FO: September

Finally! Today was a great day, if a little cold, to take some photos of my finished September sweater. I started this project back in, uh, September, and finished it shortly after returning to work at the beginning of November. I'll remember it as my maternity leave sweater.

Pattern: September [Raveled Here], loosely based off the pattern notes from eyeloveit. I used her general construction and cable charts for the sleeves and yoke of this sweater. For the body section I selected two cable charts out of Cables & Arans to repeat around.

Yarn: Ah, there's always a yarn saga, isn't there? 15 balls of Jaeger Extrafine Merino DK in Cream. I had purchased a bag of 10 balls from Cucumberpatch last year on clearance for like $40. That's 1370 yards, which I thought would be plenty for this project. Once I had gone through half of it and hadn't even finished the top section, I knew I was in trouble. There were a few Ravelers who had some of the yarn stashed in the same dyelot, but none were up for trade and all had intentions to use it for a project. On a whim, I emailed Cucumberpatch to see if they happened to have any left. As luck would have it, they did, so I ordered 5 more balls. While working the rest of the sweater, I decided to use up of all the yarn.

How the sweater is constructed: The top section is cast on at one sleeve, worked up to the armpit, then stitches are cast on at the bust, worked across and back down the other sleeve. Then, stitches are picked up under the bust and the rest of the sweater is knit down to the hem. The only seaming were the sleeves and the short section at the sides. I decided to knit until I had 3 balls of yarn left and then cast off at the bottom. I then picked up stitches for the button bands and collar and knit each piece with 1 ball of yarn. This way, I had no leftovers.

I also opted for snaps since I didn't know as I was knitting it how many buttons I wanted to put on it. There was quite a bit of math involved in this one, and I will post the details on Ravelry for those interested.

I really love how this turned out. It's a versatile color and quite cozy. The yarn has a slight stretch to it, but I plan to hand wash it and see if I can give it a quick spin in the dryer on low heat to restore its shape over time. But right now, it's great. And, it was a new construction for me, which is always fun.

Now I'm trying to make progress on Starlight, Starbright. I've finished the body and started the sleeves. I secured my steeks with a sewing machine and cut. So far, so good. I am a little nervous about my steeks coming apart, but I'm probably needlessly worrying.

Hope you all are enjoying the holiday season!

September sweater progress

Thank you all for the wonderful comments about my daughter! I can't believe 6 weeks have gone by and that I only have 5 weeks of maternity leave left. Where does the time go? Well, despite my absence from blogging, I have been finding more time to knit than I thought I would. Here's some proof:

This is the September sweater by eyeloveit. There isn't a formal pattern for this project, but instead guidelines for its construction and the cable patterns. It's worked from one wrist to the other, increasing and decreasing stitches along the way to create the yoke. It's required some math to figure out my gauge and whatnot, but it was actually pretty easy. I'm working on the right sleeve now. Once the top part is done, I'll pick up stitches around the bust and work straight down to the bottom. Then buttonbands and a collar are worked last. I've never constructed a sweater like this before and am enjoying something different. I'm using Jaeger Extrafine Merino DK, which is now discontinued, and it's a lovely, soft yarn. I can't wait until this one is finished!

I've also been queing up LOTS of baby girl patterns. I've started a February Baby Sweater, which is almost complete, and plan to make a matching hat. And, I've got two FO's done and waiting for pictures, so stay tuned for those next! In the meantime, here's some cuteness to keep you entertained.