Friday, April 27, 2007

WIP


The back!

And, yes, I am moving painfully slowly on the knitting of Nantucket. But, look, the back!

Sunday, April 22, 2007

blocking & finishing on a deadline, butttons anyone????

I am sooooooo close to completing.

I just cast off the fronts at the top collar and I blocked it. I only sprayed it with water instead of washing the fronts, since I am short on time and have the rest of the sweater blocked already.

I am hoping to stitch the sweater together tonight, and crochet the edges and then I can take it on my trip to DC when I leave on Tuesday night.

I have to give a speech and in order to calm down, I made a goal for myself to knit this sweater to wear. I should be writing my speech but this is so much more fun.

So what type buttons have folks used please? I am going to go button shopping soon. thanks, will post photo when done.......

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

English Nantucket Jacket - Time for the sleeves




Hi everyone. We have had beautiful warm weather here for the last two weeks for our Easter holidays. The children being home and the chance to be gardening has meant my progress has slowed and the temptation to knit summer garments has to be resisted.
Perhaps I should just sit in the garden knitting mu jacket. I was a bit worried about some of the comments regarding the length but measured another jacket and it was 12" to the armhole so the 13" should be fine for me.


Can anybody help with the sleeves. I want to make them full length, is it best to still cast on the same amount of stitches or start with fewer and increase to the elbow. My brain is not good at calculations at the moment.
I'm really enjoying the KAL. It makes the world a smaller place.



Thursday, April 12, 2007

Back is finished!

I've finished the back and am ready to cast on the two sides.....but I'll probably take a break and finish up one or two other projects before starting. After all, I won't get to wear it until next fall!

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Finished!

It's done! I used 5 skeins of Patons Merino Classic (plus a little more for the crochet edging) and size 8 straight bamboo needles. My gauge was a little tighter than called for, because I like a tighter knit. Other modification: I cast on for a size between two sizes because I was afraid that it would be too tight. Although it took a little bit of knitting math, it wasn't too bad. When it came to the arms, I cast on for the bigger size and I was very pleased with the fit of the arms, and it didn't create any problems with seaming them into the smaller sized side/back pieces.

I did knit both front pieces simultaneously, so that I wouldn't do one shorter or longer than the other (I'm pretty bad at adding/subtracting a row here and there and wanted them to be exactly the same.) I knit the sleeves the same way, two at a time.

This is the first sweater I've ever knit, (unless you count that one that was basically two stockinette rectangles seamed together on the sides and at the shoulder) and I thought the pattern was very easy to follow. Also, I really enjoyed the cabling patterns! They were easy to memorize, but never got tedious. This is the first thing I've knit that I didn't feel an overwhelming urge to "hurry up and get done," and I enjoyed every stitch.

Things I learned:
  1. Knitting the side pieces at the same time and doing the sleeves the same way was a really good idea.
  2. Patons classic merino can do a number on dry hands. Ouch!
  3. Knitting on 13" straight needles is hard when you're knitting in a crowded car.

Next time, I will:

  1. Cast on for a size much smaller than the one I knit. It came out really big (like 3 inches on each side too big).
  2. Make the torso much longer (it's a little bit on the "cropped" side, even though I'm a short-waisted gal.)
  3. Make the sleeves full-length (I wanted to do this, but got all caught up in "following the pattern" which is so not like me :)
  4. Knit on circulars instead of straights.
Thanks for the KAL! I am LOVING seeing everyone else's Nantucket Jackets!

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Progress on English Nantucket

Hi

I've finished the back and started on the right front. A few problems and unpicking but not bad for someone who had a stroke in November and finds it hard to read normal print and think straight at times. At least I knit quick and have to spend my days at home recuperating so not too much of a disaster.

Can anybody help with lengthening the sleeves? Did you just add inches or start with less stitches and increase to the cast on number at the elbow?

Happy Easter to all of you knitting keeps me from eating too much chocolate!! Caroline

Monday, April 02, 2007

Still Knitting...


... and occasionally tinking. It's coming along, though! This is where I'm at after an evening of knitting with a friend, a glass of wine, some homemade potato soup, and some chocolate. About 4 inches to go on the front pieces (I decided to knit them side by side, and I'll do the sleeves this way, too). I have to say that being someone who prefers mindless yards of stockinette, this pattern has really been a fun and easily memorized knit. I can't wait to wear it!

Sunday, April 01, 2007

Sooo close to being done!


Hello everyone! I'm new to the KAL but not to knitting (been playing with sticks and string for 20+ years now - yikes), and this is my (long overdue) update:

Here's my progress so far (just about a month's worth of knitting). I'm using TLC Cotton Plus in Kiwi - and its knitting up really nicely. The actual color is much lighter (see Kiwi link), but the picture without flash does a better job showing all the detail (and, yes, all of my mistakes, too ;-p)

I had originally used this yarn for another cardigan (all stockinette) and it grew to enormous proportions, so I frogged the whole thing and decided to use it for the Nantucket Jacket - I am making it a size smaller than what I might normally choose, just in case it decides to grow again. ;-) I'm about ready to start the decreasing for the cap in the sleeves (knitting both at the same time), so its very, very close to being done. I'm making the sleeves a bit longer (more traditional 3/4 length), and also a size larger than the sweater. I also added a couple of inches to the length, because I'm not quite built for cropped sweaters. :-)

I'll post a finished-product (or at least closer to finished) a bit later. I'm so glad this KAL exists 'cause I never would have known or thought to add extra inches in all those important places!

Joan