Finale: FO Ariann, Finally

Ok, I finally sucked it up and got some pictures of me modeling Ariann. My photographer was a bit unwilling, but I cajoled, wheedled, talked him into it.

After wearing Ariann a second time, I’ve decided the sweater is a “qualified” success. Yay! I adore the color. Everytime I see it, I fall in love a little more.

Project:
Ariann by the fabulous Bonne Marie
Yarn: Cascade 220 The Heathers, color #2450 5 1/4 skeins
Project length: end of August thru mid-December ‘07
Needle size: US 7 (4.5 mm) and US 6 (4 mm) needles
Mods: First, not really a mod, but a mistake. I knit the wrong size to wear as a cardigan. I knit my usual 40″ for a pullover, but whoopsie, Ariann is supposed to be a cardigan.

Second, when knitting the sleeves, I neglected to read the instructions that advise you to incorporate the increases into the lace pattern. Hmm, so it became a “design element” in my sleeves. I have the lace pattern, with a stockinette panel in the back. It works for me. And actually in the pictures, it’s not visible, but I’m happy with it. I embraced the mistake (heh-heh!)

Other than that, my buttonholes were all jacked up, but since they’re not really functional, since the cardigan is not large enough to actually be useful, it doesn’t really matter. I am not a fan of the open cardigan. I tend to like them buttoned up or tied shut, so it’s different, but I am getting used to it. I like the sweater too much to not wear it.

The sleeves are a bit too long, but once again, the fault of myself as I realized I knit it a bit long, but honestly, ripping back in the lace pattern just was not appealing to me. I knew I’d somehow lose my place and it would just be ugly.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Ariann Preview

For the month of November, I let the goals slide. I knew I was starting a new job and wasn’t sure what to expect in my first few weeks. It turned out the first couple of weeks were sitting with others for on-the-job training. However week 3 started out with all day training, so I’ve been pretty pooped.

In an email conversation, Margene suggested that my goal for November should be to focus on finishing Ariann. While I did work on other projects too, I did make that a priority. While I did not finish in the month of November, I am almost to the finish line.

I’m actually pretty relieved to be almost done. Anything that could go wrong, did.

The sewing on of buttons and blocking will commence tomorrow and hopefully a FO picture by the week’s end.

Transitions

It’s pretty hard for me to post without a picture. It feels a bit worse to post a recycled photo, but really Ariann is really all I’ve been working on. It is coming along slowly, but it ever boring to knit right now, with the super-long rows. I keep thinking that with all these decreases, it will get shorter eventually, it just doesn’t seem to be happening yet.

I’m really a bit bored with the sweater, but I know I will love the outcome, so I continue to slog on. Plus, I’ve also got Ribby Pulli (scoopneck version) on the needles and if I keep switching to knit on it, I will soon be at the point where I will have to cast on for sleeves. If I finish both sleeves, then I will be joining more stitches to the yoke and knitting and slogging through an unbearable amount of stitches again. Gee, does this sound familiar at all?

What I’m really looking to sink my teeth into next is the Gathered Pullover from the latest Interweave Knits. It also starts as knitted in the round, bottom-up and then split at the armholes. I really want to make this. The pattern calls for sport/dk weight yarn to be knit at a larger gauge for drape and fluidity. I know this is supposed to work, but really the sportweight yarn I have, I swatched up to size 8s and still didn’t have the right gauge, but the “openness” of the fabric was a bit too much for my liking. I’m just having a hard time believing this would work for the sweater and not be too open. I dunno. I’m thinking of just using a worsted yarn that would knit to this gauge and calling it good. Perhaps I would lack fluidity or drape, but I think I’d be ok with it as it.

The other issue with this sweater is minimal, but the sweater has rolled edges, which I don’t love. Those sweaters tend to roll up too much for my liking (gee, picky much, it seems). I can’t decide on an edging, seed stitch, ribbing, but it just dawned on me to preserve the style of the sweater that I like so much, to hem it instead. Hmm, there must really be something to writing things out, eh?

The job is going well, btw. Thanks to everyone for their well wishes. I’m really happy to receive them and will try to thank people personally in email. I just have access to my home email when I’ve left work and with the transition to a new job and work environment, I’m pretty tired when I get home.

You may have noticed that I didn’t put up a November goals post. There are a couple of reasons for it, some of it was because I felt I was too ambitious last month and part of it was because I knew starting a new job and didn’t know how that transition would affect my knitting projects. The first couple of nights, I was too mentally drained to even knit. But slowly I started picking up the needles and a few rounds here and there have happened.

I did finish the first Monkey socks. Haven’t cast on for the second sock, but plan on doing so shortly. I also cast on for a different sock (stockinette) in some of Mary Kay’s fabulous yarn. This is actually a pair of socks for her. The deal is I knit her a pair and then she gives me enough hand-dyed sock yarn for a pair of my own. Lovely deal, eh?

Well, that’s enough blathering from me for one post. Next up, a fabulous concept of Paying It Forward. Soon, I’ll be paying it forward to a couple few of my blog readers.

Fall Bouquet

A pretty fall bouquet given to me by my sweetie, M, for my new job and promotion, with a bowl of ripe fruit

Ribby Pulli in repose, a beautiful fall sweater

Ariann, sleeves done, and fully joined, working the yoke, ready to become a cardigan

Fall, it is good.

Ariann . .Somewhere in the Middle

I can’t really call this, Ariann, the beginning, because really I’ve been knitting on it since the end of August. We had a crisp day and I was ready to cast on. Ariann has been getting some love off and on. Lately I’ve had a lot of startitis, so some things gets worked on more than others and eventually enough is done so that it’s finished.

One of my October goals was to get Ariann to the armholes, so that I could get started on the sleeves. That goal was met about 2 weeks ago. Finally last week I cast on for the first sleeve and over a long weekend, that sleeve was finished. One would think that I would cast on for the second, but I was kind of bored and instead worked on Farrow Rib a bit more instead.

The yarn I’m using is Cascade 220 Heathers in color 9453, I think. I really love how the yarn is knitting up, the color keeps entrancing whenever I put it down. Since I’ve finally knit with a beautiful purple that I know I will wear, I’ve been in a purple yarn buying mood. Hmm, things to see later down the road.

I hope to cast on for the second sleeve this weekend and once done, I’ll be ready to join the sleeves to the body and get this sucker done.