Tag Archives: sweater

Husband Sweater: The Hem!

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Woo!  I finally made it through the body of my Husband sweater!  Phew!  That was a slog, I tell you what.  The combination of cotton yarn and acres of stockinette at a slightly-smaller-than-usual gauge made the body seem like it took for-ev-er.  (I suppose the fact that I kept getting bored and making gnomes didn’t help it go faster, either.)

As I mentioned before, I decreased very slightly down the torso, to make the sweater a little bit fitted.  And, the row before I worked the ribbing, I used a trick I learned from Elizabeth Zimmerman.  I decreased every 10th stitch ([k8, k2tog] across).  It seems like a lot of stitches to get rid of at the end.  But, it’s actually the perfect amount to decrease to make a nice, tight-fitting hem, instead of one that flips and curls away from the body.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERANow, I’m on to the hood.  Which I might need to modify, too.  The hoods on all the projects on Ravelry are a little Assassin’s Creed-y.

uploadedImage_medium2[1]But, a big hood isn’t a big deal, I suppose. Most of the time it’ll be just hanging down my husband’s shoulders, anyway.  I’ll have to think about it, and how much effort I want to put into changing the hood.

Have you ever made a hooded sweater?  How did it turn out?

Husband Sweater: The Picard Maneuver

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In case it hasn’t been perfectly clear in the last two years of blog posts, I am a big nerd.  My husband is also a big nerd.  A big exciting night with friends usually includes home-brew beer and a rousing game of Settlers of Catan.  I’ve read through the Harry Potter books  so many times that I can practically recite them.  And, even though it’s nearly 30 years old, you’ll still find us curled up on the couch watching Star Trek: TNG whenever it comes on.

So, when my husband asked me to be sure that his new sweater is long enough that he doesn’t have to preform the “Picard Maneuver,” I knew exactly what he meant.

What?  You’re not a weirdo nerd, too?  You don’t know what the Picard Maneuver is?  Let me explain.  Captain Picard, Starfleet officer and coolest bald man in the known universe, always keeps his ship and his uniform neat and tidy.  So, whenever he sat down, stood up, or otherwise mussed up his uniform, he would always tug down his uniform top to make it lay nicely.  For example:


Thus, the “Picard Maneuver.”

My husband has a couple sweaters he has to use the Picard Maneuver on.  You can understand why he is worried about the length of his new sweater.

I’ve decided not to measure the sweater.  I know, crazy.  Instead, I’m going to keep knitting and trying it on him until it is the absolute perfect length.  I’m hanging it up for a couple days to let the yarn sag naturally, especially since it’s cotton, which tends to droop more than wool.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThis weekend, I plan on knitting the rest of the waistband, based on how long it ends up looking on my husband.  Hopefully, all this elaborate hanging up, trying on, and re-trying on will make the Picard Maneuver unnecessary.

Do you have any clothes you have to do the Picard Maneuver on?  How do you prevent it?

Inspiration: Wood

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5 years ago this week, my husband and I threw an awesome party in a city park in Austin.  It was pretty great.  There was a swing band, a margarita machine, a taco bar and peacocks running around (because why not?).

Oh, and we got married.

26018_10100112108749980_1067908_nIt was probably one of the best days of my life.  We had friends and family come in from across the country (and overseas) and we had the best time ever.  It was a great big fun party, and the best part was that I was married to my best friend at the end of it.

(Ew, gross.  Sorry.  I figured I should say something sappy for my fifth anniversary, since that’s kind of a big deal.  But who wants to hear this stuff? No one…  Let’s talk about yarn instead.)

The traditional gift for fifth anniversaries is wood.  (Who says it’s traditional?  I don’t know.  Someone on the internet.)  But, since I’m me, and wool isn’t the traditional gift until the 7th anniversary, let’s use some creative license and look at wood-inspired knitting patterns.

I love the complicated-looking cables on this hat.  Very cool.

Wood Hollow Hat by Kirsten Kapur4160940108_f5785d7ea0_z[1]The last thing I need to make myself is another over-sized pullover, but this one is so pretty, I might have to make an exception.  The subtle tree-branch cables are gorgeous!

Wood Pullover by Carrie Bostick Hoge

DSC_0900_medium2[1]This gorgeous blanket would be fantastic over the back of a leather wing-back chair beside a fireplace in a cabin high up in the Cascades.  Or, on my Ikea couch, next to my TV.  One or the other.

Wooded Trail Throw by Michael del Vecchio

Uptown_DK_Mtn_Ridge_Knits_Wooded_Trail_Throw_Ravelry_medium2[1]Happy Anniversary, Tristan!  I love you!  Here’s to many more happy years together!  (Sorry, everyone. I’m done with the mushy stuff. Promise!)

Are you married?  How long?  What was your last “traditional” anniversary present?

Inspiration: Grantchester

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Have you been watching Grantchester on Masterpiece Mystery?  On my PBS station, it’s been airing at 10:30 on Sunday nights (after Downton Abbey and after the horrifyingly bad Downton wrap-up show), in what is possibly the worst time slot available.

Despite that, it’s a really good show.  (And available to watch online.)  It’s a fairly standard, slightly dark, amateur-detective show (one of my favorite genres), set in the charming British countryside, where a charming country vicar and a slightly-less-charming-but-still-quite-charming police detective team up to work together to solve the surprisingly high number of murders that happen in their sleepy little village.

But, like with most period dramas on PBS, my favorite part are the costumes.  I mean, who wouldn’t want to wear dresses like these:

Bz0BRLOIMAAa8oX[1]Totally gorgeous!

And, I have to say, the knitting game for this show is simply top-notch.

Example 1: A fantastic crochet bed jacket.

Grantchester-S1-E3-Slideshow-BTS-04-scale-690x390[1]Example 2: A gorgeous graphic-knit cardigan.

Grantchester-Scene-Icons-Episode-1[1]Example 3: Not one, but two beautiful (and practical) cardigans.  I particularly love the geometric trim on the one on the right.

Grantchester-2014-imagini-4[2]This show makes me want to start on a new cardigan of my own.

This one is sort of 50s-by-way-of-80s, with a pretty lacy pattern.

Poppy by Patons

Poppy_Cardigan_medium[1]And this one is totally sharp.  I love the pinstripes and mitered corners.  Very cool.

Jasper by Louisa Harding

3978086382_1d8e60c1d8_z[1]Do you have a favorite decade of fashion?

Husband Sweater: The Body

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My husband’s sweater is coming along (slowly, but I’m still making progress).  It’s looking pretty good, if I say so myself.

I split off the arms a while ago and have been working on the body.

See?

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI actually modified the body a bit from the pattern, which should make the sweater a little more fitted.  When I was measuring my husband’s favorite cardigan to pick the size for this one, I noticed that the torso was slightly tapered.  The chest measurement was 40″, while the waist was 36″ around.

I figured, why not add a little waist shaping into this sweater?  That’s why we knit, right?  To make beautiful, customized garments.

So, it was time to do some math (Yay!).

I knew I wanted to decrease 4″ (which comes to about 20 stitches, based on my gauge).  And, I wanted to arrange the decreases in pairs underneath the armpits, along the “side seams” (this sweater is knit in the round, so there aren’t seams, but you can imagine where they would be).  This means, that each time I work a decrease row, I’m decreasing 4 stitches (2 under each arm).

So: 20 decreases total / 4 decreases per row = 5 decrease rows.

I wanted the decrease rows to be spread evenly down the torso.  Based on the Emilien pattern, there are 88 rows between the armpits and the top of the hem ribbing.

So: 88 rows total / 5 decrease rows = 17.6

Because you can’t knit .6 of a row, round to 18.  So, I work a decrease row (decreasing 4 stitches under the arms) every 18th row (ish).

A couple inches doesn’t seem like it’d make a lot of difference, but you’d be surprised.  Adding just a few k2togs will change this sweater from a standard, boxy cardigan to a cool, slightly fitted one.  I hope my husband will like it!

Pulled out of shape

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I have a sweater that I totally love.  It’s flattering and a really pretty color.  It goes with just about everything. I love wearing it.

But.

It gets pulls in it if you look at it wrong.

I don’t know if it’s the yarn or the stitch pattern, but something about this sweater makes it super easy to pull.  Velcro on my backpack  will totally mess it up, and I’ve accidentally zipped it in my rain coat more times than I would like to admit.

Luckily, pulls aren’t too hard to fix, if you’ve got two minutes and a tiny bit of patience.

First of all: Don’t cut them off!!  (I’ve had folks offer to cut off my pulls, and that makes me freak out.  There’s nothing scarier than a non-knitter coming at my favorite sweater with a pair of shears.  Holes in my beautiful sweater?  No!  *Shudder*)

OK, so here’s my pull.  It was kind of fluffy, because it got velcro-ed, so I tugged on it a little bit to straighten out the fibers in the pulled ply so I could see what I was doing.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThis pull is only one ply of yarn, so I have to get the rest of the plys out of the knitting to match this problem one.  Look at the knitting at the bottom of the pull to find the rest of the strand of yarn.  See it there?   (If your pull is a whole strand of yarn, skip this step.)

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI used a tiny sock needle to really yank on the yarn to get the whole strand to match the single ply.  This will seem wrong, disturbing and uncomfortable.  It will look worse before it gets better, but I promise, it will get better.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERANow, here comes the fun part.  Look to either side of your super-duty pull.  See where the stitches are all tight from all your yanking?  Use your needle to start moving yarn from the pull to either side and loosening up the stitches.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAKeep moving along, tugging the tight stitches and evening out the yarn to make them match the rest of your knitting.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOnce you’ve gotten most (if not all) of the pull redistributed, give your knitting a good tug in a couple of direction to set the stitches.

And, voila!  Your sweater is good as new!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Inspiration: Mrs. Drewe

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I love me some Downton Abbey, but I always am disappointed about the lack of knitwear on the show.  I guess knitting just isn’t classy enough for Lady Mary and Co.

But, my new favorite character has no problem with rocking a super-cute cardigan.  Mrs DreweIt’s Mrs. Drewe, Marigold’s adoptive mother (and most ridiculously portrayed character in the show.  We’re supposed to think of her as a jerk for not wanting Edith to hang around Marigold.  I don’t know about you, but if a weird, entitled lady who happens to also be my landlord kept sniffing around my kid, I would go all mama bear, too.  Just my two cents.)

Mrs Drewe2Anyway, look at her adorable cardigan!  I think it’s crocheted (though it’s kind of hard to tell).  I love the understated, all-over texture, and that shade of pale, gray-brown would go with just about everything (especially her robin’s-egg blue blouse).  I might have added a row or two more to the cuffs, but that’s just me.

Want to make your own?

This cardigan has a similar shape, but I’d make the sleeves longer, remove the bobbles, and add more buttons:

Summer Breeze Cardi by Elena Malo

CTMJ09YOKECARDI 01This one uses an interesting crochet stitch to make a very cool all-over texture pattern, though it is a bit different than Mrs. Drewe’s.

Sparkling Crochet Cardi by Heather Lodinsky

WR2134_project_medium2[1]Or, maybe you’re not a crocheter.  This knit sweater features a texture across the front and back that echoes Mrs. Drewe’s sweater.  (Also, super cute!  I might have to make one for myself with my fancy buttons.)

Tinder by Jared Flood

Tinder3_medium2[1]Who’s your favorite Downton character?

Husband Sweater: Slow and Steady

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I’ve been working away on the sweater for my husband, and I’m starting to make progress.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI’m already to the armpits!  Woo!  Now I just have to do the rest of the sweater…

The yarn I’m using is a really lovely cotton yarn, and I’m totally in love with the finished fabric.  It’s crazy soft and luxurious-feeling (especially the swatch that I put through the washing machine)!  I know my husband is going to love it.

But you know what I don’t love?  Actually knitting with the stuff.  There’s something about cotton that is kind of hard on my hands.  I don’t know if it’s the fact that it has almost no spring, or if it is stickier on my needles than wool, but it’s a little bit of a pain to knit.  Instead of sitting down in the evening and working through several X-files episodes, like I usually do, I’ve been slogging my way through a couple rows per night, which is making this sweater rather slow going.

But, I think I’m really going to like the finished product (or at least I hope I will!)

Are there any fibers you don’t like working with?  Or am I just being crazy?

The Husband Sweater: Yarn!

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My husband picked out the pattern for his sweater, and the yarn, too. And here it is:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAKnit Picks Comfy Sport in Planetarium and Whisker (AKA, navy blue and gray).

Let’s just take a moment to remember the example pictures on the pattern:

img_4328_medium2_medium[1]I wonder where he got the idea for a blue and gray sweater?  A sweater with stripes is far enough out of his comfort zone, so I’m not going to raise a stink about the color choice.  (And, he is a Ravenclaw, so I suppose blue and silver is pretty on point.)

The yarn is a cotton/acrylic blend, which I usually wouldn’t use for a sweater.  But, my husband runs super warm, so anything with even a touch of wool doesn’t get worn, except on vacation to the Great White North.  So we’ll see how it works as a sweater.  Have any of you knit a sweater out of cotton?

I worked up a little swatch on size 5 needles:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI got gauge with size 5 needles, not size 7, like the pattern suggests.  Which is weird.  I’m usually a pretty average knitter, but I guess I won’t argue with the swatch gods.  Maybe it has to do with the fiber content?  Cottons don’t really stretch, but wool (like the pattern asks for) is quite stretchy.  We’ll just have to see.

Cross your fingers for me!

 

 

Husband Sweater: The Beginning

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This year, I didn’t even try to get my husband’s Christmas present finished in time.  I didn’t even have time to start it before Christmas.

(Sorry, Tristan.)

Instead, when we did our gift exchange, I told him my plan.  I am going to make him a sweater of his choice.

And, because the last one I made for him never gets worn (except when we go back to the Midwest for Christmas Break), I asked him to pick out everything about the project, so that he would end up with exactly the sweater he wants.

He’s typically pretty simple in his clothing choices, so I suggested a few patterns for him to start from.  He’s a big cardigan guy, so I started there:

Cambridge Jacket by Ann Budd

I could see Tristan wearing this sweater all the time.  It’s simple (almost too simple), and very manly.  No goofy colors or weird stitches.  Not even a button band.

3500883460_570d467ee9_z[1]Ranger by Jared Flood

I really like this sweater, even though it’s a little fancier.  (I actually might make this for myself.  I guess just like Jared Flood Sweaters… I’m actually wearing my Cobblestone, right now.)

Ranger1_medium2[1]But, no.  Tristan would have none of the sweaters I suggested.  He went down to his office in the basement, and looked at Ravelry for more than an hour.  (I thought he was playing Diablo… apparently not.)

And he picked out this one:

Émilien by Ariane Caron-Lacoste

img_4328_medium2_medium[1]I know!  Crazy!  Colors! Stripes! A hood!

But, as surprising as it was, he was very sure about what he wanted.  So, here we go!  A stripey, zip-up hoodie for my husband.