Yes, I had to back up a bit to get up to date with this blog.
August 4 -Just started another lace project. this time in a DK weight yarn, elegance from Knitpicks. The sweater will be below hip length with a low v-neck starting about 7" from the bottom of the sweater with a decorative twisted edge added after the sweater is complete. I decided to design in a stockinette inset panel on either side of the v-neck. It gives a nice contract to the lace pattern and will narrow at the top as the neckline decreases are made. 2 advantages: nice contrast and it's much easier to decrease in stockinette stitch than in lace! . The lace pattern is the "gull stitch". A pretty 4 row, 7 stitch pattern that will give a nice vertical stripe effect. 11 pattern repeats across the front and back will give a nice centered stripe on center front and back.
Be sure and do a pretty good sized swatch of any lace pattern. This yarn, for instance, knits up at 51/2 stitiches per inch in plain knit and 4 stitches per inch in the lace pattern! This could have ended up fitting my husband instead of me!
August 14- Finished the front and back up to the armholes....now on to the sleeves. I'm planning on working on double pointed needles until the circumference is enough to change to my 16" round. A bit tedious ; we'll see how much patience I have! It is such a nice look without a seam. I plan to cast on 42 stitches or 6 pattern repeats; two for each needle. Then adjust the stitches so my "seam" is centered on one of the needles. The increases will be worked in stockinette and form a lovely inverted "v" underarm. It will echo the insert on either side of the v-neck and also be much simpler to keep to my lace pattern. I won't have to wonder about all the yarn overs!
August 19- The sleeves worked out beautifully! Yeah.. It's always nice when a design idea works out the way you envisioned it. I made the sleeve increases in stockinette stitch at the underarm "seam". This grew to 20 stitiches of a lovely inverted v which when the sleeve is viewed from the side, as you usually see a sleeve, it has a pretty triangle shape defined by the change in the stitches. This also accents and sets off the lace stitch to great effect. I did end up increasing 2o stitches instead of the 14 -16 that I though I'd need. I puzzled over this for a bit and then realized I had arrived at the 14 stitch number while using the lace gauge and the increased stitches were in stockinette....duh....
puzzle solved! I'll just refigure my neckline decreases and make sure they line up at the neckline! On to join sleeves to the body...woo-hoo!
August 25- I finished up the yoke last night and added a pretty twisted edging to the front opening. It is tricky to decrease in lace, I found the best approach is to lay out a grid on paper so I know how many stitches should be in each sleeve and front section and also the back for each decrease. I had to k3 together a couple of times to make it work. Those yarn overs are not always in convenient places! I loved the edge on one of Kristeen Griffin-Grimes' French Girl knits designs and reduced the scale to use as the front edge on this sweater. It accents the gull lace pattern nicely and adds a touch of femininity to the design. Photos soon. I'll enjoy wearing this one. All during the knitting of this sweater I've been contemplating my next project which will be a stranded color design, probably a pullover. I'm inspired by Marianne Isager's African collection designs and also the color combinations of the Amish quilts...somehow these two are going to come together! All the new colors of Palette yarn from Knitpicks are calling me!
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