Hanako Sweater

My latest sweater - a simple boxy garter stitch sweater with long narrow sleeves. I knitted it only in about a week and it was so much fun to knit! I had three skeins of Alize Puffy Fine, 50% viscose 50% acrylic, which I bought last autumn at a sale. The original color was baby blue - very delicate and sweet but I would never wear it and I bought it with the idea of overdyeing it. The price was very reasonable, the yarn is very soft and pleasant to wear and was being discontinued, so I just could not pass on the bargain.

My dyeing job was a bit of a flop - one of the skeins came out much darker than the other two. But one can always turn the defect into effect! I decided to knit the yarn with two strands held together and stripe it - I knit the two of the lighter skeins together and the darker skein I wound into a double stranded cake and alternated four rows of lighter purple with two rows of darker purple.

My inspiration for the sweater was Hanako Garter Pullover by Kim Barnette, though I took only the visual idea and made my own calculations and alterations.

The garter stitch texture grew  a lot after the wet blocking and some wear of the sweater (the sleeves were initially 3/4 length!). I like it as it is now but if it continues to grow I might have to redo the neckband and maybe shorten the sleeves.

Pattern: Hanako Sweater, inspired by Kim Barnette's Hanako
Yarn: Alize Puffy Fine 300 g, hand dyed
Needle: 4.5 mm rib, 5.5 mm body
Time to knit: about a week

Brick Shorty

Finally - an FO! It's been a while since my last cardigan - Gaby's Joy. Here's what came out of the yarn, recycled from Yosemite - a comfortable cropped cardigan. Puffy Fine is so soft, when knit with two threads of yarn - the knitted texture is very pleasant and supple. This cable pattern was a novelty to me, very ingenious.

Name: Brick Shorty
Pattern: Short Cardigan by DROPS Design
Yarn: Alize Puffy Fine 260 g
Needle: 3.5 mm (moss stitch) and 4 mm

Frog Season

Throughout the month of September I slogged on 2.5 mm and ALIZE Puffy Fine (440 m per 100 g super fine viscose thread) to make Yosemite sweater (all rib and cables). And when I had finally almost reached the end (the body plus one sleeve, picture taken before I started on the sleeves) I realized I just hated it. The shoulders came out too narrow (my mistake, of course) and though I had hoped the added sleeve would make things OK, it made them worse - pulling and distorting the collar, so, after much agony, I knew it had to be done - enter the frog.

The yarn is very soft and I like the color a lot, so now I'm knitting it with two threads held together and I'm making a short cardigan, DROPS design, on 4 mm needle. It's as easy as a pie, I've finished the body and starting the sleeves. I was lucky to find another skein of the same color lot and I have enough yarn to make them long, but should I, or should I preserve the original 3/4 sleeves?
What do you think?