Japanese Maples

My beautiful sweater is no match for the chill of my heart.

I did this sweater so quickly that many people commented that they don’t even remember seeing me work on it. It’s true, I can churn out a stockinette sweater in a week or two depending on the amount of time I have and how much ripping out has to be done. This one lingered for want of cardiganization. Now that the final process has been completed, you may bask in its glorious fall hue as I have been. It’s very cozy, and surprisingly heavy. My Beaverslide cardigan is much lighter than this one, despite being of a thicker yarn. I think that in the end, I like both of them equally though I may have a slight preference for woolen spun yarns.

This sweater is entirely seamless, with a set-in sleeve a la Zimmermann. Honestly, do I knit anything else? I thought not. The set in sleeve and I have some disagreements. I like to add gussets to sweaters, while the set in sleeve seems to feel that this is most inappropriate and protests by being a bit…mutton-sleevish. It’s not enough to bother me a great deal, but I think in the future I would use only half gussets on the body of the sweater when doing set-in sleeves. On the other hand, my lovely saddle shoulder sweaters have complained not a whit about gussets. and for that I love them.

 

Garter stitch is good for everything

 

 

On the button bands, I decided to do a few things that dear Mrs. Zimmermann suggests. One was to decrease by one third across the back neck halfway through the band. Those of you who say that one ought to bind off and pick up for necklines will be happy to know that this prevents any sagging, flaring, cursing, or unsightly dancing on the part of my neck band. He is perfectly well behaved and lays just as one would wish. I also did mitered corners on the neckband as well, accentuated by a slipped stitch on the wrong side rows. Elizabeth says to purl it – I say to hell with purling. This is a garter stitch button band.

At first I was concerned by the ribbing at the bottom pulling too much and causing the button band to gap awkwardly, but even when fully buttoned the sweater looks well and I have a penchant for leaving the bottom and top buttons undone in most cases anyway. I blame Auntie Mame for my heedless bohemian dress.

Oh yes, the specifics.

Yarn: Cascade 220 in Japanese Maples (heathered) and Natural. Half dozen of the first, one of the other.

Needles: US 3 for the ribbing and body, US 2 for the button- and neckband. I knit loosely, sue me.

Gauge: 5.5 stitches to the inch or something like it. The Heathers of Cascade 220 are thinner than the others, so I find that knitting them on a 3 for me yields a nice fabric. Knitting the thicker colours on 3’s also yields a nice fabric. I don’t pretend to understand why.

Pattern: My dears, if you really think that at this time of life I have any sweaters knit from patterns you have not been reading with us nearly long enough.

Designs by Cailyn Meyer

Today I’m testing out a new idea. Ravelry is chock full of designers both famous and unknown, and I hope to make a regular feature of finding and sharing a new (or new-to-me) designer with you all.

Cailyn Meyer [Ravelry link] uses colorwork in some extraordinary ways.

Albuquerque Gloves Copyright Cailyn Meyer

I think one of the most inspiring of her designs are the Albuquerque Gloves, shown above. She says, on her blog

“These gloves were an attempt to blend the Fair Isle style with traditional southwestern designs instead of snowflakes and diamonds. Although I did add in some “pine branches” in the corners to keep the Fair Isle relationship obvious. (To be honest, though, I think they could just as easily be arrows.) I spend a lot of time looking at Navajo and Pueblo pottery for the pattern bands and palm.”

I find that incredibly artistic and moving, to combine two traditions of crafting in this manner is at the heart of what I love in designers. Innovation, combining techniques or colour palettes, these gloves are a wonderful mingling of two parts of the globe.

Cailyn also has some wonderful sock patterns, my favourite being Danube

Danube Copyright Cailyn Meyer

The cabling on these is so delicate and performed with such skill, I have only the greatest awe for the designer AND anyone who knits these. This would be far outside my realm of patience. But I do admire them so.

You can find Cailyn’s patterns on her blog The Daily Skein or on Ravelry.com

Edited To Add:

A new design has JUST come out from The Daily Skein and you can find it here.

WRX Copyright Cailyn Meyer

You Stupid Twat

Dear Twat,

I know you stole the scarf I made out of Granite from Nashua, the one with the mitered ribs that I designed. I know because it was here in the shop yesterday and it’s not here today. I hope it strangles the life out of you in a bizarre accident involving a bus door and my ridiculously long scarf.

Sincerely,

Rodger M.

P.S. If you see a long, skinny scarf where the ribs meet in the middle and it’s a thick-and-thin gray blue like the Granite yarn, tackle that pig and get it off of them. That scarf is mine.