Knitting a Second Purple Pullover
You’d think that one purple pullover would be enough, but apparently not. I’ve only had this sweater finished for a week or so and I’m already obsessed with it – partly for it’s color, partly for it’s fit.
This is the 4th top down yoked pullover I’ve knit, and I think I’ve got my basic recipe down. Like my previous purple pullover (which had raglan shaping), I knit this sweater with two strands of lace weight yarn held together. I used, one skein of Tosh Lace in the colorway “curiosity” and a skein of Western Sky Knits Lace in the colorway “elephant.”
Overall knitting this sweater went much more smoothly than the knitting of my first purple pullover – that sweater was a lesson in how to knit a basic sweater in the most complicated way possible, while this sweater was pretty straightforward knitting with a lot of fits & starts. I started this sweater way back in February, then the body flew by, before I got stuck on second sleeve island, and then when we got off second sleeve island the sweater got stuck in the “to be blocked” pile for weeks, until I finally finished it, (and remembered to take photos!)
MATERIALS
Yarn:
– 1 skein of Madelinetosh “Tosh Lace” in colorway “curiosity”
– 1 skein of Western Sky Knits “Lace” in colorway “elephant”
Needles:
– US #9s (5.5mm) needles
I held both strands of lace weight yarn together thought the whole sweater, and got a gauge of 6 stitches and 7 rows = 1 inch.
PATTERN
This sweater is a pretty straightforward yoked pullover.
The pattern is my own recipe – I’ve knit a couple top down yoked pullovers this year, and have been modifying my recipe as I go.
First was the sweater dress, then the jade cropped pullover, then the boring black sweater, and finally this 2nd purple pullover. I originally started with the “Silken Straw Summer Sweater” from The Pearl Bee, but have since modified it beyond all recognition.
WHAT WORKED WELL
On this sweater main modification to my recipe, was to add short row shaping at the back of the neck. It’s only been on the past couple sweaters that I’ve started doing this, and I think I might be in love with this technique.
Adding short rows to the back of the sweater neck makes the back of the neck neck higher than the front of the sweater neck, which helps compensate for the curve of our shoulders, and also helps keep the front of the sweater from riding up towards your throat. If you’ve ever worn a sweater, and kept having to tug it forward because it felt like the front of the neck was choking you – this helps prevent that.
WHAT I’D DO DIFFERENTLY
I don’t think I’d do anything drastically differently, I’ve got a pretty good two skeins of lace weight yarn held together sweater recipe down, and I love the fabric this creates a whole lot more than a single strand of thicker yarn knit on the same needles at the same gauge.
The only thing that kind of bugs me about this sweaters is the bit where I forgot one of the yoke increases, and had to quickly compensate.
If you look at the top of the yoke, you’ll see that for about an inch in the front, and 3 or so inches in the back, the stitches are super stretched out – this is because during the short row shaping I forgot one of the sets of increases, so for the following increase, I increased every other stitch to get the correct stitch count, instead of every 2nd or 3rd stitch like I was supposed to.
Of course, as soon as I blocked it NYC started experiencing spring, so I haven’t been able to wear it as much as I would like – but I’ll absolutely take the spring weather!
“Ordo” – a new brain bending shawl pattern
Order and chaos.
Order created from chaos.
Chaos facilitating order.
One begins – the other follows.
The two swirling around each other.
Two strands of yarn,
twisting around each other,
creating a whole new color.
Intertwining paths,
built with negative space,
splitting, intersecting, looping back around.
‘Ordo’ is Latin for “order, rank, or class.”
Order begets chaos. Chaos begets order.
Add a stitch. Create a hole. Make some lace.
The Important Pattern Details:
Yarn: 1,750 yards of lace weight yarn; 2 skeins of Toil & Trouble’s “Filament (Merino Silk Lace)” colorways: ‘Smoke Signals’ & ‘Apollo’
Two strands of lace weight yarn (one strand of each colorway) are held together throughout the shawl. This gives you a marled fabric, and at the same time, lets you use a not so itty bitty needle.
Needles: US 5s (3.75mm) 40″ circular needles; larger needles for binding off
Notions: stitch markers (8); tapestry/yarn needle
Gauge: 20 stitches & 34 rounds = 4 inches (10 cm) with smaller needle, in washed and blocked stockinette stitch
Dimensions: 40 inches (101.5 cm) blocked diameter
Skills Used: reading charts; casting on; knitting; k2tog, ssk, yo, k3tog, k3togtbl; binding off; weaving in ends; blocking lace
Please note that this lace stitch pattern is charted only.
Queue and purchase the pattern here on Ravelry.
Here’s the Ravelry link.
Sometimes you need a project you can just start NOW.
Sometimes you need a super simple straightforward, easy, non-thinking project.
No planning needed. No designing required. No counting. No math.
Just starting and making.
Often, starting a project with no planning is a recipe for disaster.
It’s generally how you get ill-fitting sweaters, cockeyed shelving units, uneatable meals. Planning is super important for creating a usable finished object – it’s why swatching is important, and so is math.
However, sometimes you need a project you can just start now, without going through the thinking, or the planning, or the calculating.
For me, spinning fills that need.
I don’t often spin yarn with a knitting project in mind.
My handspun & hand knit sweater being the exception.
I don’t often spin complicated yarns.
No art yarns, no intricately planned color sequences, or time consuming fiber prep – they’re not my thing.
I like my spinning projects pretty damn straightforward.
I start a spinning project by going into my fiber stash, pulling out a braid of roving, splitting it in half, and starting to spin. Sometimes I’ll do some more drafting or prep – especially if it’s a multi color roving – but not often.
There are definitely technical spinners out there – I’m not one of them.
For me, spinning is about being a conduit.
Take fiber. Add twist. Make yarn.
How much twist? As much twist as the fiber wants.
What ratio? The ratio that feels right.
How many treadles per minute? As many treadles as your feet want.
How many plies? What direction of twist? What fiber prep? What color sequence? How long? How often? How consistent? etc. etc.
What feels right? What feels right?
No over thinking. No over planning. Just spinning.
(the red yarn on the left, is a red & purple 3ply handspun, also spun by me without much planning)
