There comes a time when you realize that you’ve been duped. We have all been victims of pretty pictures that we see in pattern magazines, and envisioned how magnificent our FO’s will turn out. Such is the trickery of beautiful models and professional photography. I, on the other hand, have an iPhone camera on the day the FO shooting took place. No awesome cameras, grumpy knitter, and this is what you get…. just a “Meh….”

(Do not be fooled by this picture. That’s the most flattering angle of the sweater)

(Notice how I am not smiling in the pictures. There is a reason. The truth will be revealed soon)

(Way too oversized batwings.)

(Trust me, I can gain an additional 50 lbs and this sweater will still fit)

(The side that the French model never bothered to show you)

Pattern: Phildar Gilet No 416-T4-159, Sz 34/36

Materials: Jaeger Baby Merino DK (13 balls in Teal), Sz 4 circs, 2 el-cheapo Walmart buttons

Notes: The pattern, though French, was pretty straight forward because it didn’t contain complicated shapings. The finishing instructions though, were a hoot. Basically, this is what it said : “Attach fronts to the back piece. Don’t bother trying to match up the stitches because it is impossible. Look at the diagram and use it as a guide.” Hmph! Great. The yarn that I used is a superwash yarn, and when I wetblocked the pieces, it grew to monstrous proportions. What is it with superwash yarn and gigantic expansions? I think that’s what contributed to such a floppy looking sweater.

I had grand hopes for this sweater, and spent 8 hours seaming this beast. I was going to find a kick-ass furniture store and look for a similarly shaped couch that the model was standing in front of and do the exact same pose for kicks and giggles. And then, BAM!, I tried it on. “Meh…” was about the best emotion the resulting FO elicited. Just “meh”.

At first I wondered if I should just rip the sleeves apart, but it wouldn’t be a cardigan now, would it? I have decided in the end to just make peace with it and move on. Oh sure I’ll still wear it, we all need a tent sweater some time right?

And with that.. let’s move on to better pictures of the Pimlico shrug in the outdoors. This is a drastic improvement from my bathroom shots. We must end this point on a high note. Yes we must.

(ahh..much better)

(collar up)

(and again, what the pattern doesn’t show you in the book)

When did you first learn to knit? And why?

Back in 2005, I wanted a wrap sweater. I have long arms and a long-ish torso, and could not for the life of me find a wrap sweater that fits. On one fateful Saturday in WalMart, I picked up their “Teach yourself to knit” kit and that marked the beginning of a new obsession. After a weekend of casting on and binding off, I picked up the Stitch’n'Bitch Nation book and knit my first sweater - the Lucky Clover Wrap. Ever since then, I’ve knit several sweaters — cabled ones, simple raglans, boleros, and jackets.

Yet despite all that knitting, I have come to realize that the ones that I wear again and again, are the simple sweaters. Take for example, my Thermal. I wear it with a tank top underneath, or a 3/4 length shirt, and when the weather started getting a little colder, a long sleeved shirt. And my Raspy, a simple stockinette raglan that has seen numerous wears. And so when that Phildar Tendences 2007 issue arrived at my doorstep, this immediately caught my eye. But I really wanted to knit with Rowanspun 4ply - despite its slubby texture, and so I forged ahead.

Pattern: Phildar Tendences Printemps’07 Cardigan #18, Sz 34/36
Materials: 8 skeins (with lots leftover for seaming), 0 mm and 2.5mm needles, 3 3/4″ pearl buttons 

Notes: The pattern asks you to knit 8 pieces separately but I cheated. I knit the two front pieces and the back piece in one piece to the armhole, and continued separately. I added an extra stitch in the seam line to visually separate the front from the back, and also kept the beginning and edge of the rows with a selvedge stitch for easier seaming later on. Short-row shoulders, with a 3-needle bind off. The two front ribbed edges were attached to the front pieces using a crochet slip stitch (Note the slight puckering on one of the front edges), and the sleeves were knit the round.

The cardigan has 3 columns of stockinette detail in the fronts on a reverse stockinette background, so basically I would knit in the round in stockinette and just flip it inside out when I needed to seam. The collar was attached using simple backstitching.

(shown here: The knit column on the waist, and the decorative knit columns on the front)

(shown here: the right sleeve seam and the collar to body seam)

Now if you followed the pattern like I did for the buttonholes, that button size mentioned in the pattern will NEVER fit through the holes. Like, NEVER. So I settled for 3 el-cheapo 3/4″ buttons from Joann’s instead. Does the job if you ask me.

In the end, I like my yarn substitution. Wet-blocking Rowanspun really smoothed out the slubbiness and evened out my stitches, and I can predict many many wears in the future already.

And because I just totally raved about simple designs, I will now bite my own tongue and show you this.

(shown here: Fair isle swatch for my first Fair Isle Pullover)

It’s a hefty swatch. I’m having a hard time deciding which shade of grey to go with the yellow. The yarn is Harrisville New England Shetland: Cornsilk for the yellow, and Charcoal –> Dove Grey –> Suede (darkest to lightest). I am planning a simple shapeless potato sack pullover, something to lounge in for the cold weather, but in a bold brocade-ish pattern. Feel free to chime in and give me your two cents. All suggestions welcome.

And oh, in case you were wondering, I did get that pair of crochet slippers from my friend. He done good, y’all. The darn thing fits!

(pink feet make me happy)

As I’ve mentioned earlier, the red Cascade Tweed is the recommended yarn for Stephanie Japel’s Forecast. I’ve been working on it for a while now, and have spared you the in-progress shots of the bobbles on this cardigan. Trust me - it looked like ugly tumors. There was no question that it needed a good blocking. But boy does this yarn bleed…. And look at the stain on my Denise needles! But the results are worth it. I just have to remind myself not to wear any white shirts underneath. Or maybe wash it with vinegar next time.. Chinese New Year is around the corner, and even though my family is split over 3 countries, sometimes it’s nice to conjur a little bit of celebration. I’m glad I found this yarn in red, because RED is the color of prosperity. I hope this new year ahead brings good things. Pattern: Forecast
Materials: Cascade Tweed (less than 4 and a half ball at 220 yds/ 100g), US Sz 5 and 7 needles
Gauge: 16 sts and 32 rows to 4″ in garter stitch on US 7 needles
Notes: Ah.. changes. The smallest size in the pattern was for a 32.5″ chest, and the next larger one a 36.5″. Now I fall somewhere in between, and there was no schematic in the pattern, so I calculated for a 33.5″ measurement. The armpit at the yoke looked pretty short, and I was worried for a while that it wouldn’t fit, but I figured the yarn is sproingy enough to accomodate. This is basically the top-down raglan with interesting details. You are more than allowed to try it on as you go along. Now for the bobbles, initially I knit the 5-sts bobble stated in the pattern, but didn’t quite like it. They just stuck out too much for me. I want textural interest, but something a little less protruding - in the end I changed it to a 3-sts bobble. Here’s a picture of my bobbles… One additional change was the sleeves. In the original pattern, the bobble/cable feature extended to almost wrist length. Aside from the fact that I was a bit tired of knitting bobbles, I didn’t want my lower arms to look, um, so billowy. I decided to stop the bobbles at elbow length, and knit the rest to my wrist with Sz 7 needles. I made the sleeves 20″ long, which is still a bit short in reality, but knowing that I would dunk the sweater in water during blocking assured me that the arms would grow in length - and I was right. It came out to 23″ - perfect for me. Oh and the yarn, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I expected it to be a bit rough, it being tweed and all, but on the contrary, it’s springy, not itchy and shows the pattern quite well.
And here’s another gratuitous shot. Just because. I think it means I like it.

Pattern: #25 Jacke in Apricot, Rebecca #27 (size 34″/36″ bust)
Materials: Sz 6 needles, Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece Pinka-Boo (3.5 skeins), Plain Jane Buttons (6)
Mods: Lengthened the sleeves by 5cm to account for my really long arms.
Notes: This is one fitted sweater, not snug-I-can’t breathe, but fitted. I’ve used Brown Sheep’s cotton fine yarn before, and after each wear the sweater just gets looser and looser. I’m hoping it’s the same case with their Cotton Fleece. I want it just a tinge roomier. This pattern is an easy knit - considering all others who have gone before me have already figured out the kinks and Rebecca’s coo-coo translations. Since this baby knits up so quickly, I’m contemplating knitting another one for Fall in wool. Then again, we’ll have to see about that. The first time when I cro-shayed the front bands, I looped the yarn abit too tightly and had to rip it out. Good thing that slip stitch and chain stitch didn’t take that long to do (wow.. I’m speaking crochet). Actually, dare I say it, it was quite enjoyable. Finishing a sweater reminded me what a bitch the seaming process is. The fit-in sleeves, the mattress stitch… the markings.. the pinning.. No wonder it’s been that long since I made a sweater.
…. aside…..So, you know how your body kinda swells up and you feel like a beluga right before that specific time every month? That’s how I felt the entire time I was trying to take a decent shot. And that poor indoor lighting doesn’t help crap, but I was too eager to post the FO that I just forged ahead. So there you go, the infamous Jacke Apricot.. or as I like to call it in this picture…The Stuffed Sausage Jacket.

Look no further people, cuz I kidnapped the knitting fairy. After fiddling around with the Barf Opal without success, I rolled it up and threw it to the side so it can evaluate what it had done wrong. Then it suddenly occurred to me :”When was the last time I showed a finished knitting sweater on this blog?” Too damn long ago that’s when! Armed with my Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece and the whacked out Rebecca pattern, I summoned the knitting fairy and told her that she needs to sprinkle some magic dust in this household. Voila! This baby started knitting itself last friday night and magically finished in 5 days. 5 days people! That’s a piece a day. Holy cow, they don’t call her the knitting fairy for nuthin’. So that’s a little preview before the seaming party this weekend. Hm, need to summon the seaming fairy too. Heck, I even got some buttons. So which one do you think will work better? Yea I know this indoor lighting is crap for true colors.. but you get the idea. (The sizes are about the same.. just so you know)

Now some of you may wonder: “It’s already Fall. What the hell is she doing with a summer sweater? She must be on crack!”. That’s right my friends. Come on, we’re in L.A - Land of Hollywood and Fake Everything. It’s all about the looks here. Fashion ladies, not function. My titties may be freezing, but I’ll look hot! (okay.. you may all boo now. I totally deserve that).