Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Can I Really Knit a Sweater?

 
May we never forget!
  


~" Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? " ~ Ginny at Small ThingsI am joining Ginny's Yarn Along. Feel free to check out her site and peek in on what others are knitting/crocheting and reading.
 
 My Daisy Square Afghan is finished. You can see it here. So the question now is what can I share for the Yarn Along? Well here is the yarn I just bought to make myself a sweater.

 
I can't believe I am going to attempt this. Just the thought of casting on is daunting right now. I know I should make a swatch for gauge but I have never done that. I think I will be checking the internet for insight. Does anyone have any tips for me?
 I am going to attempt the short version of the Updated Barn Jacket found Leisure Arts' Today's Knit Fashions.
 
A longish car ride last Friday prompted me to start making these coasters.

 
I needed something small that I could quickly pull together for the car. I always have some plastic canvas on hand and of course there are always little balls of yarn in my yarn stash. I have made these coasters a couple of times now. I love them because I can throw them in the wash when they get dirty and then just let them air dry. The pattern is from the January/February 1992 Country Woman magazine. I have also charted my own versions a few times. They are made on 7 mesh plastic canvas and are 25 bars wide x 25 bars high. Sometimes I also use fabric glue to attach a square of felt to the back.
 
I am still reading Indulgence in Death by J.D. Robb. Now that summer is basically over and my thoughts are turning to fall cleaning, my reading is slowing down. I am enjoying the book so far, but I'm just reading maybe a chapter each night before bed.

See this little guy below.
 

He is eating a leftover bagel that we threw in our back yard for the wildlife (birds and squirrels).
 Oops, he caught me taking his picture from my living room and decided to hide the rest of the bagel in my flowers. I hope he's not saving it for winter!
 
Thanks for stopping by!
 
 

 

10 comments:

  1. You can indeed knit a sweater. Just stay on the pattern. I like to make plastic canvas coasters, too.

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    1. Thank you so much for the encouragement. I am certainly going to give it a try.

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  2. Most definitely knit a swatch and measure it in many places. Stitches per inch is crucial, don't worry about rows. You can knit a sweater!!!!

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    1. Thanks Karen. I had a few hours alone this morning and knit the swatch. Thankfully my stitches per inch is right on target although my I have more rows. I'm not worried about that as I realize that you usually knit a certain length any way and not a specific number of rows. Thanks for the tip and the encouragement.

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  3. As much as I love sweater knitting (for my little ones!) I really hate casting on. The sweater I'm making for myself at the moment needed over 300 stitches at cast on. On size one needles... the cast on was the only reason I put off starting it for so long.

    Take the plunge! Cast on as soon as you can. Sweaters knit up a lot faster than you'd expect. My problem is actually starting.

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    1. I agree, with knitting the problem is starting. With all my other WIP the problem is finishing. Thanks for the encouragement and for visiting my blog.

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  4. I knit my first sweater/cardigan last Spring/Summer and it felt like the most epic thing I'd ever attempted at the time but after the first success I ended up making three cardigans in Winter and Spring alone this year!
    Making your own clothing is very addictive ;)
    Wishing you lots of luck for success x

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    1. Wow, you have been really productive. Thanks for the encouragement.

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  5. I know this is late, but definitely wash your swatch however you'll wash the sweater. Also, consider hanging your swatch on the wall (like on a corkboard) with some clothes pins hanging from it. The body of the sweater will sort of "hang" from your shoulders and it's good to know if the yarn is going to stretch a whole lot.

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    1. Thanks for the tips. I have made the swatch but never thought to wash it. I haven't started the sweater yet so I will definitely wash my swatch first. Thanks for visiting.

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Thanks for your comments! I love to hear from you.