Blueberry Hill Crafting

Posts Tagged with sweater

Smitten by mohair

My second go-round knitting one of my new patterns from By Hand Serial Lookbook No. 9. This time, I wanted a completely different look, so instead of a rustic, “sheepy” yarn, I used fingering weight, knit at a fairly open gauge, double-stranded with mohair. The result is a soft, warm yet light pullover that drapes beautifully and looks like a soft spring morning 🙂

Pattern: Mahone Bay Pullover

Yarn: The Wool Barn Cashmere Sock 4-ply (80% super wash merino / 10% cashmere / 10% nylon) – 2 1/2 skeins (383 yds/ea) in color Smitten, knit double-stranded with La Bien Aimee Mohair Silk (70% mohair / 30% silk) – 1 1/2 skeins (547 yds/ea) in color Bois de Rose

Size: M

Needles: US 8s and 7s (ribbing)

Notes: I used a small bit of stash yarn for the CC (unlike the original, I knit the ribbing in MC and used CC only for the garter bump accent).


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Cardigan blues

Pattern: Lunenberg Cardigan – my design, published in By Hand Serial Lookbook No. 9

Yarn: The Wool Barn Cashmere Sock 4-ply (80% super wash merino / 10% cashmere / 10% nylon) – 4 skeins (383 yds/ea) in color Favourite Jeans

Size: M

Needles: US 4s and 3s (ribbing)

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Lunenberg Cardigan

This is one of my patterns from the newest issue of By Hand Serial: Lookbook No. 9. I think it might be my favorite – it is, in my opinion, the perfect wear-anywhere, wear-with-everything, three-season cardigan! Knit in fingering weight yarn, it can take on just about any look you want, showcase any yarn you love, and it’s never too heavy or bulky. I already have a second one on my needles 🙂

Pattern: Lunenberg Cardigan in By Hand Serial: Lookbook No. 9

Yarn: HW Woolworks Hand Dyed Merino (or any fingering weight yarn) – 4 skeins (365 yds/ea)

Size: Medium

Needles: US 4s (and US 3s for ribbing)

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Kapsel Cardigan

I love how this one came out – so soft and snuggly, what a warm and wonderful cardigan! I think it’s likely that the yarn is going to pill – it’s not spun very tightly – but I’m going to enjoy it as long as it lasts 🙂

Pattern: Kapsel Cardigan by Shannon Cook

Yarn: La Bien Aimee Merino Aran (100% superwash merino) – 8 skeins (181 yds/ea) in color Yellow Brick Road

Needles: US 6s

Size: 38″

This was definitely not a quick knit – the all-over textured pattern takes more time, but it’s not a difficult stitch, and it’s fun to see how it develops.


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Winterfell Cardigan

Pattern: Winterfell Cardigan Aran
Yarn: La Bien Aimee Merino Aran – 6 skeins (181 yds/ea) in color Caramel
Size: M2
Needles: US 7s and 6s (ribbing)

I’m so glad I went with what I thought would be a larger size – M2 is supposed to be a finished bust measurement of 42.75″. However, I ended up with only a slight bit of positive ease, and I have a 37″ bust – this definitely didn’t give me almost 6″ of ease! I also knit it several inches longer – around 16″ from armhole to hem. I was hoping for a bit of an oversized cardigan, but I ended up with a nice (but close) fit.

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Illimani Pullover

Trying to get a 13-year-old to be serious during a photoshoot is a fruitless task . . .

I knit this sweater for me, but hated how it looked on – I should have guessed, since bat-wing cropped is not my best look 🙂  I think it’s adorable on her, though.

Pattern:  Turtle Dove

Yar:  Illimani Amelie (56% mulberry silk / 40% baby alpaca / 4% merino) – 5 skeins (164 yds/ea) in color Hunter

Needles:  US 10s and 9s (ribbing)

Size:  M (54.25″)

It’s too bad, because this yarn is so incredibly soft, I’d love to wear it next to my skin!  I bought a SQ’s worth at The Mariner’s Daughter in Nova Scotia, and then really struggled to come up with a pattern that was a good match to the yarn – I think this one is, it just isn’t my style.

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Shades of Alpaca cardigan

This one goes in the “fail” category – I substituted yarn and I thought I got gauge, but it must not have been the case as this came out WAY too small.  I don’t like several of the design elements, as well – too much waist shaping for me, the sleeves don’t fit well at the shoulders (makes me look like a linebacker), and I don’t like how the collar turned out (I like the idea of folding the collar over to make it double-thick, but when I knit the button bands up to the sides of the collar, one side tweaked out really badly and I couldn’t fix it, even with blocking).

Pattern:  White Pepper Cardigan by Alicia Plummer
Yarn:  Hinterland Range (50% alpaca / 50% wool) – four skeins in Maple, with partial skeins in Honey and Snow for the sleeve striping
Needles:  US 8s (I tried going up a size to get bigger gauge, but it made the fabric too open and floppy)
Size:  41″

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Dunes Dolman Cardigan – made for beach walking

 

I recently finished knitting one of Brooklyn Tweed’s new patterns; I liked the focus on texture and the unique shaping of this piece.  It took a while – the stitch pattern calls for a K1 P1 rib every other row – but the FO is beautiful and wearable.  My only hesitation is that the fabric produced by this yarn, while very soft and lovely to wear, feels somewhat fragile, as if it may stretch under the weight of the garment (even though it’s got a little nylon in the fiber).  I was very careful when wet blocking it, because it could have easily stretched way out of shape, and I even tossed it in the dryer for 20 minutes at the end to tighten everything up a little.  The sweater is already a little on the long side, so I’d prefer that it not stretch any further!

I went with the second smallest size – not my usual size range, but even though this garment calls for a lot of positive ease, anything larger seemed just gigantic.  I’m glad I chose the size I did, as this piece is already pretty oversized all over – any bigger and it would have felt like draping on an overcoat.

Pattern:  Dunes Dolman Cardigan

Yarn:  Magpie Fibers Swanky DK (80% superwash merino / 10% cashmere / 10% nylon) – 5 skeins (250 yds/ea) in Pretty in Pink

Needles:  US 6s and US 4s (for ribbing)

Size:  46″

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The Dog Walker

A great basic – I love this grey color, it’s warm and cozy, goes with everything, and a flattering fit.  Plus, it knit up in just five days!  The yarn is 100% yak and it feels really wonderful – like alpaca, but without so much drape and stretch.

Pattern:  The Dog Walker

Yarn:  The Plucky Knitter Yakkity Aran (100% yak) – 6 skeins (160 yds/ea) in color Peppercorn

Needles:  US 10s and US 8s (for broken ribbing)

Size:  42″ (I was worried that this would be too big, but the pattern recommended 6-8″ of ease, and this would have given me about 4″ – I don’t actually think it gave me that much ease, so I’m glad I went with this size!)

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Willapa Cardigan

The perfect go-anywhere, where-with-anything cardigan!  I think that Fossil is the perfect neutral, and because it’s knit in Loft, it’s lightweight enough to be worn year-round, and feels light as a feather.

Pattern:  Willapa Cardigan

Yarn:  Brooklyn Tweed Loft in color Fossil (7 skeins)

Size:  38-40″

Needles:  US 5s

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Knitting with Peerie

I finished this in a week – lots of car knitting on the way to vacation! – as a test knit for Jenn Steingass of Knit.Love.Wool.  I used Brooklyn Tweed’s new fingering weight yarn Peerie, and love how it knits up at a looser gauge – the resulting fabric is very soft but light.  I’m not as crazy about the color as I was when I bought the skeins – I would have preferred something more summery in retrospect, especially since I opted for the short-sleeve version.

Pattern:  Anaashah by Knit.Love.Wool

Yarn:  Brooklyn Tweed’s Peerie (100% domestic merino) – 5 skeins (210 yds/ea) in Gingersnap and one skein in Muslin

Needles:  US 5s (I used US 3s for the sleeve ribbing, but stuck with US 5s for the bottom hem ribbing)

Size:  C (finished bust of 43″, which should have given me over 5″ of positive ease, but I think I ended up with a lot less than that)

Also, be warned – this yarn REALLY stretches when it’s blocked!  I think it grew by at least 3″ – so much so that it went from a fairly short fit (15″ from armpit to hem) to overly long (at least 17″, maybe longer).  It bothers me enough that I’m going to re-block it and be more careful this time about setting the length.Pin It

Long Dog Cardigan

 

I’ve been working on this pattern for some time now – it gives me a chance for one of my favorite colorwork combinations, speckles and complementary solids.  I love this particular color combo, but I have another in the works to test out some tweaks to the pattern before it’s ready for publishing.

The yarn is Long Dog Yarn – in my opinion, her speckles and tonal solids are some of the most beautiful, saturated and brilliant yarn colors out there!  The yarns are all fingering weight, knit held double to approximate a worsted weight knit on US 6s.

Pattern coming soon!

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My version of a Camel Hair Coat

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I love this version of my Red Spire Cardigan, knit in the luxurious and utterly wonderful Clever Camel yarn.

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This yarn (actually made from camel hair!) has such loft and lightness, but with a wonderful cozy warmth.  It’s truly perfect year-round!

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Yarn:  11 skeins of Clever Camel (100% baby camel), color Naked, 110 yds/ea

Needles:  US 7s or 8s (uh-oh, guess I didn’t take very good notes . . .)

Size:  41″

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Walk in the Woods pullover

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I’ve just released my newest pattern – Walk in the Woods.  This comfortable, classic pullover is perfect for unpredictable spring weather – wear it alone or over a light layer, stick it under your raincoat or over a skirt – this is a wear-anywhere piece that knits up quick!  Little details add to the overall appeal of the pullover; the hem splits right at the side seam to give you extra movement and keeps the edge from rising up, and the seamed construction keeps the shoulders tidy, not slouchy.  The yarn – two types of Isager knit double-stranded – makes the whole garment light and warm.

 

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I’ve already knit three of these sweaters, and am close to finishing a fourth – they are so perfect for all weather and every occasion, I want one in every color!  You can find the pattern now on Ravelry.

Pattern:  Walk in the Woods Pullover

Yarn:  Isager Strik Alpaca 2 and Isager Strik Tweed

Needles:  US 6s

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I convinced my reluctant two oldest daughters to help me model these sweaters, and I love how the photos showcase the different ways the sweaters can be sized.  On Bella (wearing the taupe sweater), the look is slightly oversized; on Emmersen (wearing the black sweater), the garment is worn with a slight bit of negative ease, and on me (wearing the magenta sweater), the sweater is worn in a traditional style, with just an inch or two of positive ease.  Three different looks, all flattering and classic!

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Fading

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Working a fade on my own improvised cardigan . . .

Yarn (from top down):  Junkyarn DK in colors Fleur (1 skein), Lara (2 skeins), Dolly (2 skeins), and Diana (2 skeins)

Needles:  US 6s

The  sweater is constructed so that it’s completely reversible, but I like how the colors blend and fade better on the reverse stockinette side 🙂

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Black and White and Striped All Over

 

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I was intrigued by Andrea Mowry’s new design in Amirisu, but I didn’t think that the big, lacy collar would work well for me, so I replaced it with a wide ribbed band (in black, instead of white).

Pattern:  Hachinosu by Andrea Mowry

Yarn:  YOTH Daughter (100% Domestic Rambouillet and Merino wool blend) – 1 ¼ skeins Natural Vanilla, and 2 skeins + a little bit of a Daughter Mini skein in Truffle (330 yds/ea)

Needles:  US 6s

Size:  40″ (this turned out pretty tight, especially in the sleeves, so I skipped a few of the sleeve decrease.  I was surprised by the tight, skimpy fit, since 40″ should have given me about 3″ of positive ease).

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YOTH’s Daughter yarn is very “farmy,” with a lot of texture and at this gauge, it creates a very sturdy, dense fabric.  At first it wasn’t what I expected for a little cardigan in this style, but it grew on me once the project was finished and blocked.  I was really worried about bleeding during the wet blocking, so I added one cup of white vinegar and I didn’t let the sweater soak for more than 10-20 minutes, and it came out with no visible color transfer.

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I’m not sure how I feel about this one – I usually don’t like cropped cardis (they’re not super flattering for my build), and the same goes for cardis that are so open in the front, without a lot of coverage (even though I knit the button bands almost 4″ wide!)  But I think it might work well in the spring – to pull on when it’s cool in the morning, but without a lot of bulk or smothery softness once it starts to warm up.  I do like the black with the natural vanilla color, and the way the wide stripes look, but this is one I’ll have to wear a few times before I decide whether it has a permanent place in my wardrobe.

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Snow Speckle Crewneck

Snow speckle crewneck 1

Pattern:  Personal design

Yarn:  MC:  Hazel Knits Artisan Sock (90% superwash merino / 10% nylon) color Nekkid – 5 skeins (1650 yds)
CC:  Junkyarn Smooth Sock 4-ply (75% superwash merion / 25% nylon) color Eternal Sailor Moon – 1 skein (463 yds – used every yard)
(NOTE:  Knit with yarns held doubled throughout)

Gauge:  19 sts x 25.5 rows

Needles:  US 6s

Snow speckle crewneck 2

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