2.21.2007

Presenting....

Oh, wait…focusing…
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still focusing…oh, $%#$@&* auto-timer…
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wait, ready…er…okay!

Presenting
Cyd!

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My very second knitted top!

(Obligatory posed side view)
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What a difference a year of knitting experience makes! When I finished my first sweater, binding off loosely and proper seaming were not concepts that I was well acquainted with. So, I ended up with edgings of limited stretchiness and gaping joins between the front and back, all of which relegated the sweater (excited though I was about it) to languish in refinishing limbo after only one wearing. This time it was all different! Knitting a pair of argyle socks put those necessary skills of intarsia and mattress stitch into my tool kit. Add that to a year’s worth of accumulated knitting knowledge from reading patterns and knitting books and blogs et voilà –– the confidence to modify a pattern and the ability to make it turn out almost as I had imagined it. Cyd is still far from being entirely free of errors and regrets, mind you, but it’s much better than the messy “home-made” look of the last sweater. And have I mentioned how warm and comfortable and wonderful this slip-over is? I ❤ fuzzy green and orange diamonds.

Specs and Notes:
Pattern: Cyd, from Jaeger Booklet JB31
Yarn: Jaeger Luxury Tweed 65% merino lambswool, 35% alpaca (sadly discontinued) MC 836, CC 823, 822
Thoughts on Luxury Tweed: Oddly, there is quite a difference in the feel of the yarn between the different colorways. The main color was much rougher with less of a soft halo than either of the contrast colors. The yarn, at least the main color, is also rather fragile. A quick tug, as during mattress stitching (ask me how I know this) easily snaps it in two.
Needles: US4/3.5mm needles for body. US2/3mm needles used for ribs at neck and armholes
Modifications:
A misreading of the pattern lead me to knit a gauge swatch with US 4 needles instead of the 4mm needles called for but my swatch was surprisingly on gauge. Given how loose the fabric was already on the US4/3.5mm needles (and I’m hardly a loose knitter), I shudder to think how it might have looked knitted with the larger needles. Because I used a smaller needle for the body, I also went down to a 2mm needle to knit the edging on the neck and armholes instead of the 3.25 mm needles called for. For the slip-over body, I deepened the V of the neck such that it came exactly to the top of the second green diamond rather than cut into a third diamond as in the pattern. I also reduced the total number of stitches around the body and added waist-shaping to keep the slip-over from being too sack-like since the smallest size was still a bit too big for me.
Now for those of you who’ve been kind enough to slog through all my rambling above, here’s a peek of the intarsia reverse side.

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Oh ❤...

14 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great job on your second top, love that color combination on Cyd. I've also got a number of sweaters all in hiding because of some not so great finishing. ;-)

11:50 PM  
Blogger Rachel said...

yay marie! It looks AWESOME!!! but your first sweater didn't look messy at all either.

12:08 AM  
Blogger knitties said...

Congrats on your FO... it's a lovely vest!

1:13 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh Marie, it's beautiful - and it looks fantastic on YOU!
I love the colours and the simple white shirt combination.

And you're right, a year makes such a difference...

1:43 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Marie its Gorgeous! I love it! Beautiful job!!

I am getting ready to start my first sweater. But have to finish a couple of things first.

4:53 AM  
Blogger Kelly said...

Wow! What a beautiful vest! Nice job:)

5:05 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Simply gorgeous! And such a thin and fashionable model. ;) I have a friend who made this pattern in blue, green, and pink, and hers looks great, too. It's a nice pattern.

5:33 AM  
Blogger Hege said...

Oh, wow! Cyd looks fabulous! Perfect fit, and a great job! You will be wearing this a lot, I am sure. I love it!

7:38 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Beautiful! Great color choices and lovely intarsia work - it looks great on the inside too :) definitely a winner!!

10:42 AM  
Blogger Ruth said...

Marie, it's absolutely stunning! Wonderful work.

11:14 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You made a great job of it and it suits you perfectly! Well done!!!

2:36 PM  
Blogger ofpinsandneedles said...

Oh, lovely lovely lovely! What a beautiful piece of knitting, and it looks great on you too! I hope you will get lots of happy wear out of it.

3:33 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Looks fantastic, Marie! Such a classic look, and a wonderful combination of colors. Très chic!

5:37 AM  
Blogger mathomhouse said...

Very nice, and very flattering on you! Good photos, too -- an all-around "well done!"

10:42 PM  

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