Knit, Purl, Knit . . .

My knitting needles and sock loom have been very busy! In the midst of knitting socks and dishcloths, I managed to finish my first sweater!

When I saw the pattern for the Askew Cardigan in the Spring 2013 edition of Knit Wear magazine, I knew I just had to make that sweater. My longstanding apprehension for knitting sleeves was quickly outweighed by the simple and slightly unorthodox design of the cardigan. I love the off-center opening and 3/4 length sleeves because they give the traditional cardigan a bit of a modern edge. There’s nothing dowdy about it!

I started knitting in early May after an exhaustive search for yarn. I settled on Fibra Natura Oak in Earth, which is super-soft and has a beautiful variegated color scheme. The knitting process started out easy, but once I had to start shaping armholes, I was so thankful for the wisdom of my aunt. She walked me through each step with the patience of a saint!

The buttons came from a button dealer in a small flea market in St. Germain, Wisconsin. I purposely bought old mismatched buttons to give my sweater a little personality.

Without further ado, here is my first sweater:

Askew Cardigan
Photo and knitting by: c.b.w. 2013

While waiting out the process of wet blocking my sweater, I pulled out my sock loom and knit a pair of spiral stitch socks. These socks are a bit of a miracle because I swear the yarn I used is cursed. Last year, I tried to make a pair of socks with the same skein and it was a disaster. I ended up ripping out a completed sock after realizing it turned out two sizes too small (for reasons I still can’t figure out).  The skein was shoved in my yarn basket and stayed there until last week.

Once again, the yarn put up a fight. On the second sock, I had to rip out sixteen rows after making a bad mistake, (in a brilliant move I inadvertently knit the pattern into the bottom of the foot instead of the top). Still, I ended up winning the war!

Spiral Stitch Sock
Yarn: Paton’s Kroy Socks – Cyan Stripes

Lastly, I busied myself on a three hour plane ride by knitting up a cute cotton dishcloth. I started making these in early July and I just love them! Not only are they pretty, but they are very sturdy. Most of what I’ve made are gifts, but the one I made on the plane is for me!

Ridged Furrows Dishcloth
Yarn: Lily Sugar’n Cream – Countryside

At the moment, I’m knitting another pair of socks.  When those are done, I’ll be combing through my patterns to find my next project!

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c.b.w. 2013

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