Almost ready to wear

The knitting of Ariann is complete, and is undergoing a kitty inspection:

All that is left is sewing on the buttons, weaving in the ends, and a good wet block. She's a little snug, but since my swatch grew a fair amount, I'm cautiously optimistic that all will be well. What a great pattern, I'm definitely knitting this one again!

Slick Raglans

Raglan shaping. Seamless. Maintain the eyelet lace pattern. Cripes! Someone wise posted here a while ago that it helped her to think of the eyelet lace pattern as 2 mirror images of a 6 stitch pattern, which of course, it is. I have a thing about not leaving things hanging. For me, the eyelet needs to travel neatly into the raglan or it just doesn't work. I've also been reading the lace knitters' wisdom that says, don't do the increase if you can't do the decrease. My plan for the raglan shaping is to follow the pattern from SSK to YO k1 (6 stitches) If I can do the matching K1 YO to K2Tog great. If not then those 6 stitches will ALL smooth over to stockinette and stay that way until the next eyelet meets the raglan seam. Make sense? Maybe a picture will help. This is the right sleeve. Ariann's back is on the left of the image, the sleeve is on the right. You can clearly see the stockinette panel I created by avoiding doing increases in pattern. I think I like the way this is working out. By changing a group of 6 stitches to stockinette I am creating a small panel of smooth stitches that seems to be matching quite nicely with the sleeve panel. So far so good anyway. What do you folks think?

Guerilla Photography--Ariann Style

What to do on a last-day-of-vacation Sunday? You grab the digital camera that was loaned to you to take pictures for a website, you take those pictures...then you go to town, running around the apartment grabbing snaps of stuff you've been scanning because you don't have a digital cam of your own. Fun!
The first thing I photographed was my sister's Ariann. I'm a few rows away from the neck shaping. Actually, I was about 12 rows into the neck shaping when I noticed that I didn't do the final buttonhole. Doh!!
So I spent yesterday afternoon and a couple of DVDs (Serenity and Kill Bill Vol. 1) unknitting, stopping when it got too dark and I got too tired to continue.
This morning I unknitted the last row while listening to Harry Shearer's Le Show (bless the internet and streaming radio), then did the button hole and am knitting a few rows before re-starting the neck shaping.
Sorry about the bunched-upiness.
I can't wait to finish and block this bad girl...and start my own version.

It's been rather busy in my world and I had to finish Cutaway before giving more time to Ariann. The body is now up to the armscyes and one sleeve has been started using the Magic Loop method. I love this way of knitting sleeves instead of log size DPNs. Hopefully I'll be wearing Ariann by the New Year!!
The yarn is Beaverslide Farms Mule Spun Worsted in Wood Rose Heather. I love it!

Margene

Blocked and Beautiful

Thanks for the comments on my (almost) finished Ariann - now I've finally gotten my butt in gear to take and upload a photo of the blocked and buttoned model for ya... I have to say for the second time, that this was a wonderfully easy pattern and I love the entire finished product and the finished fabric - nice and squishy. I was a little concerned about my decision to knit the smallest size (based on my swatch), but after blocking the fit is spot on. I'm on the fence on making the belt - I started chaining, but I'm not liking how it's turning out. I may try an I-cord belt instead or just leave it as is. My second Arrian is on the needles and I've already started the first sleeve. I'm using Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed again - this time in Dusk. I questioned whether I really wanted to knit the same pattern, in the same yarn, different color, but lately I've had some difficulty liking my finished products and needed another sure thing!

Not the speediest knitter....

I am not as far along on this project as some of the other folks (plugging along on a sleeve...thanks to everyone who posted sleeve advice here--I did check it out before starting). I really love this project. I had a rough start (which had more to do with an active puppy looking for attention while I was knitting than anything else). Once I got the rhythm of the pattern down, I have to say, it was easy, relaxing and I just adore the results. I tend to go for things that are more basic (the color choice on the sweater is probably a good indicator), and I haven't made anything not basic for myself (like 2X2 ribbed socks or a stockinette or ribbed raglan sweater/cardigan). I am looking forward to the holiday so that I can finish this in time to wear it on my birthday in early December...apologies for the flashy picture--was in a hurry this morning.

Near the finish...

TWO SKEINS left - in the middle of one of them... think i may need a few more! Using Classic Elite Inca Alpaca Rio Red (1158). Off to search the web.

Alpaca Ariann

Today is overcast in Calgary, Canada. A perfect day for knitting...not so good for the pictures. I hope that you can get an idea of my Ariann anyway.
Yarn: MistiAlpaca Worsted
Colour: Olive Melange
Needles: Knitpicks options, 4.5mm for body, 4.0mm for band. Note to Knitpicks: Would you PLEASE make dpns in sizes up to 5mm?

got to the third buttonhole (see the markers on the button side) on the same row as I did the underarm cast-offs. This may be a tiny detail that makes no difference. Rather than cause myself a brain cramp trying to figure out how to incorporate the increases into the pattern on the sleeve, I just let the stockinette panel get wider. I think it will be all right.

More pictures and details on my blog: www.knittwotogether.com

Just Connected all the Pieces!

I just blogged about it with a pic....

http://yarncrawl.blogspot.com/2006/11/progress.html

Ta Da!

Finally, I remembered to take a pic of the completed Arianne! I've worn her many times, and gotten lots of compliments, and I just adore her. I can't believe the weather here has turned warm, don't they know I've got a new sweater to wear?

Thanks, Bonne Marie for another lovely pattern, and for this KAL - it really added to the fun of knitting this project!

What's next, guys? I'm at the Red Sweater KAL, hoping to finish Samus (from Knitty). When's our next Chic Knits KAL?

Lyn

Finally on the needles!

I'm finally off and running. Yarn is Patons Natural Mix. I'm loving everything about this pattern so far. Interesting stitch, yet easy enough to knit in front of the tv after a long day at work. Thanks Bonne Marie, as per usual your patterns rock! I love all the detail you always include in your instructions, makes knitting so much easier.

I've enjoyed seeing all the finished sweaters posted here, and am looking forward to having mine completed. But in the meantime, I'm just enjoying this knit.

Back from Off the Face of the Earth....

Hi everyone,
I'm BACK! Finally finished my marketing project and presentation so I got to work on this over the weekend - it feels so good to make some knitting progress after having NONE for weeks.

Here are progress pics - this weekend I got a lot accomplished.
I finished the body






And started and finished one sleeve, and started the 2nd sleeve!!

Finally, a beginning

My Knitpicks Options needles and lovely chestnut brown Salishan yarn (45% wool, 55% pima cotton) arrived a business day early and I started this afternoon. It is looking beautiful already and I'm glad to be knitting along and not just tagging along with this blog. I'm two rows into the eyelet, hard to tell if I'm on track but the counting came out right. I'm very happy with the color and the yarn, and it is going very quickly. This is only my second grown-up sweater, my first (a Ribby Cardi) is done save the collar (3 inches to go) and the zipper. But my new stuff came a day early...! P.S. I love the needles.

Fresh off the needles!

Woo-freeking-Hoo!

Side view

Desperately needs blocking, weaving in ends, buttons, etc. - but, I. Love. This. Sweater! Thanks Bonne Marie for such a wonderful pattern. I knit the smallest size and used 8 skeins of Jo Sharp Silkroad Tweed in Beech. I have two other colors of JSST in the stash and am thinking of a second with 3/4 sleeves in Dusk. Did I tell you yet that I love this sweater? Off to weave in ends and give this girl a bath.

Sleeves Halfway Done!

I was going to be clever and make the sleeves simultaneously using the Magic Loop method, but I got all twisted up and confused and the lace pattern wasn't working correctly. It was a mess.
I can do two socks with the Magic Loop. And I've done 2 sleeves. This time it didn't work so I ripped out and put each sleeve on a Loop.
I then tied a 2" x 3" mail tag to each one so I can keep track of my increases and decreases.
Ahhhh....much better.
I'm almost to the part where I attach the sleeves to the body! Yaaaaay!
I'm also working on another sweater with sleeves knit in the round and...well...I really hate it.
Takes waaaaay too long. You'd think that knitting sleeves in the round wouldn't take so long, but damn.
When I do my Ariann, I'm knitting the sleeves flat (both at the same time on a circular) and just dealing with mattress stitching the seams.

done and blocked

I tried to give it to my mother-in-law so that I have a good excuse to make another one soon.

Check my blog for a little more detail: click

Almost there!

Wow love all the finish images. I am currently knitting the second sleeve. Hope to be done by this weekend. I was sick for the last week with stomach problems. I plan to take my new sweater with me when I visit the States next month. Can't wait to post a picture of my completed project. Happy knitting!

Iris in Germany

closeup of Merlin

As requested I took a closeup of Adriann in the yarn merlin...the white is paper. to make the stitches stand out...although in the end a little bit of sun really made the difference!

So looking at the closep I was wondering if the raglan decreases would look more even if I had stopped the eyelet pattern every 12 stitches instead of every 6. Because the Ktog/SSK go straight into the raglan decrease but the YOs don't. Maybe I was supposed to do this anyway but I never read instructions until it all goes to hell in a handbasket. If this doesn't make sense, ignore me I'm just being pedantic.