Another FO!
This is my finished Babydoll pullover knit from Prism Cashmere. I've had this sweater done for about a week now but I kept putting off photographing it, and with good reason: It's impossible to get a clear shot! This was the only one (out of about 20) I shot on Beatrice which came out even partly in focus. I don't know if it's the mostly-white color of the yarn, or the poor lighting in our apartment, or my sinuses, but it took a lot of work to bring you this picture!
I know you all like a good modeling shot, but please remember I'm not feeling too hot and therefore I have cut my face off from this picture:
This shot came out even more blurry than the Beatrice shot, but it's all I got for today. It give you the idea.
All in all I'm really happy with this pullover. I had the idea to knit a babydoll-shaped pullover ever since I saw all the gorgeous ones in shops and on the runways for this season, but this yarn is a bit thick for any design that has gathers. The other design challenge was that I wanted to use only 4 balls of this yarn and I wasn't sure how far that would take me, so I decided on short sleeves to save on yardage. Also, to keep from looking too pregnant in this top (NO I'm not pregnant!) I wanted it to be as long as possible.
In order to achieve all the goals I knit this pullover in a very strange manner. I first knit the front and back starting 1" below the armhole bind offs, and then I knit both sleeves. I sewed these pieces together, did the neckband finishing, and tried it on for fit. It turned out to be perfect, so then I knit the body portion: I picked up stitches around the cast-on edge of the front & back and knit down as far as I could, alternating 2 balls to keep the colors from blotching. When I bound off I had exactly 1.5 yards of yarn left, which was fine because the finishing was all done!
I actually started this project 3x before I came up with this convoluted manner of knitting a pullover, but I have to say it was totally worth it! I love it!
You might think it's weird to have a 100% cashmere pullover with short sleeves, but I'm always hot so for me it's perfect! I might actually get to wear it indoors this winter.
Project specs:
Pattern: My own, slightly babydoll-shaped in front with gathered increases, straight down from there.
Yarn: 4 skeins Prism Cashmere in String exclusive colorway Creme with Denim
Needles: US size 10
Started: September 23, 2006
Finished: October 3, 2006
And in health news, I stayed home again today and slept until almost noon. I started to feel better around 4ish so I'll be back at work tomorrow. It's pouring outside so I'm quite happy I don't have to go out in this weather! Hopefully it'll stop in time for tomorrow's rush hour.
New Chiagu knitting pattern: Weekend!
Announcing the newest Chiagu knitting pattern: Weekend! You might remember I flashed a peek at this cardigan's interesting raglan decreases, which are double cable decreases, way back when. I finally got my act together and did the photography and layout and now the pattern's ready to share!
This cardigan is knit using Karabella's Aurora Bulky, a super-soft basic merino that comes in a great color range. I named it Weekend because to me, this is the ultimate cozy yet presentable cardigan -- you can throw it on over almost anything and be comfortable yet chic. Plus, I knit mine in just a weekend, so there's that, too! I've worn it a bunch of times already (in overly-cold air conditioning) but now that fall's here I can wear it even more!
This pattern is available as an immediate PDF download for $5.50 only at Chiagu. Hop on over and get your copy!
I hope you guys like it!
If you have any questions let me know! Thanks!
New Chiagu Pattern: Eva!
Introducing the first FREE pattern at Chiagu: Eva! This envelope clutch is easy and quick to knit and only uses 2 balls of yarn. I plan on wearing this out at night with all my new fall sweaters, won't it look great with all the greys and purples that are so popular this season?
Click here for the pattern.
Enjoy!
(aside: talk about a productive day!)
New Chiagu Pattern: Cummerbund!
Announcing the newest Chiagu pattern, Cummerbund!
This belt was inspired by a leather belt I saw in a fancy Madison Avenue boutique. It's knit in one piece with simple shaping, and there's no finishing other than weaving in ends and a quick ironing! I've worn it a bunch of times already, it works perfectly over a long shirt or cinching in a dress. This belt can be worn with the knot or bow in front, back, or to the side, so it's very versatile and fun to style in different ways to match your outfit.
Here are some additional views to give you ideas on how you can wear this fun, quick knit:
The pattern is available for purchase as immediate PDF download for only $4.00 at Chiagu. Hop on over and get your copy!
Photo shoot day!
Beatrice is on the clock today! Here are some good shots I got:
This is my mom's cardigan (still missing a sleeve). I actually like it more now than immediately after I finished putting it together, so I think I'll knit that second sleeve today. Maybe.
I also got a great shot of Halfobi, which I've put up on its pattern page:
I like this picture so much I'm going to make it "the" Halfobi picture. The lighting looks so amazing, I can't believe I took this picture myself!
And last but not least, here's a sneak peek of the next Chiagu pattern to go up, Cummerbund:
I'm in the last stages of laying it out, I should have it up for sale tonight!
