Happy, happy, joy, joy!

We had a really cold day last Monday, frost warning at night and all. Yes, in May! So I took the opportunity to wear and test out my new sweater. I think I'm in love. It was well worth the ripping and re-doing. The final result is a lightweight, warm and extremely wearable layer that will be very versatile. It also fits quite well despite the lack of waist shaping.

I used up almost all the yarn. I have the swatch and a few bits left. So I think I succeeded in my goal - to use up all the yarn and create a nice looking and fitting sweater.

I haven't been knitting much all week. But I started last night to finish up the modular sweater. It is very boring knitting. The reverse stockinette in the sweater above was boring but required no thinking at all. The modular sweater does require some focus but not enough to occupy the mind. The only good thing about it is that it moves along at a fast pace. I hope to have the body done by next weekend.

Thank you for the compliments on the sweater. I am very happy with it and yes, I got the vertical lines I wanted (sorta) and it was worth the 3 attempts. It is going to be a go-to sweater in the coming winter.

I have a question for all of you: how do you store your sweaters? I started off with boxes but I've overflowed them and now they are all squashed (folded and squashed) into the shelves. I think I need another system. So your solutions are really needed to help me get some ideas. Thanks!

It's done, it's done, it's done!

Yes, I said that 3 times because it took 3 tries to get it done. But the Lorna's Laces Hand-to-Hand sweater is finally done. And I like it. I haven't worn it yet because it is still damp but it is looking good. The fabric is lovely and the colors are lovely!

See for yourself!

Here is a detail look at the body. There seems to be a slight delineation of where I started the last skein but since it goes all the way around the sweater, I don't mind. It is also not as visible in real life.

I can move on to other knitting now, I hope!

Slow progress

I know it doesn't look like much but I have been knitting away and am making slow progress. The only way I can gauge it is by how much yarn I've used up. All the ripped out yarn is knitted up and I'm about half way through the last skein that I hadn't used up until this point. I suppose the body is lengthening but it is really hard to see. I don't want to measure it yet because I'll feel discouraged. When it is about 12", I start measuring. But I really think this is going to be the right answer. The fabric feels nice and the colors are looking good.

Now I have a tip for those of you who would like to try Portuguese knitting but don't have a pin. The pin looks like this. You pin it to your shirt and use the hook to hold the yarn. It is quite convenient and I used it on the plane. It went through the metal detector without any problems.

But someone on Ravelry mentioned that she used a badge holder with a clip from a dog leash on it to hold the yarn. This avoid holes in one's shirts, although the pin doesn't make any more of a hole than a brooch. I thought I'd see if I could make one of these and try it. I have a lot of badge holders laying around from all the conferences I have attended. So I brought one home and attached a carabiner that I had from some other function. I think it was meant to hold keys that you could clip to your backpack. You can't see the badge holder too well as it is transparent but you can see the clip. In this case, the yarn goes permanently into the carabiner and you clip and un-clip the badge holder as you begin and end knitting.

I have pretty much given up on all other kinds of purling now. The Portuguese purl is quick and I can do it without looking. I tried the Norwegian purl but it is much looser and requires more movements. So I am sticking to this for the rest of this sweater. I think that I would use the combination purl for seed st and rib as it mixes better with the continental knit. I'd like to master the Norwegian purl but have to find the right knit gauge to go with it.

Three seems to be the charm

I like how this sweater is turning out this time. This is the sweater with 1 skein of yarn left to go + some odds and ends. I think it will be fine.

I am alternating a few rounds of Portugese purling with a few rounds of Eastern purling. I find the Portugese purling to be much easier on my hands but I like the mixing up of the two movements. I occasionally throw in a round or two of my regular flicking. I think it is changing the way the colors stack up because there are minute differences in the amount of yarn per round.

I am on a roll with the sweater and will try to finish it before I move back to the modular sweater. It will be nice to get this off the WIP list.

I hope next week will be close to the end for this.