Trying to keep warm

I had a lot of incentive to finish this one fast. It has been about -10 F, or -25 C here for a while already, and I'm running out of warm sweaters to wear, unless I want to wear the same clothes for weeks on end. So, enter new soft and warm cardi:

Like I said, this was a fast knit. Possibly even the fastest sweater I ever put together, right around two weeks from start to finish. I used my own pattern - raglan sleeves, pieces knit flat, with garter stitch details in the hem, collar and sleeves. I wanted to keep it simple, because the yarn was so smooth, and every small little detail really stands out. Plus I like simple cardigans with one or two interesting but subtle details.
I ended up re-knitting the collar and button bands once, because the first try was just too bulky and not nearly as neat as I wanted. The second time I used a smaller needle and knit less rows for both, and ended up with a much more satisfying result.

I happened to have the perfect buttons in my stash. I think the warm wood color adds just enough interest so that the cardigan doesn't look dull.


Technical details:
Yarn: Adrianne Vittadini Trina, 16 x 50 g
Needles: 5.0 mm Clover bamboo circular, 3.5 mm Inox aluminum circular for collar and button bands

New year, new FO

Since my last post, I knit like mad on the Oblique, and did get it finished.


I absolutely adore this sweater! It must be the warmest thing I own. I wore it to work one day, and I was actually hot! Now that hasn't happened for a while! :D And the yarn is sooo soft, and the fit is great. It is fairly lose, but that how it's supposed to be. I don't have any picture of actually wearing the sweater -maybe another time.


Notes on the pattern: I very much enjoyed knitting this sweater, and only could find one minor error in the pattern. (I've already forgotten what it was...) I had to change a couple of things mainly, because I was running out of yarn. I adjusted the front so that it doesn't overlap as much. Only the button band overlaps. And I left the extra length off the sleeves that you would fold over, when wearing it. Otherwise, the only thing I think I may need to change yet is the collar. There aren't quite enough stitches (you decrease half the stitches after picking up), and it puckers just ever so slightly. So what I would have to do is to rip out the collar, and leave a few more stitches on there than what the pattern calls for.

The next thing I started was another sweater with some Adrianne Vittadini "Trina" that I got on a clearance from the Needlework Unlimited Outlet in Minneapolis.

It is also a super soft yarn, feels almost like a very soft cotton, although it is a merino/micro fiber/cashmere blend. The yarn is a little splitty, but a very quick knit on 5 mm needles.


The pattern is my own, just a basic raglan sweater with a couple of simple details, like the waist increases that are 10 stitches in from the side seam:


I also started on the Zephyr scarf, but I think I may rip it back, and start over. I'm only 20 or so rows in, although it starts with 300 some stitches. But I'm not entirely satisfied with the color changes, so I'll have to think that over one more time.