Return
Hey folks, am back in the US, after an exhausting, but fun-filled holiday. Time to start thinking about new syllabi, students, campus and deal with the million small problems that moving to a new place presents. So far, so good. I have only one major problem to deal with: an electric stove in my kitchen, which so far is resisting any and all attempts on my part to get to know it better, heating up sullenly and burning the bottoms of the pots I place on it. But I am determined to win it over.
Return also to knitting. I’m sick of socks and dpns and don’t want to see another sock for a while. I’m halfway through the second birchleaf sock, but it will keep. I wanted something more substantial than a size 0 to hold in my hands, so I started this:
It’s a swatch for the BPT cabled cardigan from Knitty. Am using the Lapaz yarn I bought from Laura’s in Colorado in June. I wanted to make another Rogue, because I’m really not happy with the one I made, but I think this yarn is too busy and variegated for those intricate Celtic cables. This pattern seems to have the right mix of cables and stockinette. Plus it’s top-down with no finishing, which is always nice!
Problem: gauge. I’m running at 5.5 stitches to the inch on size 4s, and any larger needle size is making the fabric too holey. Need to do some maths to figure out how to get it to fit.
I’m also toying with the idea of doing a button band instead of a zipper. I hate sewing in zippers. In the swatch above, to the left of the cable I tried doing a 5-stitch rib with the knit stitches twisted. Seems to give a firm and defined band that doesn’t pucker, and I’m planning to knit it as I make the cardigan body. Let’s see. I’m not that big a fan of rolled edges, but this one has an I-cord edging, which also promises to be interesting.
Hope everyone’s been having a good summer! I’m just beginning to catch up on my blog reading, and looks like most people have gone nuts with lace! If you haven’t seen it already, you must see Melissa’s Shetland Tea shawl. She has made so many of the Gathering of Lace shawls, all of them gorgeous, but this one is a total stunner.
Pretty yarn! Will make a lovely sweater!
My goodness, thanks for that Shetland Shawl link!
Hey, welcome back! Ahh, dealing with an unfamiliar stove…always a great time. I also love trying to figure out how hot the oven runs. Finally I got smart and bought a oven thermometer.
Love cardi pattern, it’s perfect for that yarn.
r u homesick at all? glad to know u had a great trip too bad we couldnt get to know each other better but i will (hopefully) be getting around to blogging and that way we can maybe link. till then if u get the time, i know u’ll be busy having just got back and all do email me ur details.
Welcome back! I’ve got an electric stove at the new place too, though at this point my major issue with it is that there’s sticky stuff on one of the… burners? elements?… which is gross. When my cookware actually arrives, I may have others.
I love that cardigan pattern, and may have to copy you. It looks like it’ll be perfect with Laura’s yarn (have you heard she’s actually opening a store?).
Welcome back! If there is a gas line coming into your apartment then check with your landlord to see if he will swap the electric stove out for a gas stove. My mother cooked on an electric range in Nairobi. Most of the time, she would turn the coil on and have it at the level she wanted it at before placing anything on it. And when she was done, she would move the pan to the counter – because the coil takes a while to cool down completely.
I am so impressed with your swatch’ing. I don’t have the patience to do that. I guess I should, huh?
Manisha, I’ve used one before and disliked it, so I’m already working on the landlord! (Spud and Lobstah, maybe you should do the same!! Let’s all get on their case.) And I;m sure all the others here will testify: a gauge swatch is of paramount importance! Especially, if like me you’ve had to give sweaters away to others because they didn’t fit.
Kirti, I did email you again but my mail bounced back. I am homesick, but whattodo!
That one is on my list of cardigans to make – the yarn you chose is beautiful!
That’s such a lovely yarn. I started (well, actually almost finished) BPT in Andean Silk a long time ago, and it came out much too big, so I’m frogging and starting over, or maybe I’ll just do it in a yarn more like yours… anyway, be careful about size– I was sure I was doing the right one, but should have gone smaller.
Hope all is well in the new home! Definitely get rid of the electric stove if at all possible…
Thanks, Stacey!
Quill, nice to see you here again, hope things are well! I decided to do the largest size since my gauge is finer; let’s see. Andean Silk wass also probably a lot drapier, especially since there are no seams, no? This 100% wool seems to be quite firm, and maybe that will hold it together. You should do it again. I had some starting issues that I will write down, but otherwise it seems like a fairly straightforward knit.
Yes, I think the drapiness of the Andean Silk made it seem larger; I’m not sure it’s really the right yarn for this; cables also don’t come out very “crisp” in it– I think the lovely red AS is destined for something else, not sure what yet. But I’ll probably try the BPT again some day, probably in a more wooly, less drapy yarn.
Quill
Oh, and I had starting issues as well; I seem to remember that it was hard to follow the marker placements, and I ended up charting it out to reassure myself that it was going to work.
q
hi u could try emailing me on this id, kkirdatt@rediffmail.com please hurry iam dying to get to know u. i bet we know each other or know someone that knows us. please.
Is that AS red colour “barn red”? I used it for my balaclava and it is truly gorgeous. It would be great for something stockinettey. And I charted the beginning too; I think there is something off in the instructions. Not wrong, just written in an odd way.