man jumper

I have never knitted a jumper for a man before. The first thing I noticed is that it's really hard to find a decent jumper pattern that doesn't look gay or metro, or like something my dad would wear (found plenty that my dad would wear, may knit one later). To find something that a younger man would wear though was a challenge. I came up with something suitably cool though, and picked a colour that looked manly enough. No pinks and so on here, it's a manly gray.


The second thing I noticed was that the thing is absolutely huge. I have gone from knitting things for me (XS) and rina (6) to something that covers me like a blanket while I knit it. It's a fairly quick knit though and I am up to the armhole shaping on the back. I've decided I really do prefer knitting seamless in the round. Sewing pieces together isn't that bad really, but the sense of progress and seeing how it's shaping isn't the same.

black broken rib jumper

I see so many patterns for 'sweaters' which is kinda annoying, cause here in australia we call them jumpers. So that is what I am calling mine. I just joined the back and front of my broken rib jumper, and it's looking nice all sleeveless as it is. I will probably do the neckline next and then think about the sleeves. As usual I have a dozen other projects half begun, or thought of, and having reached such a milestone with my jumper, I may lay it aside after that for while until motivation catches me again.


It's the first day of Spring tomorrow and I am really more interested in doing some summer knits.

beanie

yesterday I knitted up a beanie for rina in a lovely pink cotton yarn. I am very much into non-wool yarns at the moment. I have been knitting a summer dress in a bamboo yarn that is just so silky and soft. I intend to make a sarong out of it later.

sleeves are growing

I have begun the right sleeve on my Sahara. I have only ever knitted jumpers in pieces before, so I'd make the sleeve and then attach it to the rest of the jumper at the end. This one however is kinda just growing out the side of it and it's very different. The pattern is for 16" sleeves, but I think I will have to have longer sleeves, cause my arms aren't that short.

I swatched up the red wool I have, and it seems like it will work well for my red vest. It's a very very bright red, I will have to post pictures once I cast on.

i made stuff

I completed my first jumper ever! It is the misshapen jumper I knitted for my daughter. It's slightly too big for her, but works out nicely as an oversized baggy jumper and really is quite comfy.

I have also finished the diamond rib neckline on my Sahara. I tried it on after it was off the needles and it fits beautifully. I was worried because I knitted the small which is patterned for a 29" waist and a 33" bust, whereas my bust is more like 38", but the finished product moulds nicely and doesn't look stretched at all. Just got the sleeves to go on that.

still knitting..

Over the weekend I hemmed my Sahara and it's looking quite nice. I had one ball of wool from the wrong dye lot, and it was noticably darker than the rest (only once I'd started knitting into it of course), but it has worked out wonderfully for the diamond ribbed hems and I am really happy with how it's looking. I was considering a contrasting colour, but it seemed to clashing and this has worked out well.

I have just about finished the neckline. Only 5 rows to go and then I can bind it off and try it on, see how well it fits. I have seen some of the others being completed and they are looking really good, so I can't wait to finish mine.

My mum gave me a huge stash of wool, which includes some very nice white mohair which I think I might knit into a lacy shawl. And some bright red wool which would be nice as a vest or cabled shell or something.

sahara progress

I have been knitting my Sahara, which is coming along rather quickly, with a few little hitches so far. The first was a ball of yarn which snuck into my stash from a different dye lot. It still took me a while to notice that it was knitting up a different colour, but noticed I did, and had to rip it back. I might keep that ball for the hems.

My second major drama was that I somehow knitted back along a row I'd already started, and had created an extra half row without noticing. So when I did notice, I had to rip out about 3 inches, just when I was about to join the front.

The 3rd drama I have is that I neglected to notice that the bust is missing about 5 inches that I kinda need. It should be ok though.

knitting recap

I took up knitting again after a 20 year hiatus in January this year. I taught myself to cast on, the major inhibiter to my knitting career, because I had never learned to cast on when I last knitted at the age of 8. Luckily we have the Internet now, which wasn't around when I was a kid, so rather than braving the derision of my mother and grandmother for not knowing something so simple, I just followed some pictures on the web and voila, I was knitting. The first thing I noticed once I got going was that not only did I remember how to knit fairly well, but that I could also do it without looking. That was pretty exciting, and also has led me to an excess of TV for the last 4 months as I sit and watch Neighbours and cop dramas while I knit, and I don't normally watch tv at all so maybe it wasn't a good thing.

Anyways, some doll blankets for my daughters 'friends', a scarf and a couple of beanies later I attempted my first jumper, which I call the Misshapen Jumper, which isn't actually that bad looking, I just call it that because that was how I expected it to turn out. I am going to insist my daughter wear it.

I am now halfway through knitting a broken rib sweater for myself, which is coming along nicely, and I have also begun knitting the Sahara which is the current SKC KAL, and if you don't know what that is I am not going to tell you. I will post progress pictures later for shits and giggles.