Sweater #2 - Afterlight Custom Fit

Introducing . . . . Sweater #2, of my 2014 "Knitting only for Me" series.

The pattern is:   "Afterlight" by Amy Herzog.  The yarn is "Soulmate" by Lorna's Laces, in the color:  Harrison.  The needles size is US2.

It was supposed to be finished by February 28, but size US 2 needles and hand-dyed yarn make for some challenges. I had to alternate the yarn skeins every 2 rows, to prevent color pooling (there is nothing worse than two solid colored circles on your chest). And such small needles make a beautifully, lightweight fabric, but it takes some TIME . . .

I used Amy's Custom Fit Sweater Generator to get the perfect fitting version of her pattern, that is "perfect for me".  A knitting option that I would recommend for all knitters.  You plug in the yarn of your choice and your measurements, and wala out comes the perfect pattern for you (no math required).

No need for a perfect body, to get a perfect fit. This sweater fits every lump, curve and bump of my body, even if they aren't in exactly the correct spots. I lengthened the sleeves from the original pattern, and I wish I had lengthened the body a bit too, but overall, I am quite happy with the finished product. Amy has taught me that the most important body feature to fit, is your shoulders. Most patterns are sized for the bust measurement, which even if it fits perfectly through the bust, will look terrible if the shoulders are too tight, or too droopy. You can see that my sweater fits perfectly in the shoulders.

Those of you who have been following me, know that I have a devoted an entire year (2014) to knitting just to fit my body. I'm hoping to have 12 perfectly fitting sweaters by the end of the year. I'm going to have to knit a few in chunky yarn and larger needles to get back on schedule, and there may need to be a few accessories in there too. I found a pattern for a beautiful shawl, and a scarf, that have my name written all over them. These items won't need a custom fit, so I'll just have to knit a little FASTER!!

Now on to Sweater #3, which is knit in a chunky yarn (KnitPicks City Tweed HW) in the colorway: Kitten. Knit in US8 needles, it was cast on on March 10, and literally flying off the needles.

The pattern is: "Little Wave" by Gundrun Johnston from Brooklyn Tweed's Wool People Series.  I'm having a lot of fun knitting it, as the construction is different than I have ever done before.  It is knit from the bottom-up in one piece to the underarms.  The arms are then knit separately on dpn's, and the upper body then incorporates the sleeves into a saddle shoulder.  The pattern is so well written that I've had no questions or confusion on what to do next. I'm currently finishing up the shoulders and just have the collar, buttonbands and pockets to finish. I know it is April, but I just might have a chance to get caught up to my goal (1 sweater per month).

This is my swatch for #3. You can see the "little wave" pattern. I did have a Custom Fit Pattern generated, which helped me to know that perfect number of stitches to cast on for the body and sleeves, but I found it difficult to do the body shaping and still maintain the "little wave" pattern. There was some garter stitching at the sides, so I placed all of the body shaping there. It looks really good at this point, and I hope to be wearing it soon. I'm hoping for at least a few wearings before the warmer weather sets in.

My knitting group will be meeting this week, and I've knit a bunch of these little Easter egg hats as prizes. I used: "tet d'oeuf" by Kristen Rettig.  Kristen's blog:  "Knitionary" is my favorite knitting blog.  I pretty much stalk her posts.  She loves to entertain, and cook, and garden, and knit, and she is so willing to share it all on her blog.  Be sure to check it out.  The picture above, is her's and I hope to post one of my own next week.

Thanks so much for stopping by . . . . . and Happy Knitting!!