Off and Knitting! My August KALs

• Posted on 25 July 2024
• By Anne
• 0

What a fun way to end the summer - two knitalongs. Check in here every Tuesday through September to follow my progress and cheer me on.

What could be better? Ending the summer with a silky new sweater and a whimsical new gnome. Can't wait to get started! But the hardest part is still ahead of me - what color? Yikes!

For my Pacific Grove Top, I initially had planned on red. But the ballet pink shade of Skyland is seriously calling my name. What to do, what to do. Either way, it will be gorgeous. And such a treat to knit. Can't go wrong with yarn that's 60% baby alpaca and silk, right? I've started swatching, and my hands are loving it!

Swatching Tip. Did you know that when knitting in the round, your gauge swatch needs to be done in the round? Your tension is different when knitting on one side and purling on the other, versus working on the right side only (ie - knitting in the round). A much more experienced knitter shared this with me, as well as her trick. While a very important step in making a garment that will fit, it's my least favorite thing to do. So I was delighted to learn a way around it, kind of. This very talented master maker told me she doesn't swatch, but rather, knits the sleeve as her swatch. Brilliant! It's in the round, smaller than the body, and if your gauge is off, much less invested knitting to redo. I use this strategy ALL THE TIME when knitting socks. Sadly, the sleeves are not knit separately in this design; stitches are picked up and knit after the body is finished. So I'm grudgingly knitting a tube of Skyland. What's that saying (I think from The Yarn Harlot) - "you don't need to swatch if you have lots of friends in lots of sizes.

August 6 Update.

Off to the races! My sweater is well on its way. As of this morning, I've completed the cast on, the very challenging yet lovely round 1, and just finished my first increase after two of the elongated stitch cable repeats. So far (other than round 1) I'm loving this knit. What's so harrowing about round 1 you say?  Well, for starters, it took me nearly 2 hours to complete. After casting on and joining to work in the round, the designer has you work increases between purls by inserting the right needle under the strand before the next stitch and pulling it up on your needle.  Much like you do when working a make one. All the way around, doubling the number of stitches cast on. Yowza, is that difficult on the cast-on stitches. If you haven't started yet, here's an important tip. CAST ON VERY, VERY LOOSELY!!! I kid you not. My hand was so sore from trying to get my dang needle into that strand and pull it up. Buut alas, the end result is a very pretty finished edge around the neckline. Well worth the effort.

Oh, and I went with red.  Saving pink for yet another day.

August 19th Update

Well, not a lot of positive progress to report. I was booking along - finished through the increases on Round 23, excited to be moving toward short row shaping and dividing for the sleeves. But alas, there was some frogging in my future. My count stitch count was off by 5. Grrrr!!! Several hours of unknitting a handful of 350+ stitch rounds. Cables no less. But I learned two things I'm going to pass along to you (so you don't hit the skids like I did). First, use life lines! I'm now putting one in after every increase round.

My second tip doesn't have anything to do with my miscount, but about best way to knit cables. There's a lot of cabling in the yoke. I played with several different cable needles - a short dpn, a cable needle in the exact same size as my needles, even a Flox (a cute little tool from Floops). But no matter which I tried, they all slowed me way down. Then came a light bulb moment - this is the perfect project to practice cabling without a cable needle! 4 stitch cables, so only 2 stitches dangle in mid-air at any time. Thicker yarn, so if you drop a stitch, it won't get away from you as fast as with other yarn weights; easy to catch and get back on the needle. And a whole lot faster to get through a cabled round than when fiddling with a cable needle. If you've not tried this, by all means DO!!! Here's a great link to a tutorial on the technique, Cabling without a Cable Needle.

September 3rd Update

My sweater is growing. And my count is spot on! Hooray - no more tinking 384 stitch rounds. I've finished the last of the cable rounds, and am headed into the short row section. Well into my second ball of yarn, and still loving it (I often get tired of the yarn by balls 3+ of a big project, which is why I like knitting socks). Can't wait to divide for sleeves.

As for my Gnatty, I'm much more decisive. Knitted Wit Gems in three colors - Tupelo Honey, Naked, and Reveur (our exclusive-to-FYS red). As this little guy is a mix-and-match gnome, I may throw in a few more colors for accessories. The beauty of mini skeins!

August 6th Update

A very simple Clue 1 - a hat! Took me a couple hours, and did so whilst enjoying some Olympics action. My new favorite sport (to watch) is surfing. Doesn't hurt that the event takes place in Tahiti. Sooooo beautiful. The sound of waves lulling you into a perfect state of relaxation in between bursts of surfing action. And a gold medal for the Americans. Talk about a beautiful setting for a medals ceremony.

Next clue is out next Monday. Excited to see my Gnatty take shape.

August 19th Update

Clue 2 done! That's what I love about mystery gnomes - doable, short clues. Makes me feel so accomplished. My little guy now has the majority of his body now, waiting for the next step - stuffing I assume. My color choices are reminding me a little bit of Harry Potter and Griffindore house. Maybe I'll add a lion pin to his hat. Too cute!

If you're doing this mystery gnome along with me, and are catching the gnome fever, I have good news. There's another one starting very soon. "Someone to Write Gnome About" starts on September 3rd. The pattern is out now on Ravelry, so you can gather your supplies and be ready when the new adventure into gnome land begins. Woohoo!

September 3rd Update

Gnatty is done! And just in time - Clue one of "Someone to Write Gnome About" dropped this morning. She's fairly simple, which I'm guessing will mean accessories galore when the new book comes out. I was tempted to add some tassles to the tips of her hat, but will wait to make her a sassy little hat and scarf. To keep her warm as we head into cooler weather. She'll need those warm accessories if she's to venture into Grimblewoods to discover new friends.

Until next week!