Howdy from a sunny July day and the just-finished Lovegood.

Pattern: Lovegood
Yarn: about 3.5 balls of Manos Silk BlendI likes this yarn so very much.
I don’t think I can say that enough.

Originally I was envisioning belt loops for this one, and the ability to wear said belt at either just under the bust or natural waistline. As it happens, I’ve made it a touch too short to wear the belt at my waist. Methinks it’d look a bit funny. And, the belt stays put, so no need to add the loops.

The neckline turned out how I wanted (thankfully!) in that I wanted it wide and almost off the shoulders. The sleeves aren’t as big and flowy as I wanted, but I’m satisfied with them.

I’m undecided about the wood buttons, though. In my zeal to get this one completed, I grabbed the only flat-fronted, right-sized wood buttons the store had – and now I suspect they’re too contrastive to the yarn. * le sigh.

But, my enthusiasm level for this one remains at the moderately high level (I gave it the smiley, but not super-smiley, face on Rav). It’s certainly wearable and much needed for my summertime wardrobe.

The lace panels are just “Snowflake Lace” from one of my few stitch dictionaries.

And here’s a little guy who hopped on by during the outdoors photo shoot.

******Pattern NOTES*******

Lovegood Cardigan Notes

Size:
Made to fit me, which is approx 35” bust.

Materials:
3.5 hanks of Manos Silk Blend
9 buttons (15mm across)

Needles:
3mm, 3.5mm, and 4 mm circular needles

Gauge:
(Don’t ask how, but)
On 3mm – 5.5 sts/1”
On 3.5mm – 5.5sts/1”
On 4 mm – 5 sts/1”

Cast on 165 sts using 3mm circs.
Divide stitches with place markers as follows:
28 (for left front)
27 (for left sleeve)
56 (for back)
27 (for right sleeve)
28 (for right front)

Do garter rib for 6 rows.

GARTER RIB:
Right side: K1, p1 to end.
Wrong side: Purl across.On next Right Side (RS) row:
Switch to knitting in stockinette st.
Begin raglan increases.
To do this: increase one stitch on each side of each place marker each right side row.

AT THE SAME TIME:
Begin lace panel on arms. Place this in the middle of the arm.

LACE PANEL (6+1 multiples)
Row 1 – knit 1 *yo, skpo, k1, k2tog, yo, k1. Repeat from * to end
Row 2 – and all wrong side rows, Purl to end
Row 3 – Knit 2, *yo, knit 3. Repeat from * to last 2 sts, then yo, knit 2.
Row 5 – Knit 2 together, yo, skpo, knit 1, knit 2 together, *yo, sl 1, knit 2 together, psso, yo, skpo, k1, knit 2 together. Repeat from * to last 2 sts, then yo, sl1, psso.
Row 7 – knit 1, *knit 2 together, yo, knit 1, skpo, knit 1. Repeat from * to end.
Row 9 – Work like row 3.
Row 11 – knit 2, * knit 2 together, yo, sl1, knit 2 together, psso, yo, skpo, k1. Repeat from * to end.

Work this way, making raglan increases and knitting lace panel, until piece measures 2” from the cast on. Switch to 3.5 mm needles.
Add two more lace panels on each arm.
To do this: place them halfway between the original lace panel and each stitch marker.
Continue in this manner, creating raglan increases and working each arm’s 3 lace panels, until piece measures approx. 5” from the cast on.
At this point the arms should have a couple inches of positive ease on your arm.

Now place all of each sleeve’s stitches on waste yarn, and knit across all body stitches.
Place a lace panel directly under each arm pit.
Work back and forth across body, knitting each side’s lace panel for approx. 2.5”.
Switch to 4 mm needles.
Add a lace panel to each side of already established lace panels.
Work in this manner, knitting stockinette across and 3-repeat wide lace panels under each armpit for approx. 2.5”.
Now add one more lace repeat to each side of each panel. Now you’re repeating the lace 5 times on each side of the garment’s body.
Knit in this manner for approx. 4”.

Begin Garter Rib for bottom:
Switch to 3.5mm needles, and work garter rib for 6 rows.
Cast off.

Sleeves:
Take stitches off waste yarn and begin knitting in established pattern with 3.5mm needles for 1”.
Switch to 4 mm needles, and knit in established pattern until arm measures approx. 4” from armpit.
Work 6 rows of garter rib.
Cast off.

Button Band:
Using 3mm needles, pick up every 3 of 4 sts, for a total of 81.
Work garter rib for 6 rows.
Cast off.

Button Hole Band:
Using 3mm needles, pick up every 3 of 4 sts for a total of 81.
Work garter rib for 2 rows.
Make buttonholes:
RIGHT SIDE: Knit 2 sts in pattern, cast off 2, continue in pattern. Repeat this so that buttonholes are approx. 1.5” from each other. There should be 9 buttonholes. (When I made mine, I placed them a little askew. But I blocked it out, and you can’t tell the off-placement).
Next row: WRONG SIDE: purling across all stitches, cast on for the two stitches you cast off on the previous row in the places where they’re missing.
Knit one more row in pattern, then cast off all stitches.

Belt: Cast on 331 sts with 4 mm needles.
Do 6 rows of garter rib.
This makes a belt that’s just over 5 feet long.
____________________
Errata:

• Number of stitches to cast on: 166
• Number of stitches for the lace pattern : 6+6+1 (if you want all the instructions to be done)
• The 3 omissions in rows 5, and 11 of the lace pattern
  (added March 2011)

Call me the procrastination knitter: when I set myself to get something done, I end up knitting something else instead.
Here’s an example:

Pattern: Flying Fox (notes posted below)
Yarn: almost 5 entire skeins of Elsebeth Lavold Silky Tweed

I’m semi-pleased by the way this one turned out.
I originally had envisioned incredible batwing sleeves for this knit (hence the name – oh how I love naming the knits!). Unfortunately, my impatience to get this one on the way had me skipping important forethought regarding the shaping. I’m sure if I actually thought about it, I could have made it look more like the vision in my mind.
I also had to exercise some big-time will power to refrain from gussying this one up. As you can see (if you’re familiar with any of my other designs) I gravitate towards the prettily-detailed. This one is decidedly minimalist. This was a tactic, so that I could focus on the drapey sleeves and neckline.

I fear the yarn is discontinued: I read that somewhere on the internets. Then again, I read lots of stuff on the internets. I hope it isn’t, because I really really love this yarn. Lovely and drapey.

Please don’t mind the smirky grin on me face.

Awaiting me at home is yet more procrastin-knitting. I’ve just had some golden Debbie Bliss Pure Silk wound into usable yarn-balls. There’s also some scarletty bamboo that’s calling my name.
And here comes the summer!
*****
Pattern notes:

gauge – 22 sts=4″ on 4 mm needles

Cast on 108. Join for knitting in the round.
Place marker at the beginning of the round; work 2×2 ribbing across 54 sts, place marker, work 2×2 ribbing for the rest of the round.
Knit 2×2 ribbing for 11″.

When piece measures 11″, work increase row:
You will begin working back and forth.
*increase 1 st into next 3 sts, knit 1*
repeat until you reach side marker, increase into last 2 sts
(95 sts across the front now)

Slip marker, add new yarn, increase into first st, knit 1,
*increase 1 st into next 3 sts, knit 1* repeat until next marker.
This is the back. I recommend leaving this side to work until you’ve completed the front.

Working the front:
Turn work to wrong side facing, purl across.
Next row: Right side facing, knit across.
Next row: Wrong side facing, cast on 24 sts, purl across, place marker after these 24 sts, purl across sts, place marker, cast on 24 sts.
Next row: Right side facing, knit across all sts.

Knit these 119 sts until sleeve measures 2.5″.
At 2.5″, work as follows until sleeve measures 4.5″:
Right side facing – knit across sleeve, slip marker, decrease one st, knit across front until 2 sts before marker, decrease one st, slip marker, work across sleeve to end of row.
Wrong side: purl.

When sleeve measures 4.5″:
stop working these decreases, and simply knit the right side of the work and purl the back until the sleeve measures 8″.

When sleeve measures 8″:
Right side facing: Decrease 2 sts at each end of every row five times.
Wrong side: purl.

After you’ve completed all 5 decrease rows, cast off.

Work back same as front.

Sewing back and front together:
I simply stitched the front and back together, beginning at the first decrease-row worked when the sleeve was 8″ long.
(the sleeve will be slightly curved here. I just began stitching at this curve).
I stitched each side together for 5 inches.
******

I’d like to announce to the knitworld that I love Manos Silk.
Here’s what it told me to make it into:

Pattern: Hew (available as a pdf download on Ravelry. I have, rather unfortunately, not figured out the delicate art of pdf-ing).
Yarn: 2 skeins of Manos Silk

This pattern was a bit of a departure for me. Usually I think on a design for quite a while, sketching and dreaming. Hew just grew itself, in a manner that I’m certainly not used to when it comes to knitting. It was a very organic process, which brought me to a wearable and rather enjoyable finished garment.

My issues: because it was such an ‘organic’ knit, it’s a bit loose in some areas and a bit tight in others. It sort of works out, but I’ve found myself tugging at the bottom edge and re-tying the ties every once in a while to keep it below-bust.

I’ve kept pattern notes this time, so I hope I can accurately tell you knitgentry (for this I shall title you) how it grew and how to make it grow for other sizes.

Hop hop.

on Ravelry

Pattern: Le Lapin Noir
Yarn: a whack of angora I bought many ages ago from Cottage Craft Angora

Why I love this one:
and oh, how I do!
Despite numerous mistakes (and I’ve learned to live with the multitude of errors I incorporate into each and every knit!) I love the fit, I like the shape, and it’s successfully fulfilled a search I have been undertaking to find the perfect argyle sweater for nigh on 2 years now.

Unless you’re looking for one, you probably wouldn’t realize that practically every bloody argyle sweater in stores has a v neck. I wanted a scoop neck.

Also, I’m fairly picky when it comes to the colours I wear. Though, I will hazard anyone interested in knitting a very small-gauge sweater in black: not so good for maintaining good vision.

I would have made 3/4 length sleeves (as is my way) but I ran out of black yarn. I think the short sleeves work alright, and are less incongruous than one would imagine on an angora sweater.

The yarn is amazingly dreamily soft. Just as soft (dare I say?) as the bellies of canaries. Highly recommended. Knit yourself an angora sweater.

This sweater was inspired by retro patterns and the angora yarn itself. I’d never worked with it before, and wanted to see how it behaved.
I’ve worn it a few times, and have found it to be sturdier than I would have imagined. I feared it would stretch to frightening proportions as soon as I was moving around in it. This didn’t happen at all.
I also feared it would pill horribly. This also hasn’t happened (yet).
As I understand angora is (one of the) warmest fibres one can wrap around a body, I feared it might overheat me. I had no such problems.
As you can see, it creates a beautiful halo of bunny-goodness all around you.

I didn’t block it (shock and horror!). I wasn’t sure how it would take to the water. I’m entirely pleased with the intarsia, though, and I don’t know that it would benefit from a blocking anyhow.

***************