Vertical Owls

This is where my "Vertical Owls" sweater was left, back in November, when Christmas gift knitting took over.  I didn't return to it, until December 23.  Since then, a few little projects have jumped in the way.

The fronts were completed by January 15.  Then it was on to sleeve island, for another 12 days.

 Then it took 16 days to knit the front/neck bands.

Then miles and miles of seams.  It is "Vertical Impressions", designed by Jana Jankeena. The pattern was beautifully written, right down to the smallest detail.  I incorporated the owl design from the "Ginny Cardigan", designed by Mari Chiba, into the back panel.  My sweater was knit from Wolmeisse DK, in the color Spinaci.

It is all finished now.  I'm so happy with the finished product.  It was really fun to knit, and using a Custom Fit pattern has given me the perfect fit.  You can see the body shaping built-into the sweater above.  I'll hope to post pictures of me wearing the sweater soon.  Wolmeisse has quickly become my all-time favorite yarn to knit with.  It provides such even stitch definition, and very little splitting.

This is "Alecia Beth", designed by Justyna Lorkowska, which I started back in September and finished up in October.  It is also knit of Wolmeisse Twin in the color Vamp.  This was a fun knit too, however, my excitement over knitting my first contiguous shoulder, had proven that a stabilized shoulder seam works better for me.  I have narrow shoulders and wide hips.  I've found that as the day goes on, the neck seems to grow larger and larger.  Although it was easy to knit from the top-down, all in one piece, I won't be using this method ever again.

It has been years since I've done any piecing and quilting.  My sister and I have decided to participate in a block-a-month group, at our local Bernina store.  I'm a bit out-of-practice, but have had so much fun piecing these first two blocks.  I'll keep you posted as each month, I add to the collection.  I do think the colors are a little off, and I'm hoping this doesn't drive me crazy.  We don't get to select our own fabrics, as we receive them in kits, along with the construction instructions.

This is my next project.  The "Flame Stitch Cardigan", from Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2005.  I can easily see that the pattern is really poorly written. 

I've swatched in Wolmeisse Pure, on size US4 needles, and will basically be re-writing the entire pattern.  However, I love the flame stitch design, and felt it was worth the effort. I felt it was the perfect sweater to wear over summer dresses.  I'll be casting on today.

I'm finally back-on-track, and knitting away.  I hope your knitting life is going well too.  I'd love to see what you are working on, so add a picture to the comments section below. . . . . . Happy Knitting!!