FINSIHED! My Beginner Raglan Lite

This sweater is super fun because it is the LITE version of the first sweater I ever knit. 😍😍😍

The Beginner Raglan Lite by Knitatude is exactly what it sounds like- a beginner raglan sweater in a lighter weight yarn. This sweater is knit top down with eyelet raglan increases (so beginners don’t have to worry about any M1 nonsense) in garter stitch. If you can knit, purl and yarn over you got this!

The yarn I used has been in my stash for ages. It is Premier Everyday Worsted in Spa, a 100% acrylic yarn at 203 yards/100 gram skein. The yarn is incredibly soft and surprisingly not at all pilly! I haven’t decided if this will be a full washer and dryer knit, but I guess there really is no reason for it not to be. I don’t have a lot of experience knitting with acrylic yarn so I didn’t actually block this at all 😂

This piece is a little out of the norm for me since it is, as you can see, designed to have negative ease. I knit the size S, with a finished measurement of 31.5” across the bust. This gives me about 1.5 inches negative. Combined with the long length of this sweater (15 inches!) I’m still working out how this will fit in my wardrobe. To be entirely honest, I can see myself frogging back to closer to 10 inches and refinishing the hem to get a more wearable piece for me.

I thought it would be fun to throw a pic of the first sweater I knit, the Bulky version of the Beginner Lite in here for you too!

xo-LJ

FINISHED! Snøfrost Jumper

Ever knit something so stunning you can’t stop staring at it?

This beautiful jumper is my Snøfrost Jumper by thePetiteKnitter. It features all over colorwork with a full length body, boxy fit and inclusive sizing (even a “men’s” and “women’s” version!)

I don’t talk about this much on my blog (I would like to start more!) but I only choose patterns that me and all my friends can knit together. Which is to say that if a pattern doesn’t go up to 60” full chest measurement (like a knitter with that chest size can knit it, so this wouldn’t include ease) I’m just not interested in knitting it.

This jumper is constructed bottom up, with the sleeves knit separate and joined at the underarm before completing the yoke and bind off. There is a little bit of short row shaping in the back (which I always forget to mention! I know people love short row shaping). DK weight yarn and all over colorwork creates a wonderfully warm and insulated fabric. The body of the sweater is intended to be “full length”, which for me and my usual cropped sweater taste, felt VERY long. There is also no additional shaping, resulting in a cozy oversized feel when knit at the recommended positive ease.

I ordered the yarn that the original sample was knit in from Georgian Bay Fibre Co out of Canada. One interesting thing to note is that the colors on the website listings are rather misleading. I was under the impression I was ordering a beige undertone, barely there pink but clearly received a very peachy bright strawberry milkshake 😂 I am very happy with the color combination I ended up going with, but I would do a little snooping around on Instagram or Ravelry before ordering from their site.

This is the Bayfield Dk, a 100% untreated bluefaced Leicester wool in 252yards/115 gram skeins in the colors Hall’s Quarry Quartz and Brookland’s Wine. The yarn itself is surprisingly toothy from what I expected in the skein and I love the resulting colorwork I got. I chose to inverse the dark and light contrast from the original sample Weichien knit up, and think the result really pops.

One disappointing thing to note, I did not weigh my skeins when I received them and ended up running out of my “wine” color a few rows early in the yoke. Had I been knitting top down, I absolutely would have just shortened the body by about an inch and moved on. I know that the designer has increased the recommended yardage in the pattern, but if you are taking a look at my project page you will find misleading numbers. This also led to a slight “mod” in the last couple of rows. I did my decreases a bit more rapidly (followed the XS decreases for the S) skipped a knit row and cut the ribbing short by about half of an inch. I think this may have caused my neckline to be a bit more open, and I love the resulting look.

Knitting this up was very engaging and fun! Had this not been a test knit I would have probably opted to shorten the body a few inches, but am glad that I have at least one full length sweater in my wardrobe 😂 I knit the size Women’s Small which is a 35 inch full bust for my 33 inch bust and think the sizing was super appropriate and lovely. I don’t usually look forward to knitting anything twice, but I am already excited to make one for Seth! But what colors do I pick? 🥰

cheers! LJ

FINISHED! The Incredible Bulk Cardi

Coatigan anyone? This cardigan is bulky, oversized and WARM. Truly could wear this on a mild winter day and be toasty warm.

This is the Incredible Bulk Cardigan by Park Williams, who honestly always comes up with the most clever pattern names 😂 This cardigan is written out for either top down, OR bottom up, depending on preference. I decided to knit mine top down to get a good idea of fit and length as I went along (also what are the benefits of bottom up? Anyone?) but I ended up knitting everything exactly to pattern. I really love the huge sleeves and the recommendation for a vibrant pop of color this pattern includes.

The cardigan calls for a super bulky weight yarn, and recommends two colors for “statement”. I wanted to knit something overall “neutral” with a ridiculous neon cuff. I think it adds a really next level amount of fun to an otherwise, dare I say, boring color. I decided to order some yarn from Knit Picks for this project, just to try a new to me super bulky. I picked up Snickerdoodle and Chartreuse in the Tuff Puff line which is a single ply, 100% wool (44yards/100g) option. I don’t think I would choose this yarn in the future (or if I were you). I envisioned the sleeves with a lovely drape and extreme fabric pooling around my cuffs but this yarn has a very stiff hand. I also don’t really grab for this cardigan often because the yarn SHEDS. Like all over everything as I was knitting it sheds. I haven’t given it a chance to shed out and see if the fiber calms down, but I don’t really know if I want to. That is not to say I don’t LOVE this pattern however. I am already planning Incredible Bulk 2.0 with a drapey, closer to bulky but still super affordable yarn that I can’t wait to finish and show you.

I knit this pattern in the size 32 for my 33 inch full bust. I thought that the incredibly bulky nature of the fabric would lend well to negative ease so I went slightly less ease than recommended, and I was right. So much so that my husband has tried it on with his 42 inch chest and it looks amazing on him as well. The weight of the fabric and the sheer size of the sleeves opens up the raglan section so much that this cardigan is roomy and cozy and lends well to positive or negative ease across the board. I did everything Park recommended in pattern as I was test knitting, and I think the lengths turned out beautiful. One small thing that made me so happy was that the edge down the front of the cardigan did not need picking up at all, you create a sleek bound off look while knitting!

A wild fact about this knit is that it took me about two days to make. The downside was my wrists hurt for about two more days after that 😂 It was so gratifying seeing the sweater take shape so quickly at 8.5 sts/4” that I just couldn’t be stopped! Don’t recommend going so hard, but do recommend this super quick cardigan 💕

FINISHED! Sheer V Sweater

This sweater: fulfilling all my vampy sweater fantasies.

This is the Sheer V Sweater by Jessie Mae Martinson, which I truly can not say enough good things about. The sweater is constructed bottom up thru to the shoulders, with stitches picked up for the sleeves after. There is an intarsia lace panel which makes up the “sheer v” portion on the front (which was super straight forward, don’t be intimidate!), and beautiful full bell sleeves. The large gauge creates a drapey, flowy fabric, and the cropped length helps offset the large sleeves.

The body and sleeves hold a fingering weight with a lace weight strand through out, dropping only the fingering to create the illusion. I think this effect is absolutely stunning in mohair, but can image you may get a similar effect in any lace weight yarn.

The yarn I used is super special to me, because I picked them both out during meaningful trips! The fingering weight is Classic sock (100% Merino) in Drifter by Spun Right Round, which I picked up on our Honeymoon in Maine. My husband was very sweet and went to all the yarn shops I wanted the whole trip 😍😍😍 I had originally intended this to be a Ripple Crop Top (also by Jessie) but changed my mind after picking up the mohair and realizing they were perfect together. The lace weight is Will O’ the Wisp by AJHC Wools in the Forseti colorway, which I got at the Washtenaw County Fiber expo with my work friend turned real life friend Robin 💕 The expo was my first “fiber” event, and I was so excited when Robin agreed to go with me. I spent a ton of time walking in circles, trying to pick out yarn that matched exactly what I had in my mind, and am super pleased with the two held together.

I chose to knit the size 32-34 for my 33 inch full bust. I did waist shaping because I love the look of the big sleeve and a tapered sweater body. I also added about an inch to the body while knitting before starting the sheer portion. I really loved the look of the ribbing extending down the upper arm and the long, draped over the hands cuffs, and AGGRESSIVELY blocked the entire sweater. I am super happy with my finished sweater and truly wouldn’t change a single thing if I was to make this one again 🥰

xo-LJ

FINISHED! Cinnabar Sweater

First finished sweater for the decade is this sweet textured Cinnabar Sweater designed by Rachael Raimo of Maven Crafted. Can you even believe this is her first sweater pattern?

This sweater is designed with a couple of different mix and match options, but I chose to knit it with the full length fitted sleeve option. I encourage you to take a look at the project pages of other knitters as well to see the crop length, and the BELL sleeve she has also included.
My reasoning for the choices I made fall mostly in when I intended to wear this sweater. I knew I wanted to be able to wear this to work under my lab coat and I thought the bell sleeves would make that difficult. But I DO intend on making a cropped bell version in black for out of work wear 😉

The sweater construction for all versions starts out the same with raglan increases and some short rows in the middle back just after the ribbing. I absolutely love the wider neckline as this is a worsted weight sweater and tight necklines often end up too warm on me (especially in layers!) The raglan is also rather deep, giving a cozy snuggly feel. I knit the size 36 inch chest, which gives me about 3 inches of positive ease at my full bust, and I think it is perfect for this style sweater.

One thing I appreciated about the testing call Rachael put out is that her first sample was knit in a Lion Brand yarn. She knit subsequent samples in the different length and sleeve options, partnering with an Indie dyer, but I love that her first “reveal” was very approachable in terms of “cost inclusion”. I chose to knit mine in a blown yarn that I picked up at my LYS from Juniper Moon Farms. This is the Stargazer Brushed line in colorway Bacchus which is 85/15 Baby Llama/Nylon blend. This gave me a slight halo appearance, and the sweater itself is SO fuzzy and also immensely warm. I think this was my first time knitting with Llama, and actually really enjoyed it. I would love to pick up more of this yarn in the future.

Overall, this sweater was a super speedy enjoyable knit. The texture rows kept it from becoming “boring” to knit, but still was easy to knitflix during. I’m really looking forward to getting started on my second version 🥰

xo-lj

FINISHED! January Socks

My husband absolutely loves his hand knit socks, so I’ve made a promise to myself that this year I will focus on making him at least a pair of socks of month. In fact, that is one of my only “knitty goals” this year, one whole #boxosox for my very very supportive and knitworthy partner. I have of course also set very arbitrary goals, like an entire box of Christmas themed socks. I’ve even gone so far as to very recently acquiring a Christmas sock yarn stash. Both of these pairs of socks happen to be from that stash, although it may not look so on first glance.

These stripes socks are my “Jack and Sally” socks, based of course on the characters from the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas, which is arguably equally a Christmas and Halloween movie. I knit them out of a self striping yarn from Nomadic Yarns in the colorways Sally (the main body) and Jack (the contrast). The base is her “trusty” base- a 75/25 merino/nylon blend which I do think is my favorite base of theirs. It comes in a relatively generous skein, at 462yds/100grams, but also holds up extremely well to wear.

The speckled socks I finished in December, but I just recently blocked them so I thought it would be fun to share them together. The main body yarn is Yuletide by Jawbreaker Yarns with a Knit Picks Stroll heel and toe in Holly Berry

For my husbands socks, I just follow a basic formula. I cast on 72 stitches using a US1 nine inch circular needle. For these socks I did a two by two ribbing, and a simple short row heel. My husband likes his sock legs to be five inches, for peeking out of his boots but not being overly long (or maybe I convinced him he liked that length so I am not knitting 20 inch tubes). I sadly ran out of my contrast mini on my second sock, and just knit with whatever I had wound off the skein before starting the second sock to make up for the extra toe length.

Have you set any gift knitting goals this year?
xo-LJ

FINISHED! High Desert Socks

Lindsey Fowler of @lostandfawned knows how to knit a good sock pattern. I have test knit three of her sock designs so far, and have greatly enjoyed each and every one. Her latest boot sock, The High Desert Socks however just may be my favorite.

I can’t say enough good things about these socks, but let me make a list for you:

• They are knit in fingering weight held double, making them SUPER fast knits.

• Perfect for scraps. Like seriously, perfect. I used one full skein of yarn for the main color of my sock, and two scraps I had weighing 20 grams and 6 grams total.

• They are written for 7 sizes, based on CYC sizing. I love this because I know my loved ones shoe size, but have truly no ideas on specific lengths, and most certainly can not try socks on them as I go.

• They fit perfectly and make a cozy sturdy boot sock for our Midwestern winters.
  

I knit my pair on US3 nine inch circulars, which is recommended in the pattern. My main color I ordered from Lindsey’s pattern collaborator- Six and Seven Fiber Co in the colorway Grey Lady on the Clover base. The base yarn is a really lovely 75/25 Corriedale/Nylon 2ply, which I really enjoyed knitting with. As I mentioned my two contrast colors were from my big partials basket.

Lindsey and I have chatted about all of our potential partial skein, scrap combos, could knit this for a year straight dreams. I would highly recommend scrolling the project pages to get alll of the inspiration ✨

xo-lj

FINISHED! The Calla Shawl

First FO for 2020!

I saw my sister this summer at a family wedding and she mentioned wanting to wear a shawl on her winter wedding day, but being a new knitter she wasn’t sure if she wanted to make one herself. So obviously I immediately offered to make one. I waited a few months to get an idea of her dress and overall wedding vibes, and we ultimately decided on the Calla Shawl by Natasja Hornby.

This was hands down one of the most enjoyable things I have ever knit. The broken rib kept the shawl from being miles of stockinette, and watching the cable lillies emerge was almost magical. We picked out Brooklyn Tweed Arbor in the color Parka after seeing a beautiful shop sample with really amazing stitch definition, and I can’t imagine a more perfect pairing. Arbor is a 3ply DK weight 100% Targhee wool, available in a stunning range of colors. Every time I picked up this project I was super excited to work with this yarn, which has an almost bouncy quality to it. I think knowing how special this project would be for my sister helped with the excitement also :)

I knit this pattern out of a copy of Laine magizine, with the entire cable motif charted out. This was my first time knitting such large pieces with little written direction, and I had to trust what I already knew about knitting. It was very easy to read my knitting as I went along however, and I was really proud of how confident I found myself. I think it also helped having a physical copy of my chart, rather than zooming in and out on a phone.

My only “hangup” as I was knitting is that I ran out of yarn! I originally bought 7 skeins of this yarn, which is available in 145yds/50grams. According to the pattern I should have had 7 yards left over, which I know is cutting it close. But I ran out with 4 (long) rows and a picot bind off to go! Luckily my LYS had the same lot I had started with in stock, but I would recommend not cutting it close on yardage with this one.

Her wedding day ended up being a beautiful day here in Detroit. The ceremony was held in a state park conservatory, and we gathered for dinner at a near by old estate turned classy restrurant. I’m incredibly grateful I was able to contribute to her wedding in the best way I know how. 💕

xo-lj

EVERYTHING I KNIT IN JANUARY 2020

• A Wedding Shawl- So so proud of this knit for my younger sister’s big day.

• Two pairs of socks:

  • A pair of #husbandsocks- Starting this year off strong :)

  • These toasty toes boot socks

• TWO Sweaters (for myself)

  • This textured test knit- simple and sweet for keeping cozy

  • A super sexy sheer-V sweater- basically the dramatic sweater dreams are made of

EVERYTHING I KNIT IN 2019

Starting this blog in 2020 is super exciting for me as a way to document every project and talk about all the knits, all the time. Before jumping in however, I wanted to take a step back and really reflect on everything I knit in 2019. Last year was the first time I started finishing projects that weren’t socks or hats. I learned, explored, and challenged myself to try new techniques including garments, brioche, fades, colorwork, lace, i-cords, corrugated ribbing, 3-needle bind offs, and holding mohair with literally everything. I signed up for tons of test knits as a way to push myself to knit things I would ordinarily be intimidated by, and also as a way to knit along with other lovely knitters. I’m really proud of all the projects I completed last year, and am also humbled by the growth I have made in my craft. My finished object totals for last year are:

24 garments. 10 socks. 10 hats. 3 shawls. 3 cowls. 1 tie. 1 pair of fingerless mitts. 1 baby blanket.

As you can see, not all the things I have listed above are included in this photo, as they were made as gifts. To get the whole picture, including yarns and notes please feel free to pop on over to my Ravelry (and add me as a friend!) But is that not an impressive pile of knits?! At the end of the day , I know that my worthiness as a knitter will never be measured in “FO’s”, but when I look at this pile I see a years worth of learning, growing and feeling unbelievably proud of myself. I’m really looking forward to this new year of continuing in my craft, and sharing it more fully with you!

xo-LJ

Merry Christmas!