Martha has sleeves
I'd show you my beautiful close-up shot, but I can't get Blogger to insert it. Again...
She doesn't have a body yet - neither fronts nor a back - but she has sleeves.
As I've probably mentioned before, I find starting with sleeves to be the best way to knit a new cardigan or sweater. Fewer stitches, so if you screw up the pattern, there's less to undo. It also makes for quicker progress, which is always encouraging.
After all, how many times have you done the back, then the front(s), and just been too over it by the time you get to the sleeves. So the project languishes, unloved, as a WIP until guilt gets the better of you...
My only quibble with this pattern so far - and with Rowan patterns generally - is that you *have to* knit the back before the fronts, because the lengths of the fronts are dependent on the # of rows of the back. So I'm forced into knitting the back before the fronts. Hello, Rowan? Where is my freedom of choice?
I'm also a little concerned about the pattern in terms of sizing. I've done a size large (97cm across the bust) in a similar Rowan pattern before - and it's a bit loose. But cotton gives so much I'm worried that a large in this cardigan will just be huge. So while my sleeves are a large, the back I've cast on (and made scant progress on) is a medium size. It will be interesting to see how the fit goes.
What I am very happy with is the yarn I'm using - Panda Regal Cotton 4-ply in... the dirty green colour. Only one of the 4 balls so far has had a knot in it, and the beads thread on relatively smoothly. As I suspected, the colour of the cotton on the ball is less intense than when it's knitted up (ok, I tested it by swatching - but not this particular shade), so it didn't matter that this batch was particularly pale and uninteresting-looking in the ball.
At any rate, I'm very happy with my progress so far. And just as well, because Martha is now on a hopefully brief hiatus as I attempt to complete a River in a month and a half (my grandmother's Xmas/ 95th birthday present). I really, really hope I'll be able to pick it back up with the same tension in a month or so!
She doesn't have a body yet - neither fronts nor a back - but she has sleeves.
As I've probably mentioned before, I find starting with sleeves to be the best way to knit a new cardigan or sweater. Fewer stitches, so if you screw up the pattern, there's less to undo. It also makes for quicker progress, which is always encouraging.
After all, how many times have you done the back, then the front(s), and just been too over it by the time you get to the sleeves. So the project languishes, unloved, as a WIP until guilt gets the better of you...
My only quibble with this pattern so far - and with Rowan patterns generally - is that you *have to* knit the back before the fronts, because the lengths of the fronts are dependent on the # of rows of the back. So I'm forced into knitting the back before the fronts. Hello, Rowan? Where is my freedom of choice?
I'm also a little concerned about the pattern in terms of sizing. I've done a size large (97cm across the bust) in a similar Rowan pattern before - and it's a bit loose. But cotton gives so much I'm worried that a large in this cardigan will just be huge. So while my sleeves are a large, the back I've cast on (and made scant progress on) is a medium size. It will be interesting to see how the fit goes.
What I am very happy with is the yarn I'm using - Panda Regal Cotton 4-ply in... the dirty green colour. Only one of the 4 balls so far has had a knot in it, and the beads thread on relatively smoothly. As I suspected, the colour of the cotton on the ball is less intense than when it's knitted up (ok, I tested it by swatching - but not this particular shade), so it didn't matter that this batch was particularly pale and uninteresting-looking in the ball.
At any rate, I'm very happy with my progress so far. And just as well, because Martha is now on a hopefully brief hiatus as I attempt to complete a River in a month and a half (my grandmother's Xmas/ 95th birthday present). I really, really hope I'll be able to pick it back up with the same tension in a month or so!
posted by The Skirt at 11:10 AM
1 Comments:
I just finished my first front and I can see what you mean about the stupid Rowan pattern! That's such a silly way to write it!
Hooray though, the front went really quickly so I feel like I'm making some real progress now. I'm aiming for the second front next week, and the sleeves the two weeks after that. I'm moving house soon though so that may hold things up a bit. Also, must knit socks for Dad!
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