New Knitting

I have recently had an increase in my yarn buying budget (up from $0.00), and now feel pressured to knit more. I am not a stasher, generally, but working at a LYS has it's privilages. I am currently working on two sweaters, one is a cardigan done in Briggs and Little 3 ply Atlantic. This is a great, coarse-ish woolen spun yarn which whould make EZ and Brooklyn Tweed proud. I really enjoy working with it, and I love nice hearty, natural wool. The sweater is about half done, and no roadblocks yet. It currently looks like an overgrown swatch, so nothing to take a picture of yet.

The other sweater is a seamless pullover done in Cascade 220 with a cool construction adjustment, which makes it unique and intersting, without being wierd. The Cascade220 is great for this project, it is soft enough for a fitted sweater, but not too fussy.

My LYS/Place of employment has Harrisville Shetland on sale, so I had to buy some (17hanks) of it. It will become two Fair Isle vests, with unorthodox construction (notice a pattern here?). I have done the designs, but I have told myself that I will not cast it on until I get the others done.

Other than that, I have a few lace projects sitting on needles begging for attention, but they will have to wait. hopefully new pictures soon, and patterns to follow.

ciao for niao

EXPEDITION PULLOVER

Having a sweater that works is a necessity for all men, whether they are hiking a nature trail, exploring a new neighborhood, or navigating a weekend dinner party.
The Expedition Pullover continues the tradition of achieving attractiveness through function. It utilizes traditional, seamless Gansey construction, as well as a front split to maintain a comfortable body temperature. Cables at the shoulders provide extra structure and a better fit.
The Expedition Pullover is destined to become a favorite of any man.
Finished Measurements 39,43,47,51,55 in. chest


Yarns suggested Cascade Yarns Ecological Wool
Yarn weight Bulky / 12 ply (7 wpi)
Gauge 19 stitches and 30 rows = 4 inches in stockinette
Needle size US 8 / 5.0 mm, US 7 / 4.5 mm
Yardage 1000 - 1750 yards
Sizes available S, M, L, XL, XXL





This pattern is available for $7.00 USD.

Available for purchase on Ravelry

Or here:

NORWEGIAN SNOWFLAKE SCARF

Nothing says winter like Norwegian inspired knitwear and this hat is no exception. It incorporates the star motif popular in many Norwegian and Selbu designs. This hat matches the Norwegian Snowflake Scarf, and together they make a great set. Similar to the scarf it is a relatively simple knit and suitable for those with limited experience in stranded colorwork knitting. When choosing colors for this, it is important to know that traditional knitters in Norway had access to only red dye (madder) and blue dye (woad) in addition to the natural sheep colors of white, black, and grey.


Yarns suggested: Falk by Dale of Norway
Yarn weight: Sport / 5 ply, 116 yards(106 meters) per 50g skein
Gauge 8 stitches per inch
Needle size US 3 / 3.25 mm circular or DPNs US 1/ 2.25mm circular or DPNs
Yardage 5 Skeins, 580 yards (212 meters) MC 1 Skein, 116 yards (106 meters) CC


Instructions:

CO 108 sts in MC and join in the round, making sure that the stitches are not twisted.

Begin Chart 1, working the chart twice for each row.
Be sure to take notice of the k2tog in row 52 to account for the difference in gauge between stranded and stockinette knitting.

Continue in MC until half the desired length of the scarf. Place on stitch holders or waste yarn and cast on for the second half of the scarf, work second half of scarf identically to the first.

Join the two halves of the scarf using one of the following methods:

Three needle bind off – turn one of the scarf halves inside out over the other half (both RS should be facing each other and the live stitches should be at the same end.) Line up the start of the two rows and do a 3 needle bind off, weave in ends. This leaves a slightly noticeable seam.

Graft using Kitchener stitch – using Kitchener stitch, graft the two ends together, weave in ends. This method is completely invisible and my preferred method.

Seam the open ends, weave in ends.

Chart 1
The triangles on the side and bottom are indicators of row/stitch numbers (every 5th row is indicated) with the green indicating the start/beginning.

The last column on the chart is identical to the first and should not be knit, it is only used as a reference. Additionally the grey squares above the K2tog are placeholders and also should not be knit