Hey, Buttercup!

Finished up my Buttercup sweater last week and took it out for an inaugural wear just after weaving in the last threads. I finally got around to giving it a soak a couple of days ago and took some good(ish) pics this morning.

Overall, I'm very pleased with how this sweater turned out. I love love love the yarn, Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool. It was soft to work with and has in interestingly nubby texture. I read complaints about all the vegetable matter in the yarn, but this didn't bother me too much--it made it feel more authentic, like I was knitting with yarn straight from the (blue) sheep. One thing about this yarn, though, it BLEEDS. Seriously, after the first soak, I was afraid the yarn was going to come out without any dye. Use some vinegar.

I changed a couple of things about the pattern. The main change I made was waist shaping. Although I got gauge, I found there was too much positive ease after I did the increases below the lace at the bust. And I realized that if I was to follow the pattern and work A-line increases (no waist decreases called for), it would result in an unflattering tent. So I worked 4 sets of paired decreases, starting a couple inches from the underarm. In retrospect, maybe I should have worked it one side smaller--it is a bit baggy through the bust. But the waist shaping helped.

Initially, I worked a whole slew of increases starting a couple inches above the natural waist line, akin to the A-line increases called for in the pattern, but when I finished, I decided it looked not so good. So I ripped back until I had just 4 sets of increases (to match the 4 sets of decreases), then worked straight until the desired length. The other change I made to the pattern: it calls for 1 repeat of the feather/fan lace pattern at the bottom of the sweater. I did 3 repeats. I like this better.

The other thing I wish was different about this sweater, besides the baggy bust, is the placement of the lace panel. I wish it had started sooner. If I were to make this sooner, I would start the lace panel an inch or more sooner. But still, I love this sweater! Especially the little sleeves. :)

I'm taking a break from yarn shopping, and so also taking a break from sweater knitting. But this doesn't mean I haven't been busy! I started a new lace shawl as soon as I finished the Buttercup.

It's Pangea by Sarah-Hope Parmeter. I'm using some lovely laceweight alpaca that (I think) I bought at Downtown Yarns in NYC. It's J. Knits Lace-a-licious, color "Tennessee." The yarn is just a little bit fuzzy, but the color is so lovely. I'm using size 3.0mm needles, a decision I may end up regretting. My previous lace shawls have been made on larger needle sizes, so we'll see how this goes. I think it will be fine, since the yarn is so fine.

I'm almost done with the Eunice socks, will post a finished object pic soon. My newest project is EZ's Baby Sweater on Two Needles, aka February Baby Sweater.

I'm making it out of Noro Kureyon Sock, color 95, purchased at Hilltop Yarn a few weeks ago. I think I've mentioned this before, I love Noro Kureyon Sock yarn. The color changes captivate me. I'm a bit worried this sweater is going to turn out smaller than any baby, besides a fresh new born. But I don't care. I love it anyways. And, it may be a bit scratchy for the skin of babies, but whatever. Maybe I'll put it on a stuffed bear.

Let's make something! Part 8--the wrap up

In preparation for the debut of the blue cardi last night at Tracie's graduation, I gave it a good long soak (a note about Malabrigo: this stuff bleeds color like nobody's business--using a good glug glug of white vinegar in the soak helps). Laid it out to dry, carefully smoothing out that dang rolly collar.

Now the collar is certainly less rolly than pre-soak, but it still rolls a little bit, nothing I can't handle. The cardigan's debut last night went well.

But I wish it had been a bit of a chillier night. Despite having the weight of a feather, this puppy is warm! And so soft! Like wearing a warm cloud. I used the 2+ hour ceremony to finish up a pair of not-yet-blogged-about-because-I've-been-too-lazy-to-take-a-picture-of-them socks for a certain recent grad. Now I've been splitting my knitting time between two new projects. First off, as I mentioned last time, I ordered some silky wool in pretty much the exact same blue color for a Buttercup, which is progressing along at a nice clip.

I love this yarn, the pattern is simple. I'm currently in the process of adding some shaping to the body of the sweater. The pattern calls for a-line shaping, but I felt like it might be a bit more flattering with a bit of waist shaping, so we'll see how that goes. It would be great to finish this up soon so that I could get some wear out of it this summer. Being as that the rest of the body is plain ol' stockinette (plus whatever waist shaping I do), it makes for good read-while-you-knit knitting. Which I appreciate, since I've been reading a good, entertaining book. Great summer read + great summer knitting = happy girl.

With the completion of those aforementioned socks, I had to start a new pair today. Eunice from Cookie A.'s new book, Sock Innovation.

I'm not too sure about the gauge I've got going on with these socks, but I'm going to keep plugging along for a while more before I decide to commit to finishing or frogging them.

I (finally!) have a couple of job interviews this week. So, fingers crossed, I will have less knitting time soon. I love all the knitting time I've had over the past 3 months, but it would be nice to be employed again.