Düsseldorf Aran

A quick photosession of the Düsseldorf Aran sweater, a bit late in the day for these short winter days, so the light was not quite enough and the photos came somewhat grainy. The color is pretty elusive for the camera, ranging from dark green (true color) to light blue (totally wrong color).

Pattern: Düsseldorf Aran sweater by Fiona Ellis
Yarn: Alize Cashmira, 350 g
Needle: 3.5 mm, 4 mm
Time to knit: 9 days

I have already forgotten most of my thoughts and modifications, connected to this sweater - it's a good thing I recorded the modification of the sleeves right after finishing them :) The next two photos show a bit better the true dark green color of the yarn.

 All in all, a very nice sweater, probably my favorite at the moment (I know, I always favour my latest works ☺), a treat to knit and quite pleasant and flattering to wear.

Awaiting Photosessions

Finally, my camera is back from the repair shop! And high time it was - the projects, awaiting photo sessions, are piling up - the Dusseldorf Aran sweater, a new hat pattern and the Currant Cardigan (sans buttons) are (long) done and even something new and small is steadily crawling to the FO pile:

WIP - Currant Cardigan

While waiting for the rainy days to end and my camera to come back from the repair shop - just a few phone snaps (hence the quality ☻) of my new work in progress - the intricately cabled Currant Cardigan from the spring issue of Interweave Knits. I'm knitting the smallest size on 4 mm needles and I've additionally reduced the stitches wherever possible to make it fit my skinny daughter. Instead of changing the needle size I'm fitting the cardigan as usual with decreases and increases at the side seams. So far it's a very enjoyable process and the color - light coral, is one of Gaby's favourites.

The cardigan has been designed without ribbing, the idea being to make it look like cut from a textured fabric. Initially I played with the idea to add the ribbing, but then decided that I like it as designed. My only modification (so far ☺) is that I used provisional cast on with a scrap yarn and after I've finished and sewed together the cardigan, I intend to border it from all sides with I-cord.

Quince Picking

Just a few pictures from this past Sunday outing to a friends' country house. The quinces were just ripe, so we gathered a crate. We are not very keen on eating fresh quinces, but they are quite delicious in the form of compote or jam.

The house is in the Lyulin mountain, so Gabi and I went for a walk in the fields around and gathered some rose hips and hawthorn berries too for fresh berry tea.

When picked carefully, quinces can last for quite a long time, so I'll have fresh quinces at hand for quince compote for at least two or three months. These beauties are destined to be the victims of today's dessert :)))

Düsseldorf Aran - The Sleeves

I finished my Düsseldorf Aran sweater this morning - in less than ten days :). While it is still wet blocking, a few words on the modifications I made.
The designer Fiona Ellis is becoming one of my most favourite designers with her beautiful feminine intricately cabled sweaters - I want to knit at least two or three more of her designs. However, there were a few features of Düsseldorf Aran that I did not appreciate much when browsing through the Ravelry project pages for this sweater - the seed stitch edging and neckband, which I replaced with 2x2 rib, but most of all - the sleeves.
First - too loose and baggy for this delicate pattern and then the pleat, although very original, looked unsightly bumpy even on the magazine photos. So I changed the pattern of the pleat, replacing it with this fan-like feature:

Tips for the sleeve (size s). My gauge is the same as in the pattern, but on 4 mm needles.
1) Cast on 74 sts.
2) Knit (k2p2)4 (k2p8)4 (k2p2)4 k2 for 4 rows
3) Continue 14 sts in St st, p2, (k2, p2tog, p7)4 times k2 p2, 14 sts in St st
4) Decrease 1 purl st in the four pleats every 4th row until 2 sts remain.
5) Knit 14 sts in St st, (p2k2)5 times, p2, 14 sts in St st. for 4 rows (50 sts)
6) Continue with row 1 of the cable chart, keeping the knit stitches as knit and the purl stitches as purl. For this purpose you have to cross twice two couples of knits and purls, always crossing the purls behind the knits. For the central 4-st cable increase two stitches in the 2 knit stitch column to form the four-stitch cable.

Continue to knit in pattern, meanwhile increasing 1 st on every side of the sleeve every 20th row for a total of 4 times (60 sts).

Cap:
Decrease every other row 1x3 sts, 1 x 2 sts, 2 x 1 st, every 4th row 6 x 1 st, every other row 1 x 1 st, 1 x 2 sts, 1 x 3 sts. Cast off the remaining sts.

The I-cords: Pick up 4 sts at the base of the crossing 2-stitch-knit columns - one stitch from the purl column, 2 stitches from the two knit-stitch-column and one stitch from the purl column. Knit a 25 cm I-cord.

Thus the I-cord piece looks like a continuation of the cable of the sleeve. Knit a symmetrical I-cord at the other side of the cable pattern.

Tie the I-cords into a butterfly:

P.S. Can you believe that the actual color of the sweater is dark pine green?! The wretched camera is absolutely color blind, drives me mad :))