Month: October 2013

It’s the end of the month. How’d we do on the 30-Day Sweater Challenge?

A few of us finished. A few of us got close. A few of us are plowing ahead, slow and steady.

At right, my Mystery Sweater in Deluxe Worsted wool (100g/220yds). I chose the harder path, but after a misreading of the pattern (completely my fault!) that left me ripping back three inches, I decided to skip the pockets in the interest of finishing in a timely fashion. I’m planning on finishing hem by tomorrow. Even though I didn’t make the 30 day deadline, this was definitely a worthwhile knit. There were a lot of opportunities to learn and to challenge myself, which is what the project was all about.

At right, a designer’s sweater in Llamalini (50g/109yds), so very close to being finished! She chose to move her pockets further forward and to finish her hem with the twists at the collar rather than the garter rows called for. So far she wins the unofficial award for “most customized sweater.”

How about you? This is certainly a project that is as much about the journey as the destination. Are you pleased with the work you did? Any project we learn from is worthwhile. We hope you’ve enjoyed what you’ve done so far.

Don’t forget our giveaway – if you complete your sweater in a Universal yarn by November 14th and send us a photo, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a set of Deborah Norville interchangeable needles. We’ve seen some great sweaters already!

We’ll share the office’s finished sweaters in a couple of weeks. See you then!

It’s here! Clue 8 of the Mystery Sweater KAL is live!

I made it to Clue 5, then took a little knitting break. Back on the horse for me tonight – I hope to plow on to the hem!

Take a look at this sweater knitted by Jen in Accounting. The variegated Poems Silk looks great with this design – it’s not overwhelming or busy. Jen also opted to do her side panel in stockinette instead of reverse stockinette. It’s fascinating to see the ways people are customizing this design.

Jen wants to put her pockets in before tackling the sleeves, so she was excited to get today’s clue. Clue 8 contains a photo tutorial on different methods of finishing your pockets. The mattress stitch is a great choice – invisible and not at all bulky.

Jen, like many of us at the office, is using the same Deborah Norville Interchangeable Needles that we’re offering as the prize in our 30-Day-Sweater KAL drawing. As a reminder, if you complete your sweater in a Universal yarn by November 14th and send us a photo, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a set of Deborah Norville interchangeable needles. We have found these to be very pleasant needles to use, smooth and quick in their action. It doesn’t hurt that they’re so pretty to look at.

Clue 8 brings us to the end of the pattern. How are you doing on the 30-day aspect of this sweater? Think you can make it? We’ll be back with photos of how we’re doing here at the office. We can’t wait to see how you’re doing too!

It’s here! Clue 7 of the Mystery Sweater KAL is live!

How are we doing? I’m still slow-poking along with the body of the sweater, but I’m very encouraged by how it looks! The nice thing about the top-down seamless construction is that I can try it on and see how it fits. I considered doing a modified waist shaping, since my figure is less hourglass than some, but decided to put in a lifeline and try the waist shaping as written. I figured if things didn’t look right when I tried it on, I could always rip back and make some modifications. Fortunately, it looks good!

Speaking of modifications, let’s look at the sweater to the right inLlamalini (50g/109yds). First of all, I love the lines of the Llamalini linen/royal llama/silk bourette blend. This is going to be a decadent sweater. There were some things about the construction of this sweater that made me curious, so I spoke with the designer who’s knitting it, who told me her secret.

This knitter has a sweater in her wardrobe that she loves. It fits beautifully and makes her look like a million bucks. When she makes a new sweater, she compares it to the sweater she already has and modifies the pattern so that it fits the measurements of the Perfect Sweater in her closet. It’s a great idea and I’m definitely going to incorporate it into the next garment I make. Imagine every sweater fitting you like the one you love the best!

She also has plans for the hem – instead of garter stitch, she’s planning on repeating the twists from the collar. As for me, I’m sticking with straight garter stitch as it is in the pattern. A few folks here in the office have already bound off their hem and it looks great.

Clue 7 sees us adding sleeves. Looks like we’re in the home stretch of our 30 Day Challenge!

It’s here! Clue 6 of the Mystery Sweater KAL is live!

I don’t know about you, but I made great progress since the last clue! Clue 2 took a while, but Clue 3 flew by and Clue 4 is moving along nicely. I’m looking forward to doing the Clue 5 pockets!

We had several people who were concerned about showing pictures of their sweaters because they had so many bits of yarn hanging off of them. Let’s face it, all of our sweaters look unfinished when we’re still making them. That’s because they areunfinished. They are diamonds in the rough. We’ll worry about polishing them up when the knitting is done! However, Elly was happy to share her Classic Shades Solids (197yds/100g)sweater again, and no wonder. Finished or unfinished, it looks beautiful. Her pockets look quite neat.

Another knitter was glad to share his Nettle Lana Expressions (98yds/50g) sweater. I’m still a little envious of the reverse stockinette body! We share the detail shot at right to show just how invisible those pocket openings are. I’m very happy to have learned this method of putting pockets into a garment. This is going to be a great little trick in my knitter’s toolbox.

Clue 6 brings us to the end of the body. We’re looking at button placement and finishing off the hem. The end is in sight, folks. You’re doing great!

It’s here! Clue 1 of the Mystery Sweater KAL is live!

True to her word, Amy Gunderson has written two versions… and hints that there will be further twists and turns down the road for those who wish to choose their own adventure.

Amy: This pattern is going to be a bit of a “choose your own adventure” sweater. There will be different “paths” to choose along the way to having your very own seamless sweater. At the very beginning of this pattern, you will find yourself at a large fork in the road. In one direction you will find a slightly more complex path. There will be right twists (RT) and reversible cables. In the other direction, you will encounter a more pared down version that involves 2×2 ribbing and garter stitch. Choose your path according to your experience level and willingness and ability to keep track of rows.

Your humble blogger and most (but not all) of the participants here at Universal Yarn are picking the harder path. Where that will lead us? We’ll just have to see!

The first clue, including charts and abbreviations we’ll need for the entire sweater, are available on the pattern page. Ravelers, we also have a Ravelry group going.

We’re planning on releasing another clue on Thursday. Cast on and join in the fun!