Unblocked Blaster Sweater

The Blaster Sweater by Andi Satterlund has been on my “To Knit List” for awhile now. When I first read about it I really enjoyed the backstory of the design’s creation. Andi detailed the inspiration behind the sweater on her blog:

One of the main characters on the show [Halt and Catch Fire] loves video games, and it gave me the idea for a cropped cardigan with triangle motifs at the waist that shoot up columns of eyelets, like little blasters on pixelated games. 

As with many of Andi’s designs this is a top down sweater with a close fit. Blaster, like Zinone, is made starting with the upper back first and then progresses to the front panels. The tops sections are then joined at the underarms. I worked up the small size, but I could have made the x-small to as close of a fit as in the photo. Yet, to be honest, I prefer my cardigans to be on the looser side. 

Since I live in an incredibly hot climate (well at least for most of the year) I opted to use a cotton blend. For the yarn, I used Drops Cotton Merino in Vanilla (Color 17), which is a 50% wool and 50% cotton combination. I have to say this yarn is very soft and has great stitch definition. I highly recommend it for adult and baby items.

I also shortened the sleeves. I decided to end the sleeves just above my elbow. I am hoping that by doing this I can wear my Blaster cardigan for more days during the year. Overall, I am pretty happy with the end result. I still need to block it and find some buttons before it is ready for its debut. I would love to find some beautiful glass buttons with a floral motif.

Andi Satterlund continues to be one of my favorite knitwear designers. I have knitted 4 of her sweaters with Blaster now checked off the list. I am looking forward to getting started on the next sweater on my list…Chuck.

Until Next Time,

-Whit-

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B Is For Baby (Sweater)

Awhile ago I bought this cotton yarn from a small store in Guangzhou. I purchased royal blue with a special person in mind. Well I should say “almost person” as he hasn’t been born quite yet. One of my good friends is due to have a little boy in December. Her and her husband live in a mild climate so I opted not to use wool. I used the Baby Sophisticate cardigan pattern by Linden Down. I love shawl cardigans and the fact that this is baby size made it even more cuter.

This pattern is quite easy to follow and best of all instantly gratifying. Using size US 8 needles and worsted weight yarn made for a speedy knit. I finished the sweater in about 3 days. It looks so tiny, but the chest measurements came out to be 16 inches, which was the dimension in the pattern. I looked it up and newborn chest sizing is about 16-17 inches. I think some heavy blocking will give me an inch of wiggle room. 

I don’t  have any of my finishing  tools with me right now so you will have to imagine it with buttons. I have wooden ones picked out, but I might go to the shops to see if there is an alternate choice. 

I had about a half of a skein left of yarn so I started making a little beanie to match. This hat is pretty basic. It is 45 stitches with a garter edge. 

Hopefully, mommy and baby will like the set! 😊

Until Next Time,

-Whit-

Back To Reality

Well my week of vacation is over. We enjoyed our time visiting the Phillipines. I loved that our trip had a combination of the beach and mountains. As much as I love a beach, I also love standing on top of a mountain and staring down at the world around me.

I was able to get in quite a bit of knitting during the holiday. My cardigan is measuring in at ~5.5 inches . I could have knit more, but my progress was halted as I ran out of the burgundy yarn.

I am using an intarsia method to add a little geometric element to the cardigan. I always have the tendency to pull the floating yarn too tightly across the back. Some of the stitches look a little wonky, but I think they will get worked out when I block the final piece.  Hopefully, I will be to the armholes by the end of next week [fingers crossed]. This may be too lofty of a goal considering I have 4 parent meetings coming up this week. In any event, please check back for my progress!

Until Next Time,
-Whit-

Jet Setter

Hello all! I realize I have been super inconsistent about posting. There are several reasons for this. 1) The internet in my new home is sooooooo slow in the evening. Therefore, if I try to load photos it can take 30+ minutes . 2) Work has been busy and I just have less time to knit. 😩However, this week the husband and I are on vacation in the Phillipines so I plan on logging many knitting hours! <<<<<<
his week, in China, is National Holiday. I am picturing it to be similar to the 4th of July in the USA. We heard from many co-workers that China gets VERY busy so we opted to take our first international adventure. Currently, I am in Boracay and boy is it gorgeous! Do you like white sand beaches? Crystal blue water? Delicious food and drink? Well then Boracay might be for you.

So what am I knitting? Well I am making a short sleeve cardigan. I plan on the cardigan falling around my waist and having a boxy silhouette. I made a swatch and a sketch, but I am not using a pattern for this one. I started vacation with 3/4 of an inch so please check back to see how far I made it! <<<<<<
ext Time,

-Whit-

P.S. I plan on moving more of the travel related content and how my life is going in China to another space. Please follow me at Smithberrys Abroad. 🇨🇳