Bottoms up!

The newest (restart) of a project is the Dancing Elephant sweater. I started the sweater on circulars US 4, and realized ... I have a knitting machine. Slap that sweater on the machine to do the stockingette for the back, fronts and sleeves! The first sweater on the machine was a top down cardigan from a lovely pattern called Amande Cardigan. I'm still seaming and finishing all the hems ... But I'm finishing that sweater in a few weeks, instead of my usual 2 months because of tendonitis.

The first sweater was a top-down with the entire beginning hand-knit. This meant that I already had something to slap onto the machine.

Luckily with the elephants I had already knit the ribbing and could slap that onto the machine in three parts. Otherwise I could have done a provisional cast on for each piece and then picked those up later to knit the ribbing in one piece going the other direction. It wouldn't have been very noticeable and wouldn't have required me to do the ribbing before the machine bits.

I started with the back stitches first to determine length. Then the two front pieces. I carefully put the different sets of stitches onto the machine.

The back was knit straight to the 17" armpit mark. The two fronts were knit to 14" and then along the seam edge were increased as a way of making a dart and a better fit for the female body. All the piecework were the. Removed back onto a US4 circular. I slowly insert the knitting needle into the stitches while on the machine and pull the machine latch out of the loop while the knitting needle is there. TADA! The stitches end up on the knitting needle!

This afternoon I finished the two fronts and back panels. At singing this evening I'll cast on and create the ribbing pieces for the two sleeves and I can slap those on the machine tomorrow!

More notes later!

Be excellent to each other!

 

Knitter to the rescue

Green Amande is almost done. The buttons are chosen and on their way from a great shop on etsy called anthonywoodshop. They are lovely 1/2" Osage orange wood. (I see more buttons and spoons being ordered in future!) I'll post pictures when they arrive!

Then, I finished the cuffs, bottom hem, and started the button band. SNAG!

When I purchased the yarn for the sweater there were only three skeins at my LYS. They would order more and as it is a large company that mass produces yarn I assumed the dye lot wouldn't matter.

Wrong.

The dye lot matters and this fourth skein is a brighter green than the other three skeins.

And I have ten rows left! Ten rows! I can't make that work in another color. And I don't think frogging all the other ribbing rows will give me enough for 6 rows even around the whole front.

This week I turned in desperation to ravelry ... Searching for anyone that might have one skein of the same dye lot. And, yes, there was someone. The skein wasn't marked for sale. But it was all by itself. I put my plea out there to swap skeins.

Today she wrote back that she would swap with me. She could definitely understand my plight (as most knitters have found themselves in the sad corner with non-matching dye lots). This woman is my hero for the week! The sweater is saved and I'm trying to determine the best way to thank this stranger that answered my message with such a gracious and kind hearted yes.

Love knitters everywhere!

Be excellent to each other!