Adventures with sticks and string.
I finished the back of my Beadwork Cardi last night.
That’s approximately 44,469 stitches. But who’s counting?
Here’s a close-up of the main pattern:
I have just started on the right side front. I’m planning on an afternoon of binge-watching something and knitting.
Loki wants to know if he can select what we are going to watch.
Last week I mentioned that I was embarking on a project that is labor-intensive.It is this:
This is Jade Starmore’s adult version of her Beadwork sweater, published in Interweave Knits in the Winter 1999/2000 issue. That’s almost 20 years ago.
The child’s version of this sweater was published first — in Jade’s book A Collector’s Item. I loved it on sight, so I was very pleased when she released an adult-sized version of the design. Took me long enough to get around to knitting it, didn’t it?
I am using Wendy Guernsey yarn, which is basically interchangeable with the yarn called for — Alice Starmore’s Scottish Fleet. The gauge for this sweater is 31 stitches and 41 rows to 4″. I achieved gauge with a 2.75mm needle.
The design is labor-intensive because you work cables/twisted stitches on both the right and the wrong side of the work. At a very tight gauge. I am using a Hiya Hiya needle that at this small size is very sharp and pointy, so I have to be careful not to poke holes in my fingers as I knit.
It’s slow going (41 rows to 4″!) but extremely fun to knit!
Meanwhile, Loki is taking a nap in his tote.
It’s done — finished Friday night!
To recap, this is the Freshet Pullover by Irina Anikeeva from Brooklyn Tweed Wool People Voliume 13. I knit mine from Rowan Softyak DK.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable knit. My only mods were to shape the shoulders with short rows and to a three-needle bind-off. I also attached the sleeves via three-needle bind-off.
I really like attached drop shoulder sleeves this way. It makes a nice firm, and more importantly neat, seam!
Now I’m starting something that is extremely labor-intensive.
Loki wonders “what could it be?”
I finished the front of my Freshet sweater this week, so I attached the shoulders — I did a three-needle bind-off, my favorite way to do shoulder seams — and picked up stitches and knit the turtleneck collar.
The collar was around 8″ of 2 by 2 rib and took a fair amount of time to work, but it is done! Now I am working on the first sleeve.
I plan to attach the sleeves via three-needle bind-off as well.
Meanwhile, Loki had a busy week being adorable, so he is resting up!
