Over Christmas I knitted the Stockholm Slipover V-Neck by PetiteKnit, and it's finally mild enough to wear it for the first time! I wore it to the office along with my big green cardigan and multicolour scarf to ensure I put the CLOWN in corporate.
This was a relatively quick and satisfying knit (and no sleeve tedium!), and being plain stockinette, it made for a nice, thoughtless project to bring with me when I went back to my parents' place for Christmas. I love the ribbing along the neckline, which has a wonkiness that adds to the charm, I think you'll agree. I loved wearing it today with a bright pink t-shirt underneath. I'm already thinking about making another - maybe in a green..or a variegated yarn? The pinky-red shade choice (and the reason I knitted this in the first place) is because I saw my neighbour wearing a fuzzy, bright-but-deep pink slipover with buttons (more like Vest No.7 by My Favourite Things) and I thought she looked great. I chickened out of doing a button version though.... I hope I can feel brave enough to try a button band eventually. Picking up stitches is just such a bear. But anyway! I love that I can see someone in a peice of knitwear and find a way to make something similar. For this version, I used Knitting for Olive's Merino in Pink Daisies, held with Rowan's Fine Tweed Haze in the shade Rose. I love the look of the Tweed Haze and am planning to use it again, in a beautiful light blue shade, for quite an ambitious next project...!
So, very happy with how this turned out, and I definitely recommend it to confident beginners and beyond.
I knitted a jumper inspired by the blues of Sadness from Inside out 💙🩵
The pattern is the Stripe Hype Sweater by Kutovakika. A really lovely, simple drop-shoulder knit with clear instructions that is ideal for a confident beginner. Obviously, I had specific inspiration in mind, but the colour combination opportunities are endless 😍 The darker shade of blue is Double Sunday by Sandes Garn in Dazzling Blue, held with a strand of Knitting for Olive Soft Silk Mohair in Blue Tit. The lighter blue (same yarns) are in the shades Baby Blue Eyes and Poppy Blue (mohair). I went out for a long winter walk today and it kept me warm and not sad at all! Ideal.
As ever with knitting, I recommend YouTube tutorials for visual aid, and watching 9-1-1 Lone Star throughout the process.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I have finished my Ingrid Sweater! My knitting magnum opus! Details and experience below the cut! (Spoiler alert: I love it!)
Cast On: 10 January 2025; Cast Off: 28 April 2025.
There was a little break before blocking because I went away and then had to wait for it to dry, but as of today…it’s all done! After 141 days! Just in time for hot weather - a big squishy sweater made from...
Materials: Sandes Garn’s Double Sunday in taupe (the recommended yarn) held with a strand of Isagar Eco Line Alpaca 1 in ecru, which I found in a charity shop and wanted to save for something special. Stitch markers, needle point protectors, a measuring tap, scissors and scrap yarn for safety lines were all used.
Needles: I went a bit higher than the recommended needle size and used 5mm for the body and sleeves, 4mm for the collar and cuffs and hem). I used my set of Knit Pro interchangeable needles in metal, which are definitely okay although can unscrew here and there.
Size: S for the body, XS sleeves (so picked up less stitches).
Pattern: The Ingrid Sweater by PetiteKnit linked here. I’ve had my eye on the Ingrid Sweater since before I started knitting. I never believed I could knit, so it was always something I appreciated the beauty of without thinking I’d get to own one. Almost 18 months since I started knitting, I’m completely jazzed to report that I was WRONG! 💃And I’d highly recommend this pattern as a first textured jumper. The pattern itself is written clearly, and it’s supplemented by video tutorials (vital for me!) I consider myself an ambitious/confident beginner rather than intermediate, and the pattern’s ranking suggests it’s for advance knitters, but don’t let that put you off! It took me five months because I couldn’t devote much time to it each day, not because of its difficulty – especially once I’d got through the yoke and was working in the round. This is my first PetiteKnit pattern and I understand the appeal.
Experience and Thoughts and Feelings: The hardest parts ended up being the German short rows because of a miscalculation on my part, and the first time I attempted the diamond section, but if I recall it’s because I’d miscounted the stitches I needed. Both times I had to unravel, and big love to the friends online and irl who had to deal with me when I was going through that...It’s vital to have the correct number of stitches for the diamond part, so my main tip would be to check often, and make sure you add safety lines at appropriate intervals. I was somewhat intimidated by the sleeves because I’d read so many reports of people struggling to get the diamond section perfect, but I think it looks fine! It’s just that one section of the diamonds is wider than the others, but it’s on the part of the sleeve you don’t really see. I was pleasantly surprised by how stress-free the sleeves ended up being, having assumed they’d be insurmountable.
This is also my first successful attempt at a folded collar! I’d tried previously but knitted my knitting needles into the collar and had to cut them out. Which I’m pretty sure nobody has ever done before in the history of knitting. This time – thanks again to YouTube tutorials – I was able to do it without any issue, and I’m so glad I got back onto the horse that threw me. I was going to try a simple ribbed collar and call it a day, but this looks a lot more polished (by my standards).
All in all, completing this project is one of the things I’m proudest of in my life. I genuinely thought I was too stupid to knit, but I persisted and proved to myself that I’m capable of things I thought impossible. Would I knit this again? Yes! There’s some other pieces I want to make first (and I want to try colourwork!! Eeek!), but it’s good fun and so motivating to have different sections in the pattern you want to get to. I’m knitting something purely stockinette at the moment, and although it’s nice to have a breather, I miss having the right amount of complexity that keeps it engaging. I’m already dreaming of one of these in pink, held with mohair! So happy!!! I love it!!!
I've finished knitting my second jumper! It's the Step-by-Step Sweater by Florence Miller - and is perfect for beginners like me. There's also a YouTube tutorial that runs through the whole process. I absolutely loved working on this and am so pleased with the result. I learned how to knit a jumper in the round, do raglan increases and German short row shaping, which wasn't anywhere near as complex as I thought it would be. The yarn is Sirdar's jewelspun. (Although in the video I helpfully pronounce it as Sidar, which is in fact the name of a restaurant I won a voucher for during a raffle at a wine tasting like a HUGE YUPPIE. But I'm exhausted and making all sorts of weird litttle mistakes.)
Anyway! I can't believe this is a thing that exists! Definitely my favourite thing made so far. I think the next thing I knit will be some knee warmers for my mum, which she has requested in dark green! But I'm excited to knit more jumpers that maybe include some new stitches to learn.
Notorious C-I-G!!! Have you knitted anything fun lately?? INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW!!! (Rafa is waiting for his next red carpet look!!!)
It doesn’t surprise me that Rafa wants to wear my knitted garments on the red carpet, seeing as he complimented my T-shirt at the convention (aka the best moment of my whole life). I will aim to finish it for him by the end of August.
Please also enjoy my completed Cumulus blouse by PetiteKnit, which involved picnic knitting!
Darling do you have any recent knitting projects you could show us 👀👀
Ooh Andie hello and thank you for asking! Yes I do! I have two larger WIPs and two small finished objects!
The WIPs:
The Lights Up Cardigan by Wool and the Gang. It's a patchwork cardigan, which you knit in panels. I bought the kit for my birthday. I'm doing it in pale earthy tones - eventually I plan to make one in a sort of muted rainbow. (The colour in the first pic is distorted - I was knitting with the white yarn!)
2) The Tolsta Tee by Rebecca Clow. I saw a lass in a yellow t-shirt with elbow length sleeves and decided I need to make one for myself. The pattern doesn't have elbow-length sleeves so I'm modifying.
The Finished Objects:
A yellow chunky beanie by Lauren Aston Designs, modelled by my panda and knitted mostly at the pub.
2. Knee warmers for my mum's Christmas present! I'm very proud of the sort of basket weave stitching that created a dome for the bend of the knee, so it wasn't all ribbing. Modelled by me.
I love knitting!! Thank you for giving me a reason to share these!!! 🥰
The Rananculus is one of the most popular patterns on Ravelry, so I thought I'd check it out for myself as a beginner who wanted to try lacework. Although it's notoriously oversized, I somehow managed to make myself the world's tightest version lol - despite getting gauge with my swatch?! But that might be because of the yarn I chose (for the colour vs. how it would behave because I'm a sucker for a good green and also an idiot). Or maybe I was knitting more tightly when I felt more pressure? Idk. Anyway, I went for Rowan Sock in Emerald. It's lovely and has still made for a wearable garment that fits - I just think if I knitted this again (which I want to!) I'd go for a DK wool and go up a size or two. Make an actual cosy jumper out of it.
The yoke was exactly as engaging as everyone says, and then it's just stockinette in the round while watching Lone Star (a requirement). This is the first project I didn't have to frog at all?! But I put that down to following the tutorials on Youtube by Sundragon Tips and Tricks - I couldn't have done it without her. I loved this project for teaching me the logic of lace, and it's definitely made me a more confident knitter. (Tbh I've been stupidly confident from the start - far more than I have any right to be, but still, feel like I've earned some stripes with this!)
So, while I want to knit this again, what I really want to do is try my hand at more complex things. I'm currently knitting up my first cardigan - which is patchwork! I'll be tackling a button band, and that's extra fun because I get to choose buttons when I'm done! Can't wait!
