Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Crazy Aunt Purl's Sweater Update

Thank you for all the lovely comments regarding the sweater design, photos, etc. :)

straightneedles you mentioned that you want to knit with straight needles. 
I have decided to write up the pattern in two ways, the first one (my preferred method - but it cannot be worked with straight needles) in top-down seamless construction and the second one (for those knitters who love to sew seams) in the traditional method from the bottom up. 


Basically, when the pattern is finished, you will get the two different ways of knitting the sweater,  in one pattern. I think that there are so many knitters interested in making this sweater that I want to offer both.


Yarn Choice - will affect the way your finished fabric will look. If you want a really meshy look, you need to find a yarn that is either a 100% linen type of yarn or a mercerized cotton type of yarn in a Sport or DK weight


The yarn that I am using is a 50% Cotton-50% Linen mixed yarn. The fabric looks a bit dense in the photos that I have posted so far but that is also because I have not blocked it yet. Once the sweater is finished and wet blocked, the fabric will open up more and will look more meshy.





2 comments:

  1. I am insanely planning to join the knit-along. The sweater is really looking nice in the photos and I hope I can do it justice!

    I'm a pretty new knitter. I've done 2 scarves. I can do stockinette and ribbing, but that's about it.

    Can someone answer me two things:

    Does it make sense to go from scarf knitting straight to sweater knitting, or should I do something interim (like what? a baby sweater or mitten?)?

    I like the sound of top down knitting, which I take to mean using circular needles, but I haven't used circular needles yet. As a new sweater knitter, is there some reason I should choose straight or circular for my first sweater?

    If I'm going with circular, I want to get some and learn to use them before we actually take off on the sweater.

    Thanks to anyone who wants to take a shot at my questions.

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  2. Deanna - are you near a yarn store or knitting group? You know how to casting on, how to do a Knit and Purl stitch. That is really enough to start. I am writing the pattern to be knit in pieces too. You would just need some help in sewing it together. Also, I would be available to hold your hand. I do not mind talking you through a question via telephone (sometimes that works better than email). :)

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