Wednesday Works In Progress

knit...
Kennedy... I cast this sweater on because I really wanted to join the Summer Sweater KAL with Very Shannon.  The KAL is going until September, so I think I can pull it off!  The pattern is Kennedy by Anniken Allis and I've just reached the cabling section, I always find that exciting!

Plymouth Yarn Worsted Merino Superwash

spin...
Black Jacob Handspun... I have been dying to start a new spinning project, it has been months since I've spun anything at all!  The only fiber I had available was some leftover black jacob wool that I used to make some handspun socks for my mother a few years ago.  I love working with this fiber, it's always a simple joy.

100% black jacob wool

crochet...
Sock Scrap Blanket... I'm still making excellent progress on the cushion cover.  I'm also learning that learning to join crochet squares is particularly challenging with black, fingering weight yarn.

Araucania Itata Multy

Well, how about that?

This time last year I was sadly leaving Massachusetts having graduated from college.  Then a few months ago my parents bought their retirement home 30 minutes away from my college town.  The really funny thing is that I almost decided to go to graduate school at UMASS Amherst, only minutes away!

Massachusetts is a pretty wonderful state and I definitely miss being an easy walk away from Webs.  Getting to come back and visit Northampton was like coming home.  I don't miss the winters here though!

I knew the dangers of going on a yarn spending spree having been deprived of yarn stores for so long, so I limited myself to a few special yarns.

I bought one of my old favorites Plymouth Yarn Worsted Merino Superwash, a yarn I have written about before.  I picked out enough dark red merino goodness for a super special knit-a-long with a dear friend I consider my sister.

I've been wanting to try Socks That Rock for a while now, but Webs is the only yarn store I've been to that carries it.  Oh the colors and the texture!

I couldn't resist getting some madelinetosh merino light either because I have a difficult time finding it and everyone is always knitting the most gorgeous projects out of it.

Anyways, as of yesterday the house now has internet (even though the cable company did not seem to want me succeed) and I'll try and get some knitting accomplished when I'm not engaged in one of my family's favorite activities, gutting and then restoring old houses.

Beatnik Sweater

After much cabling and seaming, I'm very excited to share with you my completed Beatnik Sweater!

I really enjoyed this entire project, and as you can see it yielded an attractive product.  I imagine this being a part of my presentation outfit in graduate school for lab meeting, it looks sophisticated and, dare I say it, just the kind of sweater a successful scientist would wear!

Pattern: Beatnik

Designer: Norah Gaughan

Published in: Knitty, Deep Fall 2010

 The pattern was clearly written and as far as I could tell, free of mistakes.  I can definitely see why it is such a popular pattern to knit because the cabling is highly entertaining and just challenging enough to hold interest for both the front and the back.

I especially liked how the collar was constructed, because it produces such a polished edge.  Basically it was knit twice as long as it needed to be, and then folded inwards and seamed to produce a nice clean edge.  Oftentimes I dislike how my bound off edges look and this is a great way around that problem that I will definitely keep in mind for the future.

My major frustration with the pattern was of course with the seaming, as it was constructed the same as most seamed sweaters.  However, this was even more difficult due to the fact that the edges of the garment were knitted in seed stitch, which is not easy to seam attractively (at least for me).  Luckily for me, I was able to solicit the aid of my mother, the master seamer and it ended up looking fantastic.  One thing that she suggested I do on future patterns with a complicated pattern is to knit a few extra stitches on each side in stockinette stitch to help make it easier to seam perfectly.

I used Plymouth Yarns Worsted Merino Superwash for this project.  Some of you may remember from a past post that I simply adore this yarn.  Both times I have used it, it has produced such an attractive, smooshy fabric complete with that irresistible merino smell!  I also think that the yarn was a great match for this sort of project because it should be very comfortable to wear and long-wearing.

I love this sweater and will likely wear it a lot, but I think this will be the last seaming I do for a while.

Speaking of Yarn: Worsted Merino Superwash (Plymouth Yarn)

I know that I have mentioned my love for Worsted Merino Superwash by Plymouth Yarn in the past, but would like to talk more specifically about why I love it.

This yarn is a glorious 100% superwash fine merino wool in worsted weight.  It is sold in a standard 218 yards per 100 grams skein and comes in 56 different lovely colors.

The first project I knitted with this yarn was a pair of worsted weight socks, which I adore and have been worn often with minimal pilling (oh how I hate pilling).  I am currently working on my second project using this yarn, my Beatnik.  The colorway I chose for my current project is a comforting navy blue with flecks of purple mixed in.  The thing I like about this yarn the most is its elasticity, it is the most springy merino I have ever worked with!

Overall, on Ravelry people seem to enjoy this yarn as well, people seem to like the feel of it (it has this texture that I cannot describe, I would recommend taking a look for yourself) describing it as soft and high quality.  There were some complaints of color bleeding, splitting, and pilling (don't put in dryer).  I have had it bleed during hand washing, but the color did not fade much.  I don't think that the yarn is splitty at all, but then again, I do not seem as bothered by splitting as some people.  I have had it pill a little bit, but only after quite a bit of wear.

Pros:
- Amazing stitch definition (especially with cables!)
- Super springy and elastic
- Pretty colorways
- Superwash and appears to wear well (at least for me)
- Rips out well (don't ask)
- Lovely merino smell!

Cons:
- Ends unravel a lot
- Expensive

Final thoughts: I have really enjoyed working with this yarn personally.  The texture of the yarn is irresistible to me.  I always look forward to knitting with it and would certainly buy it again!

*** According to FTC law, I'm required to disclose that I have not received free products or compensation for this review, and that my personal opinions on the product are represented here.

Spring break knitting!

Sorry in advance for the crappy photo quality and general rushed quality of my posts for this week.  I'm currently on spring break and galavanting around with some of my family. 

I've really been focusing on my Beatnik recently.  This may mean that I am a glutton for punishment, ie. one sweater horribly failed, no problem, start working on two more.  

I'm really enjoying this project a lot, even though it is working up very slowly.  These are some serious cables here and I forgot how long it takes to get length worked up on a project like this.  Pictured here is the back of the sweater (almost done) and part of the first sleeve, which I am working in seed stitch along with the pattern. 

I have also been reminded how much I love knitting with Plymouth Yarn Worsted Merino Superwash.  It has such a great texture to it and that lovely merino smell that I'm so fond of. 

I'm definitely going to take my time on this project and savior it.