I have made some great progress on my Newsom cardi due to a couple of marathon knitting sessions this week. I have started the yoke, where you add the sleeves onto the needle and then knit up from there, decreasing to make the raglan “seams.”

That’s a raglan seam — here is the whole thing on the needles:

All is going well, but there’s a mode that I wish I had made. It didn’t occur to me until it was too late.

So, you knit the body until you reach the armhole. You knit each sleeve separately from cuff to top, and leave the live stitches on a holder. Then you incorporate the sleeves with the body and start knitting the whole yoke in the round.

What I wish I had done was to work the last few rounds of each sleeve back and forth instead of in the round, so that the top couple of inches of the sleeve had an open seam on the underside instead of being a continuous tube. When I incorporated the live sleeve stitches into the body of the sweater, I discovered how tight and unwieldy the sleeves were to knit across. It was very difficult to work the first couple of inches of the yoke because the beginning and end of the sleeve stitches are so close together because there is no “give” in the sleeve. I would have been able to spread the stitches out more if I had worked the top couple of inches of the sleeve back and forth. The way it was, you really need to magic loop to give yourself enough room to knit, but the longest circular needle I have in the right size is not long enough to magic loop with that many stitches on the needle.

I’m now past the point where this is a problem, but it made for some very uncomfortable knitting, and I consider it a design flaw. I went back and read some of the notes marked “helpful” for this project in Ravelry and noted that one knitter said she almost threw the project away in frustration when she got to this point. I feel for her!

But as I said, I am past that point, so all is well now.The more I knit, the shorter the rows get, so that’s a good thing. I am planning to pick up and knit a bottom band on the sweater after I finish the body because I think the bottom edge has a bit of an unfinished look.

Loki has his plan for the rest of the day:

. . . for another cardi!

On August 1, I set aside my Comfort Fade Cardi and started my August Camp Loopy project: Bristol Ivy’s Newsom.

I am using Shalimar Enzo Sport in the “Thistle” colorway, which is sort of a faded denim blue.

My work-in-progress photo looks a bit faded:

The color in the yarn photo is much more accurate.

This cardi has a interesting construction and so far is a very fun knit!

How Long Will It Take?

Loveknitting.com has added a nifty new tool to their site — a calculator that will give you an idea of how long different projects will take. The tool is here — do not be alarmed by the title of the page: Knitting for Christmas. Yes, it’s really not too early to be thinking about holiday knitting! Give the calculator a try!

Loki Sez:

Playtime?

I’ve been working along on my Comfort Fade Cardi and last night I finished the body! What remains to be done are the sleeves, and the collar/front bands.

The pattern directs you to work the sleeves, then the collar, but I’ve decided to do these in reverse order. So last night/this morning I picked up the many stitches needed to work the front bands/collar. This design has a shawl collar that is shaped by working short rows.

I added some length to my cardi, so I needed to pick up more stitches than the pattern directs down each front edge. This of course messes up the directions for working the short rows. I needed an extra 34 stitches picked up on each side front. To keep myself from getting thoroughly confused, I placed a marker on each side so that the bottom 34 stitches on each side front are separated. This will make it easier for me to follow the instructions for the short rows. I’ll knit 34, then follow the directions for the first row. We’ll see if I can do this without completely messing things up!

I am hoping to get the collar at least close to completion before August 1 because on August 1 I will set this project aside to start on my August Camp Loopy project. I’d like to be leaving the Comfort Fade Cardi at an obvious stopping point. We shall see.

Loki says:

Oh, hai!

Thanks for the great response to my Plaid Cowl pattern. In my giveaway, I’ve sent free copies to the following Ravelry IDs: catspawlace, pac300, kittymo, tarotemp, wooliechin, and durhampa.

A couple of weeks ago I received a review copy of a new book:

This is Classic Kicks for Little Feet: 16 Knitted Shoe Styles for Baby’s First Year by Helga Spitz, due out August 7, 2018 from Sixth&Spring Books. As you can no doubt guess, the book contains patterns for 16 knitted baby shoes.

The patterns are simply adorable. You can see them all on Ravelry, here. Go! Look!

Are they not squee-worthy? I find it impossible to pick favorites, so I just picked three to show here:

Basketball Shoes

Farmer Boots

Moccasins

Most of the designs are knit from Worsted or Aran weight yarn, with a few done in sport weight and one in DK weight. You will need some basic crochet knowledge, mostly for making crocheted chain shoelaces. Some of the designs have embellishments, like zippers, buckles, or hooks, but none of the patterns seem overly difficult to knit.

I usually give away my review copies, but I already have a recipient in mind for this book — my newbie knitter colleague who has a new little nephew. She is finishing up her first sweater for the little guy, and he will need knitted shoes! Here is the sweater she is making him:

This is a combination of two different patterns that I morphed together for her. She is doing a great job — before this, she has knit only simple hats!

I’m still knitting too, by the way.

I’m knitting away on a Comfort Fade Cardi. I’m knitting mine from Miss Babs Kaweah DK weight wool in the Parchment, Old Gold, Petrified Forest, and Espresso colorways. This will not be completed before August 1, so I will set it aside to knit my August Camp Loopy project and return to it after that is completed.

Always good to have a plan.

Thank you for the get well wishes! My foot is on the mend, I am pleased to report. After a visit to an orthopedic surgeon I discovered that it was both sprained and broken, so yeah, double the fun.

Loki is being a good little nurse, ever vigilant, looking out for me.

Fir the first time in a very long time, I’ve released a new pattern: the Plaid Cowl.

It is available for sale in my Ravelry store, here. The pattern is written in two sizes and beyond that is is very easy to change the size to suit your fancy — full instructions for doing so are in the pattern. Here’s the smaller size:

In celebration of having released a new pattern for the first tie in forever, I’m selling it at the reduced price of $3.00 for the first week. Next Sunday (July 22) the price will go up to $5.00.

Here is an incentive for you to feel sorry for me and purchase my pattern:

I broke my foot on Wednesday morning. Just kidding about the “feel sorry for me and buy my pattern” bit. Well, you can still feel sorry for me and you can still buy my pattern. But you know what I mean.

Fortunately it is a “simple” break so no surgery or anything necessary. It just needs time and rest.

My little nurse is worn out from taking care of me.

I’m going to give away a few copies of the Plaid Cowl pattern. To enter to win a copy, you need to do this:

Leave a comment on this blog post telling me what colors you would use to make the cowl, and also tell me your Ravelry name. I’ll give away several copies throughout this coming week, so be sure to comment before next Sunday!