Finished Objects!: Edina & Carbeth

Hi friends, and happy Sunday!

How’s your weekend been?  As I find is usually the case, this one has flown by — but all filled with good things!

I’m particularly excited because today, I have not one, but TWO sweaters/jumpers (depending on who you ask!) to share with you, both of which I finished as February came to a close.  So I’m very happy, as two is literally half the number of sweaters I knit last year — having these two off the needles hopefully augurs well for my plans to focus on garment knitting this year!

So first is up is what I’m calling my Edina sweater, as I knit it along with Kate and her friend Sharon for Edinburgh Yarn Festival.  It’s the Stasis Pullover by Leila Raabe.

I cast this on on the way to the US for Christmas, and, until it was joined for the yoke, it made a great portable project.  In all, it took me just over two months to knit, though I was (as you’ll see in a minute) working on some other things at the same time!

It’s knit in the called-for Brooklyn Tweed Loft in colorways Woodsmoke and Plume.  I bought this yarn when the pattern was first released (back in 2012) and had actually just about knit a sleeve — but I ripped that all out and started fresh (but hoorah, long languishing UFO/deep stash yarn: rescued!)  This is my first project out of BT Loft, and like garments I’ve made with BT Shelter and Quarry, I love the lightweight but warm fabric that Brooklyn Tweed’s woolen spun yarns give.  This jumper is light as a feather, but I can also tell it’s going to be warm.  Perfect for EYF wear, which, I’ve been told, can get a bit warm — I think this sweater will really breathe. And I also love the flecks of color that Brooklyn Tweed yarns have — you can see that Plume, a rich, warm purple, quite obviously has red flecks, but there were also delightful royal blue nubs — and the warm Woodsmoke also had a lovely depth of oatmeal-y colors.

 

I made a few modifications to the pattern: swapping out the 1×1 rib for 2×2 (because I like it better) and largely following Ella Gordon’s great notes for yoke modifications — though I added a few extra short rows.

I love the delicate but geometric colorwork of the yoke, hem, and cuffs — though it’s a reminder that my stranding still needs some work!  As you can see, at times the oatmeal center of those lovely purple crosses disappears.  I knit with the Plume held dominate, which I think was the right decision, but perhaps I should have swapped my yarns for those center rows.

And while I’m overall very happy with the project, it’s also given me some food for thought on what I like in terms of fit.  I was a bit short on yardage, so I knit the pattern completely as written.  If I were to knit it again, I’d definitely add an inch or two to the body.

And it’s also made me realize that, in general, I like a bit more ease in my sweaters.  If I had it to do over, I would go up a size: I knit the size 35 (my bust is around a 33), which I thought would give me plenty of ease.  But I think, in this type of sweater, the broadness of my shoulders works against me — I’d love the whole thing even more if I had just a bit more room.  I haven’t worn it out yet, but once I have a few times, I might try to reblock it to stretch the yoke out a bit more !

And when (not if!) I knit my next colorwork jumper, I definitely will omit waist shaping.  In fact, I think a slightly more a-line shape would be better to help balance my broad shoulders (which the colorwork yoke I think really emphasizes) But these are all minor quibbles.  As you can see, I’m really happy with the sweater and can’t wait to wear it in Edinburgh in just over a week!

While I was in the finishing stretch of my Edina jumper, I cast on for Kate Davies lovely Carbeth jumper, which took the knitting internet (kniternet?) by storm on its release.  It was the perfect antidote to a four-ply jumper.  Knit at a bulky gauge, it flew off the needles in just over two weeks!

And let me tell you, I am completely in love with this sweater.  I knit it in some very old Rown Purelife Chunky I had (colorwary: Stell Grey Suffolk) and I couldn’t be happier with the result.

No issues with ease here!  I wasn’t sure how I’d like an oversized, cropped jumper, but turns out, I love it!

I made no modifications, except to follow Alix’s mods on crossing those decrease lines before starting the neckline.

And this was a great reminder on the importance of a good blocking.  Before a soak, my Carbeth looked lumping and bumpy, and the funnel neck (which I was actually able to finish thanks to the kindness of Elizabeth, who sent me a partial ball of the Rowan that she happened to have on hand) looked like some sort of weird Tudor ruff.  But once blocked, it’s become my new favorite sweater.  And I had fun photographing it as snow fell last week!

In fact, I love it so much, I’ve cast on the Carbeth cardi in some truly special wool:

I’d been eyeing this Lancashire Farm Wool chunky yarn since it arrived at Northern Yarn — and on Saturday, Mr. N surprised me with enough for the cardi as an anniversary present!  I cast on immediately — a testament to my love of Carbeth and the wool, which is a blend of Black Welsh Mountain and Blue Faced Leicester sheep.  I love that it’s from local sheep, and the gorgeous natural color a a complex grey brown.  It’s quite a small batch wool … Northern Yarn is the only shop that stocks it.  She only has a handful of skeins, so I was so happy to snag one of the few jumper’s worth available!

So two sweaters, both with deep stash yarn, complete!  Hoorah! And I can tick two of my Make 17 off the list, hoorah!

Well, that’s probably enough sweater babbling for now — but, given my love of Carbeth, I’d love to hear about your favorite sweater pattern in the comments!

xo K