Cardigan Blues

In my closet I have two large plastic bins. One is for my stash and one is for my FO who are waiting for homes. I recently was looking through the FO bin and unearthed my “shame sweater.” 

Shame sweater?!? Yes it is a shame that I messed this sweater up so much. Back in November 2014, I decided to make Miette by Andi Satterlund.  This design was perfect. It is a top down design with no seaming and had lacy elements 😍. I love and admire Andi’s designs. They are super cute with just the right amount of retro-flair. I purchased my yarn (Cascade 220 in Persimmon), downloaded the pattern, and got to work.

So I thought I was doing all the right things. I made a swatch, checked the gague, then blocked it, and checked again. I made sure to check my body measurements and compare them to the sizing measurements. All good right???

My Swatch

As the sweater kept growing my brow kept furrowing. The sweater was working up way too small. What was going on? Well friends I did not look at the line above the gauge. This sweater’s sizing clearly stated there was an expected 2″ of NEGATIVE ease. I thought I was making a sweater with a 34″ bust, but in reality it was going to measure up as a 32″ bust. Ugh!

At this point I had knit almost the whole sweater and I couldn’t bear to rip it out. It was a Make It Work moment. I decided to add some extra paneling to the front of the sweater by picking up some stitches and creating a simple ribbing. Yet, by the end of it all I was not feeling my design mods. All my mind could think about was the original. So in the bin it went. It was incredibly depressing. How could I make such a huge mistake?

A sad sweater experience it one thing, but it would have been even sadder if I didn’t learning anything from the experience. After reflecting for a bit I made a promise to myself: I Whitney, solemnly swear to always check my gauge AND the garment ease before creating handmade sweaters. ✋🏾

Good thing I have a cousin who is thinner than me. She is about to get an awesome Christmas present. 

Until Next Time,

-Whit-

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Honeymoon Socks

I decided to work on a gift for my new husband during our honeymoon. A sweater was out of the questions as he is 5’10” and that project would have been a pain to cart from place to place. I needed something super portable and easy to pack. So the winner was socks!

My husband likes really plain and simple clothing…think stripes and solids. Much to my delight I found Paton’s Kroy Sock Yarn (self-striping!) at my local yarn store. The yarn is a washable wool/nylon blend called Blue Striped Ragg. The yarn label states it is Super Fine (1), yet it recommends you use a US size 3 (3.25 mm) needle. I knitted a swatch with US 1’s  and it felt a tiny bit dense, but not impossible to work with.

As for the pattern, I used a basic sock blueprint and embellished the heel flap. I start at the cuff, progressed downward, and then use the Kitchener’s stitch to bind off.  I casted on 69 stitches and knit in a 2 X 1 rib pattern for the cuff. The heel flap is based on a mock rib stitch (slipping stitches rather than purling to create a ribbing like affect). Then I worked in stockinette stitch for the foot.

I was a little bummed about the toe. It came out really boxy. I don’t know what went wrong. Since I was finishing the socks not near reliable internet (hence I couldn’t Google it) I just did the best I could. My husband didn’t seem to mind and the average person can’t really tell… Or at least that is what I keep telling myself.

I ended up using 1.5 skeins of yarn to make these socks. I started off with an identical pair, but something went awry.  By the time I figured it out I was too far into sock #2. I was just too lazy to rip them back so fraternal twins it was.

All and all the hubby is happy and that is all that matters. He likes them so much he is already asking for another pair. I better get knitting. ❤️

 

FO Friday: Summer Crop Top

I had Zach’s Bay Crop Top on my needles before I embarked on my trip east.This was a lovely lace project to work on. It was just challenging enough to keep me busy, while still being a pretty quick project.

The yarn was my first purchase from Love Knitting. I was really impressed with the packaging. It came in a pretty bag with some hard candies and a free pattern 😊. Ordering from them took a little longer than WEBS, however, it wasn’t to the point where I was loosing my patience.

The yarn (GGH Linova) was okay. It was a cotton/linen blend, which is perfect for summer items. It was smooth and relatively soft to knit with in addition to not easily loosing the twist in the yarn.

Well want to see the finished result?

Here I am modeling it at the Ljubljana Castle. The top was super comfortable and with some high-waisted pants I was covered and stylish for summer. Success!

The Summer of 9 Islands

I am back! I can’t believe it’s already August. Just two months ago I was busy running around ending the school year and getting ready to get married. Well time has passed and it was one of the best summers of my life.

Our adventure began in Martha’s Vineyard where we got hitched! It was a tremendous event. My favorite part…watching over 80 people related to our lives come together to celebrate our love.

Shortly after our wedding we headed on a month-long honeymoon to both Croatia and Slovenia. Talk about an unbelievable adventure. While planning our trip many people were quite incredulous about our destination. People kept commenting, “Why there?” My now husband just smiled and said, “Once you see it you will know.”

Our trip was packed with delicious seafood, jaw-dropping blue waters, lush greenery, and rocky craggs. We started in the southern part of Croatia.

2) Lokrum is a small island near Dubrovnik. It was so relaxing to walk through the trees and take dips in the ocean.

3,4,5) We visited the Elafiti Islands (Kolocep, Lopud, Sipan) via boat tour. I was amazed by the amazing stone buildings lining the shorelines of the towns. So charming!

6) Vis Island was one of my favorites. The combination of delicious seafood, lovely scenery, and friendly people had me wanting to stay for a while. Activities we enjoyed? Riding a scooter through the countryside and boating into the Blue Cave.

7)  Brac Island is home to one of the most famous beaches in Croatia (Zlatni Rat). And what a gorgeous beach it was. In the town of Bol there was also a lovely waterfront that made for a great evening hangout spot.

8) Being in Rab Town on Rab Island was like stepping into the middle ages. Picture stone buildings with cobblestone streets overlooking the Adriatic Sea. We drove to Suha Punta which was a park consisting of beaches and coves to spend the day relaxing by the water.

Our 9th island was in Bled, Slovenia. Bled contained a gorgeous lake with an island in the middle. On said island there was a fabulous church that was so picturesque it had me saying, “Woah!” 

Well now consider yourself in the know. Croatia and its neighbor Slovenia are both amazing countries with a lot of offer all kinds of visitors. I am so very grateful we got to have these experiences.