Ruth's Gallery

Close-up of stripes: Close-up of ribbing: Some seaming snapshots - the first two are the front and back being seamed via mattress stitch. The raglan side before seaming: Pattern: Stitch 'n Bitch "Peppermint Twist Sweater", by Becky Delgado Yarn: Rowan Cotton Glace, 7 skeins Bubbles (#724), 2 skeins Glee (#799), 2 skeins Passion (#805); Phildar Sunset, 1 skein Indien; YLI Candlelight metallic yarn, 1 spool Deep Pink (#024) Needle: US #3 circular needle Size: Medium (36" bust) Pattern Notes: Pattern: An easy knit! Although it was all stockinette (which, to a lace-loving knitter myself, could be hugely boring), but switching colors and seeing it knit up as I go made it lots of fun. I also discovered that I love knitting with smaller needles. I briefly thought about knitting this up in the round (to avoid the seaming) but decided against it. I ended up weaving what seemed like a million little ends. Yarn: And speaking of weaving all the little ends - I have something to say about the yarn. I used all the recommended yarn, and then some. The pattern calls for only ONE skein of the dark purple (Passion, #805), but I realized that towards the end, I ran out fast. I had to purchase another skein to finish. And I also heard that I was not the only one who needed to get an extra skein. I also ended up with more than enough of the main color (Bubbles). I think I could have purchased 6 skeins, rather than the recommended 7, and still have been good for a medium size. As for the Phildar Sunset, yes, it is a metallic type of yarn. It's gauge is smaller than the Cotton Glace, and so I doubled it up with some metallic yarn/thread I had on hand (the Candlelight). And when I weaved in the ends for these yarns, I used some fabric glue to secure the ends. They are slippery and I can see how the ends can just slip right out. Gauge/Size: I couldn't make gauge with the recommended size 2 needle. So I went with size 3 and it worked out great. Except for the sleeves. Either my arms are much skinnier than everyone else's (which I seriously doubt), or it would have been better for me to knit up a smaller size for my sleeves, as they were sort of wide and baggy for me. It also didn't cross my mind until AFTER I tried on the finished sweater that my shoulders are naturally wider than the average person, so a raglan-style top would NOT be flattering for my shoulders (raglan is good for making your shoulders look wider, if you have smaller shoulders). I did not know this, until I put on this sweater. So I wet-blocked it and instead of air drying flat, I ran it through the delicate cycle of my dryer. It slightly shrunk - just enough so it would fit a tad better. In retrospect, I think I probably knit a size too big for me (I should have done a small rather than a medium). This sweater is better as a more fitted sweater than a loose one. Seaming Ok, did I mention how much I love the mattress stitch?? It makes seaming so much more enjoyable. I will say, however, that seaming the raglan parts were a big pain. The pattern calls for you to do the raglan decreasing by binding off one stitch at the beginning of each row, thus creating a stair-step line, rather than a smooth angled line (see the raglan side picture above). See it? I kind of wished I had just did some right/left-slanting decreases to make the edges more smoother to stitch. Nevertheless, I figured out how to do the mattress stitch even with the stair-step edges. Took me a long time to figure out where to insert my tapestry needle, but I figured it out and I'm happy with the results. Related Links: Another WIP Running Out FO: SnB Peppermint Twist Sweater