i saw this cute hooded cardigan in a recent issue of love of knitting. my track history of knitting sweaters isn't the greatest - i start out big but they wind up collecting dust in the bottom of my knitting basket. the only one i've completed was the backward zippered hoodie i made for my cousin's baby. but i saw this sweater, and thought wouldn't that look cute on petunia? she's outgrowing the backwards zip hoodie, and i thought the pattern was simple enough for even sweater phobic me.
there's nothing really special about bellflower baby hoodie (rav linky) - in fact, when i looked at the FOs in the ravelry gallery, a couple knitters complained about the construction of the sweater and many modified the pattern to fit their needs. i guess that's the beauty of any pattern - making it work for you.
the pattern calls for lion brand natures choice organic cotton. as i'm currently "dieting" i stash dived for 500 yards of something similar. the majority of my stash is made up of small samples of yarns (it's rare that i have anything over 200 yards in worsted/aran unless i purchased several skeins for a particular project), but i did find mushishi (rav linky) hiding in a picnic basket. it's only 491 yards, but as the sweater is worked sleeves first/ bottom up, i could work as much as i could, and if i found myself running short, i could bag the hood and modify the collar.
my other quandary is this. i love the color of this yarn - a dark green/grey with white marls. it's a wool/silk blend and feels lovely. i'm not sure if i want to use it on a sweater that petunia will literally beat on. washing it will be a PITA (especially when i'm constantly throwing their backward zips in the wash every other day). the color would be pretty on her - she has red hair and porcelain skin - but i think it's a bit too heavy for her. almost too goth.
so i hopped in the car and drove to michael's to check out the yarn. i did like the pistachio color but they only had 3 skeins. they had a pretty blue but 5 skeins would cost $40. i know it's organic cotton but, $40 FOR LION BRAND YARN? i'd rather spend the money on a yarn that i really like, in a color i like, in a fiber i like to work with (i'm not a big cotton knitter unless it's cotton/wool blend, or i'm knitting a dishrag).
i sighed, drove home, and promptly ordered some swish superwash in lotus. i love the feel, it's great to work with, i can throw it in the wash with little thought, and coral pink will look really cute on petunia.
i also bought some nickel tips, extra cables, and The Big Book of Knitted Monsters. you know, to pad the bill. ;)
i sighed, drove home, and promptly ordered some swish superwash in lotus. i love the feel, it's great to work with, i can throw it in the wash with little thought, and coral pink will look really cute on petunia.
i also bought some nickel tips, extra cables, and The Big Book of Knitted Monsters. you know, to pad the bill. ;)
here's my question for the week...when you find a pattern you like, do you use the yarn suggested or modify it to work with a favorite yarn or stash you have on hand?
I have never tried the Swish Worsted yarn I will most definitely have to get some on my next order(after the yarn diet lol).
ReplyDeleteI also have The Big Book of Knitted Monsters they are all so cute.
I honestly don't think I have ever used the yarn that was called for in the pattern & if so its probably only been on cotton dishcloths.
I have only once used the yarn called for in the pattern. The sweater came out lovely. It was a silk wool blend so the drape was what was needed.
ReplyDeleteI think the hooded sweater is so cute. I must admit that I don't like seeing girls all dressed in pink all the time. There are so many lovely colors or bold colors. For kids my only requirement is washable.