Fiber Burn Chart

Now that the Big Lebowski sweater is done, I am ready to start knitting some new stuff. I really wanted to work on a sweater for myself (so far I've only knit myself a hat; one scarf in progress), but it seems that I will have to put that idea aside, at least for a few weeks.

I am currently working on a sweater for my dog. I thought that three weeks would be more than enough time, and it probably is, but I'm still unsure with what I am doing. Therefore, I knit as much as I can without advice from the designer, and then I have to wait until I can meet with her to double check that I'm interpreting the pattern correctly. So that project is going slowly, but surely. I'd love to make more dog sweaters and I'm sure the future ones will knit up much faster.

Instead of working on both of those, I will be knitting my grandfather a scarf and hat. He told my mom that he wanted them. Of course, he only told her 7 days before coming for Thanksgiving. Normally it takes me 2 weeks to knit a scarf alone. I will be having a knit-a-thon. I am going to make a seeded rib scarf. I think I like this pattern because it reminds me, loosely, of brioche, which I want to learn. It's also a very easy pattern. Thanks to craftsy.com, I can design my own hats, so I will be posting the scarf and hat pattern in a future post. Yes, they will be basic patterns, but I will do my best.

Happy knitting!

Well, the Big Lebowski sweater is finally finished. It was one of those projects that seemed to drag on forever, though it only took 3 and a half months to finish. The only reason I finished it so quickly was because it was for my dad's 65th birthday. It was also my first sweater project: yes, I have knitted boleros, but nothing of this size.

First, my self-critiques: The pattern used Fair Isle for the color charts, but WITHOUT stranding to avoid the opposite color poking through the purls. Well, I decided to strand to avoid pulling or puckering. I also chose to do that so when my dad put the sweater on, he wouldn't pull the strands on the wrong side. On the back side, I stranded every other stitch. However, when I got to the front pieces, I realized that not only would that take forever, but more stitches would poke through. I realized that I could do it every fifth stitch or so and no puckering would happen. I also would have altered the front sides to start the decrease for the shawl collar sooner. I have never altered a pattern before. I didn't really know how. Now I know that I would simply start the decreases a few rows sooner and make them a little deeper. The shawl collar was also a little tight, so I would have used one or two sizes larger to knit the collar and I would have cast off more loosely. Lastly, the sweater is a little larger, especially the length of the arms. Again, I would have altered the pattern to shorten the sleeves. Lastly, the sweater was a bit large, so I should have made one size smaller. On the bright side, he can layer and still have room to zip up the sweater.

Now it sounds like the sweater turned out terribly. It actually turned out very nicely. It looks like the Big Lebowski sweater. One thing I'm really proud of is the zipper. I was terrified of sewing it in because everyone says it's complicated. I found it a bit awkward, but my finishing book gave me many good tips.

Of course, I could not have finished this project without help from many people. First, to Andrea Rangel for creating the pattern. Kiwi Knitting Company also provided me with a knitting space, taught me Fair Isle, and helped me finish the sweater. zipperstop.com is a great website and they helped me order the perfect zipper with a ring pull, which is quite hard to find.

• wool
• Angora: hair from a rabbit
• Merino: soft wool from sheep
• Peruvian Highland: a stronger wool, but can be soft
• Alpaca: from the Alpaca, which is like a llama. Soft and silky texture.
• Mohair: from the Angora goat; soft and warm
• Cashmere: from goats; very soft, fine, and strong
• Cotton: plant fiber; soft, not very elastic, absorbent 
• Linen: light-weight fiber, soft, wrinkles in garments
• Bamboo
• Acrylic: light, soft, warm, similar to wool in feel
• Nylon: very elastic; usually used in a mix
• Silk: from silk worms; soft, not slippery, strong, can shrink

Well, I FINALLY finished the Big Lebowski Sweater. I had to order a zipper from New York because no places in Tucson carry the right length, color, and slider (the thing that you pull. I just added that to my vocabulary). So, this Monday, if not sooner, I will be sewing in the zipper and then it will be done. It's a good thing, too, because my dad's birthday is next week.

As a new project, I am now knitting my dog a sweater. That should be done within two weeks. To keep my fingers busy when I'm out and about, I'm also working on a 1x1 rib scarf, simply  because it goes well with the yarn.