This project had to be a secret because it was my mom’s Christmas present. It was a big one!

It was fun, too. This sweater is as simple as sweaters get, which makes it such a great canvas for interesting yarn. The yarn I used was my handspun 2 ply from some gigantic wool/alpaca batts purchased at Rhinebeck from Spinners Hill. I liked spinning it so much, I bought another 2 lbs. of batts last fall at Rhinebeck. Their booth is heavenly!

The Facts:
Pattern: Rayne Wrap Cardigan by Laura Chau
Yarn: my handspun 2 ply worsted weight yarn, approx. 1275 yards, or 155 fewer than the pattern calls for. Why so much less yarn, I don’t know!
Needle: 6.5mm
Gauge: 3 sts. per inch
Size: 48″
Started: May 2008 (spinning) and November 2008 (knitting)
Finished: December 2008

The Spinning:
The prep was a little on the rustic side, so it was a fun spin. The yarn is lumpy and bumpy with streaks of red and orange alpaca set in an olive green wool base. This was the perfect yarn for such a simple garment. Any fancy stitch pattern would have been lost with all the blobs and bumps and streaks. The alpaca gives the yarn great drape, which is fantastic in this pattern. This, in addition to the loose gauge for the yarn weight makes the sweater flowing and so comfortable, as well as flattering.

The Knitting:
The knitting of this sweater is very simple. There’s minimal shaping and seed stitch is the most complicated stitch. It would be perfect for the beginner who doesn’t mind spending some serious time knitting. The 6 foot long rectangle took even speedy me some time to knit!

The Verdict:
Success. Mom likes it, it’s flattering as hell, and so comfy. It’s beautiful enough for dress up and so comfy I’d want to wear it to snuggle up in on the sofa all evening.

Many apologies for the lack of modeled shots. I meant to get some, but the holidays took over and I just plain forgot. Now, the sweater lives far away.

Fiber Club!
It’s going out today and tomorrow. Again, many apologies for the lateness. Losing Shambles and the holidays kicked our production’s butt.

Sign-ups for returning fiber club members will start in about 2 weeks. I’ll give plenty of notice here. I’ll also be putting up a self-signup for new members who want to be in line for the club.

Shambles:
So many thanks for your kind words about him. I haven’t responded to all the comments, as it’s really hard to read them, but thanks. Your thoughts mean the world to me.

We got another dog. :)

She’s lovely, unless you ask Shambles. He’s tired of being manhandled by a 17 lb. puppy. She’s either sound asleep with her legs in the air or jumping all over the damn place. She’s 8 months old, a Wirehaired Fox Terrier/ Beagle cross, and made of awesome. We got her on Freecycle. How could I not run to get her? She was in heat and tied outside. Everyone keep your fingers crossed she’s not up the pole, okay?

I made this new dog a sweater because her hair is so wispy, you can see her skin through it. Brr! She’s getting used to wearing clothing. At first, putting the sweater on her removed her ability to walk. I’ve never had a puppy, so that was surprising and amusing.

Ready for walkies:

Yarn: my hand-dyed and handspun Cosmos Merino wool (worsted spun from top)- worsted weight, 225 yards
Needle: size 5
Size: Pippa Size!

Seamless construction knit in the round, except where the leg holes are. It was worked back and forth there for awhile.

I cast on the neck, ribbed for awhile, then put 2 double increases in about an inch apart and increased every few rows until the area between the increases was equal to the area between her legs.

Put in the leg holes, knit straight awhile, then put in a centered double decrease on the underside, since she has a nice slim waist.

Cast off some stitches at the tummy and decreased on both sides one stitch in from the edge until the sweater was as long as I wanted. I then started ribbing and picked up and ribbed around the hole for awhile. Did the same at the leg holes and yay!

I made this with no ease and that was a mistake. She’s kind of stuffed into it like a sausage and it’s hard to get it off her. Hitting the perfect balance between stuffed-sausage and having a sweater too loose is difficult! Shambles can get his sweater off by catching it on a branch. He’s always taking his own sweater off. I’ll try again with another sweater for her soon. She’ll need plenty as she loves the snow.