan is. It's the kid version of Hannah Fettig's Featherweight Cardigan, which is so popular on Ravelry that over 6500 projects have been uploaded. It's a top-down, raglan construction, and I'm using Malabrigo Lace in the Damask colorway. I've completed the body and only need to knit the sleeves and collar band.

Fledgling Featherweight by Hanna Fettig

Take-Me-Home Swaddle Blanket by Marie Connolly

Take-Me-Home Swaddle Blanket by Marie Connolly I've been working on this little beauty for almost two years now. I originally planned to put this in my hospital bag, but that obviously did not happen. This blanket is worked in the gorgeous linen stitch that looks and drapes like a woven fabric. I'm using Knit Picks Comfy Fingering (cotton and acrylic blend) with two strands held together. Colors are Marlin and Bison. So far I've knit 70,000 stitches on this thing.  The pattern can be found in Connolly's book, The Expectant Knitter.

How I Make My Socks by Susan B. Anderson Susan B. Anderson is one blog that I make sure and read every time it shows up in my inbox. She is such a delightful person and her patterns are so adorable. If you need a bit of sock knitting inspiration, check out her Instagram pictures. I'm knitting this plain 'ole pair of vanilla socks for my size 9 feet. Plain socks are the best because you don't have to think much while you knit. And socks are the best project for portability. The yarn is Patons Kroy Socks FX in the Celestial Colors colorway. You can find the free pattern here.

How I Make My Socks by Susan B. Anderson

Princess of Hearts by Deborah Newton

Princess of Hearts by Deborah Newton I checked out the book Heirloom Baby Knits from the library and jumped right in to making this adorable cardigan featured on the cover with eyelet-lace hearts.  After knitting about 3 inches on this thing, from the bottom edge up, I realized that it was way too wide. Almost 34 inches! That would fit one of my adult sisters. That's what I get for ignoring the little voice in my head telling me to swatch.  I sadly frogged the project (rip it!) and returned the book to the library. I figured I have plenty of projects to work on, and I can always get the book some other time.

A couple of months ago I finally received my belated Christmas present in the mail. A Schacht Ladybug spinning wheel:

I admit that I did get frustrated a lot at the beginning and had to walk away for a few days. I imagined something much more peaceful and relaxing than what I experienced during those first few hours. But, I persevered and it got easier as the bobbin began to fill with my over-twisted thick-and-thin yarn. 

My first finished bobbin

I practiced with 4 oz of bare wool from Knitpicks. I need a few more tools in my spinning repertoire such as a lazy kate and niddy noddy in order to make 2- or 3-ply yarns as well as wind the finished yarn into hanks. Right now the Bug is sitting patiently in the corner waiting for me to oil her and start back up.