a week of leaving a trail of sparkles in my wake
Each Wednesday, I post a snapshot of the projects I’m working on, and where my brain is at.
No metaphorical sparkles here, just real ones.
It turns out that making alterations to a sparkly jumpsuit leaves sparkles all over your desk (and floor, and apartment, and clothes, and shoes). Most of my time in front of the sewing machine this week has been focused on this jumpsuit because the dance company it’s for leaves town in a couple days.
But! I did snag a couple minutes to sew a couple seams on my black over-shirt that’s been cut and waiting in the wings for months. So now all that’s left to do is the neckline and hems!
Other than that, I’ve been focused on getting the second book in the Shawl Geometry Series ready to re-release. I’m giving it one final read through today before putting the final file together – if you’ve already bought a copy of Shawl Geometry Book Two, expect the second edition to pop up in your inbox tonight or tomorrow.
If you haven’t already bought your copy, you can do so here!
And with that, I’m going to dive back into my read through.
3 more projects for the UFO pile
Each Wednesday, I post a snapshot of the projects I’m working on, and where my brain is at.
Last week (the final week of last year) I gathered together all of the various works in progress I have “on the needles” (some metaphorically).
It turns out I forgot to include two crafty projects, and a huuuuge writing one.
Crafty Projects!
The first is mending two new holes in the pair of jeans that I mended this summer.
And the second is finishing sewing a shirt together. There are literally 10 seams on this and then it’s done.
The Writing Project!
Shawl Geometry Book Three…
Book Two is coming next week!
Book Three is in the heavy stages of editing! (maybe heavy enough to be called rewriting?)
And I think that’s it?
I certainly hope that there aren’t any more projects I’m hiding from myself.
Because last week was a lot, and this week just adds on to the pile.
And while I don’t generally set new years resolutions or yearly goals (except for wardrobe challenges), I would really like to make a dent in this pile – either by finishing the project, re-purposing the project, or calling the project dead and disposing of it.
If you want to see my now-a-to-do-list pile of unfinished projects, watch last week’s experiment in video!
And a happy, happy New Year!
Finished Project: Banaue Breeze Sweater – the third and final finished project of 2016
It’s my finished Banaue Breeze sweater!
Since I’m writing this two days before the new year, I’m fairly confident saying that this will be my final finished project of 2016 – which brings my total finished project count of 2016 to three! (and one project was mending a pair of pants). Huzzah!
It turns out that traveling and moving apartments seriously cut into my making time.
2016 has been an adventure. And 2017 is looking like it will be too.
Have a wonderful & safe New Years, I’ll see you next year.
– xo, Holly
Now on to the sweater details!
Materials
Pattern: Banaue Breeze by Stephen West
Yarn: 3 skein of Malabrigo laceweight
Malabrigo’s Silkpaca in colorways “Natural (063)” and “Piedras (862)”
1 skein each; 420 yds (384 m) per 50oz skein; 2 ply laceweight; 70% Baby Alpaca, 30% Silk
Malabrigo’s Lace in an unknown colorway (this is the variegated one – it came from my yarn stash with no tag), I poked around the Malabrigo website, but didn’t see a colorway in Lace that jumped out at me.
1 skein; 470 yds (430 m) per 50oz skein; single ply laceweight; 100% Baby Merino
The light brown almost solid is the skein of Silkpaca in Piedras – it doesn’t look a whole lot like Piedras. And while it does have some variegation in there I would have assumed it was a solid. So either it came from an incredibly subtle dye lot, or it was mislabeled.
Needles: US size 5s (3.75mm)
Blocked Gauge: 6sts and 9 rows per inch
Pattern Modifications
I made three modifications:
- the colorblocking
I worked sections 1 and 2 of the “Right Half” of the pattern in the Malabrigo Lace (the varigated unknown colorway), and sections 3 and 4 of the “Right Half” in the Silkpaca “natural” colorway. Then I worked sections 1 and 2 of the “Left Half” of the pattern in the Silkpaca “piedras(?)” colorway, and sections 3 and 4 of the “Left Half” in the Silkpaca “natural” again.
2. the exposed seam in the center of the front & back
As written, the pattern has you work a 3 needle bind off with the right sides together – making the seam end up on the wrong side. I just worked the 3 needle bind off with the wrong sides together – making the seam end of up on right side.
3. the i-cord bind off at the neckline
As written, the pattern has you pick up and knit a handful of rounds, then work a standard stretchy bind off. Instead, I picked up and knit a handful of rounds fewer than the pattern called for, and then worked an i-cord bind off. Like I do on most of my sweaters.
The Sweater Parts I Love
- the turned hems at both cuffs
- the exposed seam
- the pattern blocking
- the loose floaty fit
- the beautiful drape that makes the floaty fit work
- the wide open neckline
- the shape!
- the line of double yarn overs across the shoulder
The Other Parts
- the sleeves – they are huge! I like them, they’re part of what attracted me to the sweater in the first place, and yet, every time I look at the sweater my first though is “the sleeves are huge!”
- the drape of the hem – it’s different, but every time I look at it I wonder how it was intended to sit on hips.
- the back of the neckline – I love how open the neckline is, but don’t love how it bunches at the back of the neck.
PS. if you missed it yesterday and want to procrastinate for 15 minutes, I dug out all my current works in progress, plus all my unfinished projects, and filmed them all.
You can watch my face say “I don’t know what I was thinking…” more times than I care to count, here!
Be sure to like or comment if you enjoy.
