Hola, my friends!
As I sit here on my front porch on a sizzling of a July day (it’s afternoon, the concrete is fuming and the mosquitoes are outta control), I can think of nothing else but a big, fuzzy cardigan of thick insulating yarn.
Right.
I’m just sweating thinking about it! Buut back in February I practically lived in it and it happens to be one of my favorite finished pieces of the last year. It’s been a long time since I posted some projects around here so I thought it was about time I checked in with my project queue.
A couple years ago I finally got into the knitting game and it gave me something to do that I’ve probably always needed–a way to create without the pressure of finishing. Unfortunately it doesn’t take long to amass a yarn stash, and in a matter of six months from taking on my first knitting project I ended up with more yarn than I knew what to do with.
So I decided to put the kibosh on yarn and fabric purchases and if I saw a pattern that caught my eye, I was determined to force myself to use stash. This plushy cardigan was one example of stash busting!
This is Stonehaven, a Brooklyn Tweed pattern designed by Veronik Avery. And I can’t believe more knitters haven’t tried this! As soon as I saw it I kept coming back to it. I love cocoon-y, drapey, wrap-myself-up-in-it cardigans, and I liked how uniquely boho it was compared Brooklyn Tweed’s preppier styles. And lucky me, it called for the same amount of yarn in my stash, yarn which I originally purchased for Snoqualmie before ditching it for another yarn.
Firstly, I think this sweater is a pretty easy knit. Or at least Brooklyn Tweed makes everything easy; their patterns are written extremely well with thoughtful techniques that teach me something every time I knit one. But this one is particularly easy as in–you’re knitting the same stitch pattern for long stretches or row after row, give or take a few short rows and decreases. (So in case you ask me, can a beginner do this? I think yes, as long as you choose the right yarn.)
Secondly, I really dig the yarn and definitely recommend it as opposed to anything remotely heavier. I didn’t think I would like it at first. Quarry is a woolen-spun yarn which means it is it is light and lofty. It’s also a bit “crusty” (what the yarny-types call “farm wool”) but I’ve learned to appreciate what this means. And that lightness and loftiness means that when you knit a cardigan this big, you aren’t going to get a massively heavy garment, or a garment that grows to twice its size. The fabric almost floats. It’s very warm without being cloying.
But guys, I’m so out of practice taking photos of myself. Most of the time I’d rather be on the other side of the camera – this is what you get when my phone is my remote camera control!
project Bits and bobs:
- Link to my project in Ravelry.
- I finished the ribbing with a sewn bind off much like how you end a tubular bind off. I had to make 3 swatches to figure this out, but it turned out much stretchier than a typical bind off that always seems to make the ribbing curl.
- Quarry breaks if you use too much force. I had to slow down in a few spots and had some breaks but thankfully it splices beautifully back together without looking like a splice.
- As a patternmaker, I really appreciated the sophisticated shoulder shaping on this pattern. Beautifully thought through.
- Current yarn queue: it’s long, but I’m alternating between crocheting a blanket and knitting a cape in the evenings. (What is it with me and knitting winter stuff in summer time? I knit the Stonehaven at the end of last summer.) Also, I really need to update my Ravelry project page with some of the fun blankets I have made.
And on a different note, I miss my blog! Like I miss breakfast tacos when I’m away from Austin. Over the last year I have added quite a bit of help content around the website, but most of it is not in blog format. I have missed journaling personal anecdotes and creative projects. I’m working on how to incorporate that more often into my weekly routines.
Happy weekend!
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It looks deliciously cozy for a time of year that isn’t right now! And it’s great to read a post from you, too—I’ve missed you!
Aww, thanks lady! And yes it is cozy but it’s so stinking humid here that I can’t bear to put on socks even at night!
Hi Amy, I’m a knitter obsessed with knitting sweaters and optimizing their fit. I came across your website while trying to understand how I’d go about drafting a non-symmetrical armscye and sleeve cap to my measurements from scratch, that I can use to tweak my knitted armscye and sleeves. Given your background and knowledge I was wondering if you could recommend any resources? (I don’t sew, so don’t have a sloper). So far my thoughts are to work through the moulage drafting instructions in Suzy Furrers’ Craftsy class, and go from there to the sloper by adding ease (without actually sewing anything), and then look at her creative sleeve caps to understand how to draft the cap. Through out I was going to ignore the darts, since I’ll add bust shaping with increases and decreases. Any help/thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
(This was all inspired by Ysolda’s Stockbridge cardigan pattern, which has asymmetrical armhole and sleeve-cap shaping that lots of ravellers say fits them very well – the project photos look great!) I’ve bought and analysed the pattern but not knit it yet, partly because she does a couple of things that don’t make sense to me).
Hi Nikki, sounds like a worthy adventure! I love thinking about sleeve caps. The Bunka Japanese drafting books (in English) are great.
Drafting techniques for wovens tend to result in a much more shapely sleeve and armscye than those for knit fabrics or knitting patterns. I think any class/book that teaches you how to draft a close-fitting sleeve may give you some insight.
A lot of it has to do with the position of the peak of the sleeve cap. Also in pattern drafting for wovens, the back armscye is shallower and the front more scooped, whereas in knitting patterns often the front and back armscyes are often identical.
Oh and… I meant to say, while I’ve yet to knit any of her patterns, I’ve noticed that Veronik Avery is reknowned for nice details, and often uses seams (despite the trend not to) and adds lovely things like pockets, I recall reading/hearing somewhere that she has fashion school training, so presumably learnt pattern drafting.
She makes lovely patterns. 🙂
Thanks for the quick response Amy! I’ll look up the Bunka books. 🙂
It’s the different slopes/shapes of armscye and sleeve cap that interest me, so far I’m finding Suzy’s Craftsy classes fascinating (taking full advantage of ‘Bluprint’ (i.e. craftsy unlimited) free week of viewing).
Good luck with your knitting adventures and using up your stash (I sold some of mine earlier this year) – I also like knitting things for a different season, I started a lopayesa in the heat of an Aussie summer this year, and finished it at the end of May, just in time for the weather to be cool enough to wear it.
Ooh, that sounds lovely. Colorwork is fun! I really like knitting woolly things in summer–it’s great to be able to finish just when I need to wear it, especially because our winters are so short!
AMIGA ES LO MAXIMO SU PAGINA, DIOS LA BENDIGA POR COMPARTIR EL MARAVILLOSO SABER DE SU DESTREZA EN LENCERIA DE ROPA INTIMA. GRACIAS, MUCHAS GRACIAS