Mods & notes

No swatching, I cast on for the second size. I knitted about one skein on the first panel (with shale pattern) before I got tired of the dye coming off in my hands, so I washed skeins etc (more below), and after that decided this was to be the back panel instead, so on that one kind of faded the pattern gradually into St st. Started another for the front, since I could no longer do short rows to raise the back neck, I thought wouldn’t it achieve a similar purpose (lower the front neck in proportion to the back neck) to do short rows on the front for the shoulder area? I added a short row on each side up to three sts from the markers. I don’t know that it did much but it sure did not hurt, the sweater is comfortable round the neck.

Joined back and front in the rnd when I thought the armholes were long enough. Later I picked up 64 sts for sleeves by picking into each st so you do the math. I think it was two repeats.

I seamed the shoulders to try on the WIP after 4 repeats. I was planning on picking up and knitting the second panel but I forgot - ok because I think this seam adds a little structure. I hate traditional seaming (because it never looks good when I do it) but, since I did some sort of duplicate st to join, I did not mind at all. I decided to add another repeat, so 5.

Forgot about the short rows until quite late, but added a few short rows towards the hem (4 sets, I think, not on top of each other but starting more towards the front and gradually getting smaller - and with some space between them). This was enough to counteract the much shorter back and now it is about the same or a bit longer on the back. The patterning at the top back helps add some length I think.

Hemmed as instructed, which on wool flares (see note above, should have reduced for hem). I blocked before picking up for sleeves to see how it would hang. Dried on dress form. Hem indeed flared too much particularly at the back (BO last) so I unpicked the back and re-boud, tighter, much better.

The 64 sts I picked up for the sleeves were too many, so I quite quickly decreased. No notes because I really dislike trying to match one sleeve to another, so I always knit them both at the same time. So I winged it and there’s no notes. I ended up with about 52 sts I think. Reduced approx 10% of the sts on a purl rnd, k, p, BO purlwise. I was pretty sure a plain St st sleeve would curl up at the edge with wool yarn, and this thin garter edge already wants to a bit, so yes.

Tannin yarn - bleeding etc

After one skein I am tired of getting the dye into my hands (knew this going in as I’ve tried knitting with this yarn before, didn’t get gauge). The yarn is not only bleeding but also sticky on the hands and drying, in fact it feels astringent of a sort just like some red wines feel in the mouth - tannin indeed.

So I hanked the yarn and am washing it (together with my project on the needles!). The first three rinses with very warm water and dish soap, the water was black. I soaked it with a lot of vinegar and hoping this will help.

I did also overdye it a little as the yarn is a little too brown for me and also is losing so much colour in the wash. I used a little black and a wee amount of blue -it is very potent- acid dye (plus vinegar) and it has taken a little unevenly (may be from the sink having cooler and warmer spots, I didn’t want to agitate too much to not make a bigger mess of the hanks) this is ok for me. But I’ve noticed the blue dye tends to take all of a sudden and have a higher tendency to do this than the other colours.

I also gave it a lanolin bath to try and make it less drying, later: this helped a lot with the feel on the hands.

Later: drying on the radiator… it seems to have taken dye evenly uneven, with bluish streaks on all hanks. The project is also uneven, but the splotchiness will be of a different sort due to it already being knitted up, this is on the most visible spot at the neckline so I have to consider if I continue or I start over… it knitted up very quickly in one evening (about one ball’s worth). I could consider this the back and give it a pattern as well, but then I am too late to do short rows. We’ll see. Later still: this is what I ended up doing. The short rows I did further towards the hem.

30-11-2024

I started this yesterday as a mindless project, sorely needed. Everything on my needles and snoozed is something I have to give a think to and I just can’t right now. Well, there’s a linen top thing that’s pretty straight forward but I don’t really enjoy knitting miles of flat St with linen either… and summer is a long way off, no motivation for that right now. I need a home sweater that is less massive than the potter’s frock.

So I cast this on with 6.5 mm needles and DK wool yarn. Had a look around projects and I thought this would be good on size 2, we’ll see. No swatching. It is knitting up nice and loose so I hope it will be drapey enough. I think I’ll do some short rows on the back for the neck, and plan to join in the round after armholes (and pick up sts at the shoulders?). Should have enough yarn to make this as long as I want to. Had to hank and wash and overdye this particular bargain bin yarn (well I didn’t have to overdye I guess) but need to stash bust - more on that below. This has been in my stash for 12 years or so…

30-11-2024 2

I stopped working on the first panel -which I’ve now decided is going to be the back panel due to the dye results- at row 2 of the third repeat, this should be long enough to pick up sleeves.

So now staring the second panel, which will be the front, in order to join them together. Since I didn’t do short rows for the neck on the back panel, I though, wouldn’t it achieve a similar purpose, to lower the front neck in proportion to the back neck, to do short rows on the front for the shoulder area? Well I don’t know but we’ll see. I added a short row on each side up to three sts from the markers.

03-12-2024

At some point when I thought the armholes would be wide enough I joined both pieces in the round. I did some sort of fading pattern in the back to transition to st st. I got to 4 repeats and seamed the shoulders together (some sort of duplicate stitch) so I could try it on. I think I’ll go to 5 repeats and I’ll add some short rows at the back because it is quite shorter.

07-12-2024

I did I think four sets of short rows on the back, close to the lower edge. I went ahead and did the hem, BO, and blocked the sweater (washed, spun and then I put it on the dress form to dry) to see how it drapes. I though the hem was flaring too much and it does, particularly towards the back. I will redo the BO tighter, I guess.

Once blocked, I wrapped a section of St around my arm to see how many sts would be comfortable, that’s about 43 sts.

When I pick up all around the armhole once per st as instructed by the pattern I get 64 sts, of course my armholes are deeper because I eyeballed it, but they’re comfortable as they is, so I’ll just begin shaping the sleeve faster.