sweater knitting – Yards of Happiness

FO: A Second Carbeth Cardigan

I don’t have pictures of my cousin Safia wearing her new Carbeth Cardigan but I do have pictures of the finished object. She got it in the mail last week Thursday and we did a video chat when she opened it and she loved the color and the fit was perfection! She’s one of the few people I know who really loves a surprise so when we spoke originally we talked about the pullover and then the cardigan came out and I thought that might be better and she told me to just pick and don’t tell her what I chose or show her the color. That was torture for me because I hate keeping secrets about gifts!
Safia’s Carbeth
Since I loved my Carbeth made with Periwinkle Sheep Intent Yarn I scooped up the last of her Be Still My Heart colorway. It’s a lovely red with pink and a subtle orange running through it. It’s tough to photograph the true color and it’s so multidimensional. My pics make it look orange but it’s a much more subtle, deep red shade. I’m telling you, if you love color, you need to try some Periwinkle Sheep yarn. She’s got some gorgeous shade of blue in Intent on sale right now. And you’ve seen her yarn here before in my Mom’s Blueberry Oatmeal sweater and my cousin’s Rain Outside Shawl that was so vivid and full of color I wanted to keep it for myself.
Safia’s Carbeth
And just like with my Carbeth, I wasn’t sure I’d have enough yarn (I squeaked out just enough) so I used the leftover blue from my Mom’s sweater to knit the folded over neckband. It’s a fun pop of bright blue against the red. And I used these fun bronze heart buttons with gears inside of them that I picked up from Joann’s on sale. I have a feeling with how Chicago weather goes she’ll be wearing this cardigan all year round. And since it’s her birthday month I’m already working on another project and she’s coming to town next week so I can actually give it to her in person.
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I’m making her a Brio-Garter hat since I loved mine so much. Since her head is a little smaller I’ve sized down to a size 6 needle and I think it’s going to be just the right size for her head. I’m mixing a fun variegated blue and purple yarn with silver metallic yarn. I can’t wait to see how this one looks when I’m finished! And as always, when I knit I have a dog who wants to be a part of the process too. LOL

FO: Blueberry Oatmeal

How about a bright start to this Monday? I’ve got an insanely bright blue finished object to share. Over the weekend I finished the Oatmeal sweater for my Mom, I’ve affectionately named her version Blueberry Oatmeal.
Blueberry Oatmeal sweater
I’m asked all the time if I pick the yarn or the pattern first – the answer is both. Sometimes I buy yarn that makes me say WOW and sometimes I buy a pattern an find the yarn to go with it. Prime example, I originally picked up a skein of Perwinkle Sheep’s sock yarn in this same sapphire color because I saw it and thought of my Mom. She loves cobalt blue and looks really good in that color. I am not really a sock knitter but it was the only skein on the table and I knew it needed to come home with me and that it would eventually be put to good use. The next week I saw the pattern for this awesome sweater which required dk weight yarn and sock weight yarn for the contrasting color and I already had some bright green Miss Babs in my stash. Sometimes the yarn picks me and sometimes the pattern does. So when I saw this same sapphire blue yarn on sale via Periwinkle Sheep’s Etsy shop but in an aran weight I scooped up all she had and figured I’d find a pattern to go with it.
Blueberry Oatmeal sweater
I decided since the blue is so bright and vivid the sweater shape should be kept simple. I went with the Oatmeal sweater pattern because I’ve made it before for my cousin so I knew it was a quick knit. I decided since it can run a little small to go up a size and I added increases to the side (about 6 increases in total every 2 inches) to make sure it wouldn’t be too snug around the midsection and would hang nicely. The squared neckline gives it a little interest and the quarter length sleeves make it a perfect sweater style my Mom loves. It was all a winning combo. And speaking of winning combos, I paired it with my highlighter pink clogs for these pics because why not?
Blueberry Oatmeal sweater
And as a play on brightness I thought I’d throw on my Virginie Millefiori Electric Love Lariat necklace because why not make what you wear whimsical? Also I love her jewelry and think it has this wonderfully magical quality to it. This is my second item this month using Periwinkle Sheep Intent yarn and I’m kind of in love. So much so that I’m knitting my cousin up a Carbeth sweater in the same yarn but in the colorway called Be Still My Heart. It’s seriously good yarn.

March 19, 2018 by IamDWJ Categories: blue, Color, FO: Finished Object, Knitting, Periwinkle Sheep, Sweaters, YarnTags: #yardsofhappiness, blue, Jane Richmond, knitting, Periwinkle Sheep yarn, sweater knitting, Yarn 20 Comments

Stitching Status: Is It Spring Yet?

How is it March and it snowed last night?
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My husband took the dogs out for their last walk of the evening and came back in covered in big fat snowflakes. I’m pretty sure Jellybean would like to transition from her sweaters and hoodies to a light weight t-shirt (yes, even in the summer she wears clothes or she’s shaking and freezing). And speaking of the dogs…
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Our furniture style is pretty mid-century modern and when I saw this velvet couch for dogs in HomeGoods I couldn’t resist. It goes perfectly with the living room refresh I did in the fall. And although we cover our couch in blankets during the day so the girls can lounge on it, it’s nice to have a spot for them that’s all theirs whenever we have people over and the couch isn’t available to them. Right now I have to bribe them by putting blankets or their heated mat on it but I have a feeling it will become Cher’s place to go when Jellybean is annoying her. And even though it’s snowing and cold today, I can feel spring around the corner. Here’s a little sneak peek of my test knit I just finished.
Vero Test Knit
I’ll definitely share more details once the pattern is released next week but I knit this up with the now discontinued Crystal Palace Panda Pearl Yarn I’ve used before (this cardigan and this top) and it’s a lovely and light piece begging for warmer days. Also why do all the yarns I love get discontinued? And I think my sweater knitting mojo is coming back. I’m knitting not one but two right now! I started on the Tamsyn cardigan last week after I picked up some yarn from Fringe Supply Co. in a lovely warm toffee color and black. I’m also adding in a random white stripe through the body as well. I’m halfway through the body but I’ve been hooked by the Carbeth sweater craze and decided to cast on the Carbeth cardigan for myself last night. I just can’t resist after seeing so many and clearly it’s a quick knit. I also want to make the pullover version for my cousin in Chicago too because in Chicago she can pretty much wear a sweater most of the year. So yes, I’m still knitting even though spring still feels like it is miles away.