I want to thank everyone who left comments regarding my Bell Sleeve Jacket. It was really nice to receive them. Thank you.
My blog is one year old now. It doesn't seem like it's been that long. I've knitted more this past year than usual. All of the great knitting sites on the internet have kept me interested.
I'
ve been working on my Gypsy Mesh Pullover. I started this one back in May 2006 and then set it aside until recently. I picked it up again as I had finished my Bell Sleeve Jacket. I was just going to work on it until the yarn for my next project came in. But now that I've gone back to it I want to continue until it is finished. I'm about ten rows from finishing the front. Then I will block the front and backs and sew them together at the shoulders. Then the sleeve stitches get picked up along the edges and knitted down. I'm going to leave the stitches at the top edge live until it is blocked because I'm really guessing on the length. Because this is basically lace, the size will change (stretch) a bunch durning blocking and I want to be able to easily add more (or take away some) length if I need to. I'm really hoping for luck in the sizing of this thing. I really didn't do a guage swatch because of the way the pattern is, and I'm using 100% cotton yarn and it is lace, so..... we'll see what happens.
Here it is...my finished Bell Sleeve Jacket
Pattern: Bell Sleeve Jacket pattern #15 from Vogue Knitting Holiday 2006
Yarn: 7 skeins Cascade 220 color #8234 Pistachio
Needles: size 6 straight
started 6/16/07, finished knitting 8/13/07, last end woven in 8/18/07
I knitted the small size body and the large size armholes and sleeves. (measurements went out the window at the blocking step as they usually do)
Modifications: I changed the lower edges of the fronts and back. The pattern called for it to be a reverse st st edging. I changed it to match the edging of the sleeves and collar.
I did this by casting on 160 stitches for the back instead of 118, then I did (k4p4) for 4 rows then I did a (k4, p2tog, p2tog) row with an extra k2tog at each end to end up with 118sts. Then I purled one row (WS) before starting the [p1row, k1row]twice (RS). For the fronts, I casted on 91 stitches (instead of 66). I did 4 (k4p4) rows, then a (k4, p2tog, p2tog) row while keeping 5 sts at the front edges k3p2 (so I didn't p2tog on those). So the extra 3 k sts +2 p sts=5 stitches for the edge. Then I purled one WS row before starting the patterns [p1row, k1row] twice with 71 sts (pattern calls for 66, plus my extra 5 was 71). Then I didn't cast on the 5 extra sts called for at row 12(WS row), I just continued the rib as it was. I like this look much better and was surprised that it had been designed with a different edge.
Also, I didn't do the belt. Instead I added 6 buttons with crochet button loops attached to the edge.
Errata: I found errors in the pattern that weren't listed on Vogue's web site. My work arounds for those errors were: for the left front row 63 instead of the k5, I did k1, k2tog, k2. Then on row 65 right after the cable cross it says k2tog, k1....I did a k3 instead. Then on row 89 for the small size it says you should have 37 sts when I had 36. Also, for the left front armhole shaping next row(RS) it says to do a RC, but this didn't end up being the correct row to cable on for me so I didn't and just kept to doing my cable crosses as had been established.
Two things that are listed at their site is that for the left front right after you cast on, the [p1row, k1row]twice, is missing. And at row 39 a k4(8,12) is missing.
I like how this one turned out. I like the fit. The narrow waist part with the cables seems to sit at the right spot so that the flared bottom looks good. I think the length is just right. I was worried that the sleeves would be to long, but now that it's finished I think they are just right. It is described as a very close fitting jacket but I made mine to be a bit looser. I think it still looks nice without being uncomfortably tight. I don't like tight. That's why I made the armholes larger. The collar doesn't cover as much of the sweater as I thought it would. It kind of folds on itself and stands up around the back of the neck so as not to really cover the sweater much. If anything it pulls sweater back so that the shoulder seams pull to the back a bit. But since it is 100% wool, I think that can easily be corrected with a bit of spot blocking and stretching of the collar around the back neck area now that it is assembled. I liked knitting this. It had just the right amount of cables and details to keep my interest. I like the leaf shaped bobbles and the bell sleeves are cute without being too big.
I washed and blocked my vogue bell sleeve sweater today. All the pieces are blocking except for the collar. I've got the first half of the collar done and am about to start knitting the second. It's knitted in two pieces. The pattern says to cast on for the first half, then when your start the second half you pick up stitches from the cast on edge. I just did an open cast on and then put the live stitches back on the needle for the second half. The collar gets attached to the sweater last, after the back, fronts and sleeves are already seamed together.
ve been working on my Gypsy Mesh Pullover. I started this one back in May 2006 and then set it aside until recently. I picked it up again as I had finished my Bell Sleeve Jacket. I was just going to work on it until the yarn for my next project came in. But now that I've gone back to it I want to continue until it is finished. I'm about ten rows from finishing the front. Then I will block the front and backs and sew them together at the shoulders. Then the sleeve stitches get picked up along the edges and knitted down. I'm going to leave the stitches at the top edge live until it is blocked because I'm really guessing on the length. Because this is basically lace, the size will change (stretch) a bunch durning blocking and I want to be able to easily add more (or take away some) length if I need to. I'm really hoping for luck in the sizing of this thing. I really didn't do a guage swatch because of the way the pattern is, and I'm using 100% cotton yarn and it is lace, so..... we'll see what happens.
