zip-it-cardi-along

Update

2005-10-14T12:54:00.000-06:00

This group has been dead quiet for a while. My last post was that the sleeves were finished on my cardi. Well, yes and no. The sleeve cap shaping looks great but the sleeve length was a little short so I have to open then up and insert another inch or two.

So what do I do in the meantime? I start knitting another zip-up cardigan. This one is based on the pattern from the Fall 2005 Interweave Knits and I've finished all the pieces except for some applied i-cord on the zipper edge. Just a little more work to go and I should have a new sweater next week.

Sleeves are finished!

2005-06-20T00:37:00.000-06:00

Just yesterday I finished the sleeves on my cardigan. I'm going to play with them in relation to the body of the sweater and I hope they fit the arm hole well. If all is good then I have a hood to knit and then the front edges to finish and then add on the zipper. I might actually get this thing done this summer.

How I struggle

2005-05-05T12:33:00.000-06:00

I've been neglectful of the cardigan again. I need to push through and finish those sleeve caps and then I'll have less figuring to do. Maybe next weekend while I'm camping.

Still working on the sleeves

2005-04-22T09:01:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to be good and keep working on this sweater, a little bit here and a little bit there. The sleeves are close to the same length so soon I can get started on the sleeve cap shaping. I find it in intimidating but hopefully I can make it work without too much ripping.

What I really want to do is start working on the hood of all things, but I really should sort out whether or not the neck edge where I left it will work. I'll repin the piece to my mannequin (purchased at a store closing -- it's dense foam under cloth and takes pins well) and see from there how it is doing.

Nice job on getting your cardi completed Holly!

so how do i really feel?

2005-04-21T09:20:00.000-06:00

about the cardigan, that is...

if i were to do it over, i'd probably have used the pattern for inspiration and used a different one for the practical elements instead, or made my own, i suppose. i used the men's ribbed cardigan from last minute knitted gifts and well, hmm. the yoke was too small. it would have fit me fine, but, although i have broad shoulders, i am not built like a man. there was no way that yoke decreases every other row were going to fit SOP. no way at all. of course, i had to knit it and block it to find out for sure, but it did not work.

the yoke decreases need to happen on every third row to make this sweater work for a man. plain and simple.

then, there is the neck. it is kind of bulgy in front. SOP likes that, at least he says he does, because he can tuck his chin in it when it is cold, but it bothers me. i am not sure how i would have gotten rid of it, though. maybe i will post on KR and ask that. there are a lot of people there who really know their stuff.

so, the zipper. i used quilting pins to place the zipper first off and made sure it lined up. then i sewed it in by hand, using the first purl valley to hide the stitches. That is one nice thing about the pattern is that the zipper border is kpkp, so you have that valley right where you need it to mask the thread stitches.

the actual stitching:

perhaps it is because of adjusting the stitches to the varying widths of that purl valley, or perhaps it is because i am just out of practice with needle and thread, but the stitches on the back of the zipper are fairly uneven. sop, again, likes this, but i think i would like to get a book on finishing techniques to get some more ideas on zippers and making them look nice on both sides. another nice thing about this pattern is because the collar is sewn down inside after you sew in the zipper, you have no scratchy zipper against your face, just soft wool.

you are what?!

2005-04-17T18:58:00.000-06:00

done! yes, i completed the zipper last week, but sadly only have mediocre pictures to share. i hope to sneak a few more pics at sop's house this week.

for now, here he is looking cool:

and here he is looking chilled:

more on my likes and dislikes of the pattern and some close-ups of my miserable stitching later this week.

12 1/2 inches of sleeve number 2

2005-04-14T18:22:00.000-06:00

No photos but I am making some progress on the second sleeve. Soon I will have to venture into sleeve cap shaping (I'm so dreading that) and getting closer to the hood.

I finished a man's hat and started on a newborn hat to add a little filler. The other sweater for my nephew is coming along well.

Hopefully I will have something more interesting to report with photos very soon.

2005-04-11T11:32:00.000-06:00

Ok, the picture is terrible, but it does show the progress that I've made. I'm roughly following the pattern from the Handy Book of Sweater Patterns, and this is the cabled yoke pattern.

For the part-to-be-affixed-to-zipper, I'm using a 2-stitch I-cord. My plan is to put in the zip by hand.

Apart from a couple of stupid planning mistakes I've made, I'm actually excited about this sweater. I'm still a little anxious for the actually zipper surgery, but I think the final product will be nice!

Photos Posted

2005-04-06T00:26:00.000-06:00

I finally pulled out the camera and took some shots to share of my work:

Sleeve progress

cuff detail

2 3/4 inches knit

2005-03-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

I've been good and I've gotten 2 3/4 inches knit so far of that second sleeve. It's easier to make forward progress on the cuff as it is narrower but I will celebrate it for what it is. Progress is progress.

I started on sleeve two

2005-03-29T16:55:00.000-07:00

I still haven't finished with sleeve one but this way I can finish both sleeve caps at the same time -- or at least closer in time to each other so I don't forget how I did it (sometimes written instructions don't even help).

Zipper shopping? I don't deserve such an indulgence.

working the zipper

2005-03-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

well, i have made the leap. i started putting the zipper in, by hand. i think if i were to do it by machine, i would have still wanted to baste it in so that the different materials didn't drag differently on a machine and get the zipper off kilter (before you ooh and ahh over my thinking of this, sop thought of it: he is much more skilled with the machine than i).

the zipper is a red, not bright, but not really rust either. i tried a green, a hunter green, and two shades of blue, but the red worked best with the gold yarn: it compliments and contrasts, is that posible?

hunting the mighty zipper

2005-03-24T12:02:00.000-07:00

it was a dark and stormy night. two hunters ventured out into the weather to track down the mighty 26" #5 YKK zipper. The bright blue, or red, or maybe a rust, possibly purple zipper were on their list of desired varieties. First stop, Hancock Fabrics:

inside they found - this:

not a zipper, but certainly a grotesque specimen of some kind of beast.

as well as this:

a zipper, but rather a dull blue. The hunt continued. On to Nuttall's Fabric Center!!

alas, no luck here either. in fact, they seem to carry the exact same zippers as Hancock.

and the same zippers as this fine spelling establishment:

yes, it is maddness, truly! no booty last night, it looks like the next hunt goes to the web!

Procrastination...

2005-03-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

I've started on a side project, but I know I need to get back on those sleeves. 100 stitches per row filled with uncertainty is what's causing the delay. I think I can, I think I can...

Here's my procrastination at work:

now you see it

2005-03-09T12:07:00.000-07:00

now you don't

ARGH! i had sop try on the cardigan and it was too tight. so, i blocked it, had him try it on again, and it was still too tight in the shoulders. so i ripped.

my advice to you? if you make this cardigan for a man, do the raglan decreases every THIRD row, not every other row as the pattern states (and yes, it is a pattern for a man).

finally, a progress report

2005-03-07T11:13:00.000-07:00

i started this cardigan about two weeks ago. i once made a simple poncho with this yarn and was very unhappy with it. i don't know why i think it would look better as a cardigan.

a few more inches to the body length before i join the arms. it's going relatively quickly being plain stockinette.

i'm making another cardigan at the same time. this one has the exact same nicholas cables as the pull over aran i can't seem to finish.

i'm employing the two circular needles method for the sleeve. i like that it doesn't cause ladders. it's not as quick a knit as the first cardigan but it's very satisfying.

the challenge right now is to come up with a decent cable layout for the body. i'm having a difficult time making the number of stitches work with the cable repeats. i'm also a bit afraid of the flat knitting. the cables just don't look so hot when they're knitted back+forth.

I'm back at it!

2005-03-03T17:26:00.000-07:00

I got in there last night and started working on the sleeves again. I knits a couple of inches at least. I can't wait to take photos and show you all what I've got done so far.

ooohhhh, it's getting there

2005-03-03T10:42:00.000-07:00

i joined the second sleeve to the body monday night and now have completed about 4.5 inches past the join.

Here's my sweater pattern

2005-02-28T14:39:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

I'm glad to have some companions while I try to get my friend's cardi finished. Here's the pattern, note how I added buttons to the sketch as the zipper idea scared me.

I've got the front and back pieces finished and I've been working on the sleeves using helpful instructions about set-in sleeves from Knitty.com as well as some assistance from the demo for Sweater Wizard (which I will buy if I actually complete the sleeves as it's been a super help so far). I haven't touched this project since December though I did pull it out over the weekend.

I'll try to take photos of the pieces I've completed so far and post those soon.

getting hungry

2005-02-23T12:33:00.000-07:00

i have started, and almost finished, the first sleeve. it is about 18 inches at the moment and needs to be 19 inches before i stop to join it to the body. my time to zipper-sewing is getting shorter.

this is the underarm, with the increases

and this is a close-up. i am reminded of corn on the cob the entire time i knit with this yarn.

i have been a bad hostess

2005-02-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

i have made progress on my cardigan and have not posted anything about it. i am so ashamed.

so, here you have the 11 and one-eighth inches that i have completed on my Men's Ribbed Cardigan (or something like that - i need to make a note of the actual name) from Last Minute Knitted Gifts.

the color is a nice butterscotch and the yarn is really soft! as usual, sop has to endure me holding it up every two or three rows and saying "ooh. i'm really making progress, aren't i?"

I guess I will be the first...

2005-02-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

I am making Mariah from Knitty.

pick your pattern!

2005-02-08T09:46:00.000-07:00

yup, it's a pick-your-pattern knit along. the only criteria are that it 1, is a cardigan and 2, has a zipper. scared of zippers as much as i am, well, isn't that what knit alongs are for? but there is some great zipper info at ChicKnits as well, (which i will be studying dutifully when i go to put the zipper in the man's ribbed cardigan from "last minute knitted gifts".

want to come along for the ride? just send me an email (see my profile) and i'll add you to the list!