child's sweater – Daily Fiber

Another Friday Finish – update

Posted on April 28, 2023May 7, 2023 by Laura Kate

After receiving this photograph yesterday, I simply had to update my post.

It has been a delight to make this charming sweater for my grand-daughter. Lu chose her yarn very well. It’s the variegated one spun from merino wool and dyed by an indie dyer. Its quality shines through in the finished garment.

Here is a link to my earlier post where I wrote about the pattern.

https://wordpress.com/post/dailyfiberfun.wordpress.com/6380

It was very well written, no errors found. I made a few adjustments to accommodate a lighter weight yarn and adjust the measurements to fit my giftee. This sweater is sized halfway between the size 4 and 6, per pattern instructions. I also chose to make the neckline and button bands wider. It took just about all of 3 balls of 100 gram dk weight yarn. – I’d guess 650 yards.

I had a lot of fun experimenting with a gradual color change as I knit up the sleeves from the cuff. Once I got a color sequence that pleased me, I repeated it on the sweater body.

Even setting in the sleeves went great. I was telling Bill that this sweater ended up so well I should retire from sweater knitting – like an athlete who desires to quit at the top of her game.

Naw, I’m not gonna do that. It would be a shame to disappoint the fans. ; )

knitting

WIP: Child Sweater

Posted on April 13, 2023 by Laura Kate

It’s been awhile since I showed my progress on a sweater for Lu. In my last post, I shared the fun experience of watching Lu select a skein of yarn.

With her selection in mind, I chose this pattern, available from http://www.redheartco/uk.

Since this last post, I ordered two additional skeins of Elysian yarn in the colorway Ultraviolet. The three I purchased in St Louis didn’t provide enough yardage. Also, I needed a dark shade to balance out the tones of the variegated yarn.

I started by knitting the sleeves. This allows me to test out my color plan.

Encouraged by the way the gradation worked out, I cast on the body of the sweater and knit up to the body/sleeve split.

The project is on pause while I await some measurements of the giftee. But I am pleased so far.

Here is a link to this (very easy) pattern.

Click to access LW3852EN.pdf

knitting

Finished Object: Child Cardigan

Posted on June 5, 2022 by Laura Kate

My week-end has been crazy busy, so this post of a finish is coming out today. I bound off the second pocket on the Lavanda little girl sweater on Friday.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lavanda

One of the things I like most about this pattern is that when you finish knitting, there’s no sewing up to do – only weaving in ends and sewing on buttons.

Here’s how it looks before washing and blocking.

Despite the fact that I had found my gauge before starting to knit, the finished sweater looks very narrow. Will it in fact block out several inches wider?

Well yes, Yes it did.

A fun feature of the after-thought pockets is the one-inch seed stitch border. It is made by knitting up from held stitches before knitting the interior of the pocket.

This gives a finished look and little extra depth to the pocket. Those rainbow-swirl wood buttons came from an Etsy vendor in the British Isle. They were surprisingly affordable. She must have been reducing her inventory.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Craftingforjoy?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1036971016

Sadly, I did not have enough yarn to knit the attached hood. The sweet seed-stitch collar is a minor consolation. To complete the outfit, I’ll work my purple yarn left-overs into a warm, wooly hat – one with ear flaps.

I can hardly wait for the moment I will give this to Lu. (sigh) I’m afraid that it’s going to be a long summer for me.

knitting

Wednesday WIP: Child Sweater

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Laura Kate

It’s time to update you on my progress with the Lavanda sweater.

https://wordpress.com/post/dailyfiberfun.wordpress.com/4827

The cool thing about top-down construction is that you can see very clearly how the sweater will look when finished. If your model is near at hand, you can even try it on the little darling.

Since my model is not, I will have to use my imagination.

The sleeve cap stitches are on waste yarn. I have reached the bottom of the yoke section and started the cables at the top of the skirt.

Buttonholes are knitted into the band simultaneously. So far, I have three buttonholes created at a spacing of 16 rows.

I keep going with skirt and button bands until the piece measures 7 inches from the arm hole opening. Then I come to a screeching halt while I knit in waste yarn for two after-thought pockets.

It’s all going swiftly, the same way Spring marches in following Winter. (Oh! That simile works for most year, just not this one.)