It´s a vest, It´s a vest, made from real….

(Sorry for the pun in the title, some might get it and some don´t…but it is constantly in my head)

This month i didn´t finish a lot (still haven´t started on Christmas Knitting…but this year it is only a pair of mittens). But i did draft (or started) some new patterns, which need to be tested. And i made a bag from two pairs of old jeans. Which came out quite nice.

But first my knitting project, which i started at the end of October and finished on November 8th. The pattern is called Sleeveless Pullover, i would call it a vest (well in german we call it “Pullunder”), by Jack Frost. It is a free vintage pattern from 1951. You can get it on Ravelry, or if you don´t like Ravelry you can also get it HERE.

The yarn was the same i mentioned in my last post (and probably will mention in my next post, because right now i´m knitting mittens with it). For that vest, the yarn was perfect, that´s why i´m sure this yarn is not really a DK weight but an Worsted weight yarn. As usually i didn´t make a gauge/yarn swatch, because i never do that and most times i´m lucky…(don´t be like me, swatches are important!).

And it was quite an easy and fast knit. The front and the back are the same except the neckline, which was a first for me because i never ever tried to knit a v-neck.
The funny thing with vintage patterns (or patterns in general actually), if i “find” a mistake, i´m never sure if it is a mistake in the pattern or i did something wrong. With this pattern, i think it was in the pattern. When you are in the front – casting off sts for shoulder shaping it says = 6 sts every other row 4 times. You start with 28 sts for the first side. Knit 2 together – 27 sts. Than dec 1 sts every 4 rows 10 times – 17. I only was able to cast off 6 sts 2 times and 5 sts one time. Weirdly enough i think in the back there were enough sts.
I also tried to make the neck band three times (Instruction: taking up 57 -1 -57 sts), i couldn´t manage it, there were too many sts in my opinion,in the end i managed it with about 45/47 sts ( i was so frustrated, i didn´t write it down.)

This is the back…it looks amazing. The pattern is not a cable pattern just a variation of purl and knit stitches!

And this is the finished vest from the front.

It is cozy and it fits very nicely!
As i mentioned in my last blog post, i wasn´t (and i´m still not) really sure about the hat i knitted. I probably won´t wear it , but i don´t want to frog it as well…which is a stupid situation. I´m now knitting some easy mittens (also a vintage pattern) and then i won´t have much left of the yarn for anything else. Which is quite a nice feeling to have finally knit up (nearly) everything of that huge ball of yarn.

Did you ever have had a project where you weren´t really sure, if you should frog it or leave it?
Thanks for reading and have a nice beginning of the last month of the year (oh god)!
(The upcycle bag will get its own blog post…)

Knitting Adventures: Top by Initiative Handarbeit

My summer knitting craze started with this top and it hasn´t stopped yet. At the moment i´m knitting summer top after summer top. I have lots of fun right now. Sadly my plans for a year of socks didn´t quite “knit” out. I have a few in the making and in the planning, but they are not a priority right now.

And it is weird, that i didn´t stop after this top, because i made a lot of mistakes (rookie-mistakes…although i still consider myself a beginner). Or the yarn was cursed…who knows.

The pattern was this free pattern from Initiative Handarbeit with the simple name Top. (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/top-21)

Notice on the picture it looks much more casual and bigger.

I only had one yarn in sports weight in my stash. This was a yarn i had for at least 15 years. I started (and finished) some projects with it, but i never kept the finished objects or i frogged the started ones. It never felt right, it didn´t really felt right with this top either. But i wanted to make a top (and i wanted to take part in the MAL by “A Visit with Nana and Papa” -> https://www.ravelry.com/groups/visit-with-nana-and-papa?s=tab). So this yarn was it.

I wanted it to look casual, so i made the larger of the two sizes 40/42 (at first). I don´t know what happened with my brain while reading the instructions. I completely misunderstood the increasing and the decreasing. I think i was confused because i couldn´t determine, if the pattern was counting the WS-Rows and the RS-Rows as one row (yes some do that) or as seperate rows. I decided to go for the first option…after a while – well i was nearly at the waist – i noticed that it was option number two (because suddenly i was able to count properly). So i hastily made something up and continued (would i have frogged this project, i wouldn´t have started it again). My second big mistake happened at the straps…apparently i miscalculated the rows or the stitches…i don´t know anymore. But i finished it.

The back

As i looked at the back piece, i also noticed that this looke quite small, but not too small that (wait 3rd big mistake incoming) i thought:”Well, then i could knit a size smaller as well”…. I know, you are probably asking yourself: “what was she thinking?” And i have to answer: “I have no effing idea.”

So the front piece went pretty smoothly (because i followed the instructions…ha!). I stitched everything together and was surprised that it fitted…quite good actually. Not casual as i wanted it, it fitted like a glove.

Sorry for the bad photo quality.

It is a bit on the short side, but guess what, i forgot to add my usual 3-4 cm of length, but i raised the neckline about 2cm (it is still a bit low). That only mistake that is still “visible” are the back straps, they are so short that they pull back the front straps. I think i can live with that.

And i even won the first MAL-Prize! YAY. The prize was a paid-for pattern, which was then my next summer top.
I still have some leftover yarn. I can´t really tell you how much i used up, because i didn´t weigh it before. And “one” ball was the leftovers of a project.

All in all, i do like the top. It is my colour, it fits well and it is good to wear. I´m happy about it, but i´m happier that this yarn i as good as gone.

Thank you for reading, till next time!

Knitting Adventures: Lady’s Jumper by The Argus

For a long time i wanted to try my hand at some vintage knitting patterns. I´m telling you, there are soo many amazing patterns out there…and i want to make them all. But when reading blogs or watching vlogs from knitters who “specialise” in vintage knitwear, i always got the impression, that old patterns are hard(er) to understand than modern ones and that most time the wool used (even if the gauge is given) is not comparable to the wool we have today, (which is true) and that influents the fit. So for my first pattern i was looking for something very simple.

And i found the Lady´s Jumper by The Argus on Ravelry. I had some wool in the stash, which seemed to fit. (“Seemed” because i got gauge, but the jumper still ended up a bit different then it should. And i think it is mostly because of the yarn..). I used Wollbutt “Asta” from Buttinette (a german online store), which i got very “budget-friendly” during Sale. 100g have 250 meters and i used about 3,6 balls of yarn. I have to admit, the colour isn´t exactly my favourite colour, but it is not bad either. It is 100% Acrylic, but very soft and very good to knit with. I had no problems except the first ball had two knots in it and another ball had also one knot. It is unfortunate, but sometimes inenvitable.
I used straight needles 3,5 mm and 4mm.

I started on January 31, 2023 and finished it on June 7,2023. Mostly because that pattern (mostly knit and purl) was nice at the beginning, but the more i knitted the more boring it became.

There is no ribbing or something (because actually everything is ribbing), but you start with the smaller needles and once you are at the waist, you change to the larger needles for some inches, than go back to the smaller ones. The only “alteration” i made was to lengthen the body (because i know that i have a long torso ), but it is still a little bit on the shorter side. The Back piece is the same as the Front piece and there are also two sleeves.

Looking very…ah…flattering.

The sleeves have a very flat ending at the shoulder, because the pattern says you should add some shoulder pads. Well, my sleeve cap fits perfectly, there is absolutely no place for shoulder pads in there. For my taste the armhole is a bit narrow, but i can raise my arms without any problems, so i´m fine with it.

After finishing all pieces i sewed them together and crocheted one round around the neckhole. Again pattern says twice, but that was a bit too close to my neck. I crocheted two buttonholes (one on each side) and added some buttons. Pattern says two on each side, but i didn´t (i actually don´t know why).

Stretched out (aka worn) it looks really good.

The jumper still ends a bit above my hips, but that is no problem, i just wear it with my high waist trousers and skirts..
It fits perfectly a.k.a very snug. All in all it was an experiment, and if i can say so myself, a successful one as well.

I can´t wait to knit another vintage pattern…

Did you ever knitted a vintage pattern? How was your experience with it? Yay or Nay?
Well, thank you for reading. Till next time!

Knitting Adventures: Southwood by Galt House of Yarn

Exactly a year ago, i bought myself a cheap circular needle set, made out of wood or bamboo. I have never knitted with circulars before, and they are still a bit confusing to me. But i can see why so many people love them. Still – probably because i have a sewing background – i prefer straight needles. Mainly because i like seams and my knitting looks much nicer on straight needles.

Nonetheless knitting is much much faster with circulars. I searched a beginner friendly pattern on Ravelry and found the Southwood by Galt House of Yarn (free pattern).
The pattern is nicely written and very easy to understand.

I had 10 balls of yarn in a very nice green from Madame Tricote named “Dora”. Good to knit with and very soft, 100% Acrylic. 100g are about 250 meters.
This yarn wasn´t a perfect match with the – in the pattern suggested – yarn, but that´s what i had. I used Needle sizes 4mm and 5mm (which resulted in a looser fabric). I should have knit it with 3mm and 4mm, but next time i´m smarter.
I made size M, and because of the yarn and the needle sizes, it is a bit oversized, but i still like it the way it is.

What did blow my mind is that i only needed about 3,5 balls of yarn! Normally i need more. So i was able to make another garment out of the “leftovers”.
And it only took me three weeks (21 days!) to knit this jumper.
I think i am a slow knitter. I´m watching many podcasts and everybody has so many finished knits at the end of a month…it is just astounding. So three weeks was very fast for me.

I didn´t take that many pictures, because i couldn´t be bothered at that time.

Separating for the sleeves and body was new to me, but quite easy to do. The colour isn´t really right in the picture.

And here it is. The finished jumper. Basic but beautiful. Again the colour is a bit more vibrant.

What i didn´t like was knitting the sleeves with the circular needles. It was just annoying to constantly pull the cable and rearrange the stitches. Flat knitting wins with sleeves.

When i´m looking at the jumper, i think with circular needles my knitting style is much looser than normally. Probably because, when i´m knitting with straight needles my purling is a bit tighter than my knitting, so the purls are kinda compensating my knit stitches.

What was your first project with circular needles? Did you enjoy it? How do you knit your sleeves?

Thanks for reading, till next time!

Knitting Adventures: Cabled Cardigan by Lana Grossa

After finishing this project in mid February, i finally have the motivation to write a blog post about it. Sadly, i lost or misplaced – who knows – my printed instructions (with my notes on it). Well i can remember the most important things so it is ok.

This is my second big project, normally i only make socks and scarves and so on, but my first successfull big project. The first one was not really good – wearable – but not outside my house. I´m playing with the thought of reusing the yarn, but i don´t know.

I´m planning on making a Dirndl, or better said i´m halfway there to finish it. So i needed a knitted Cardigan that is in the same colour family.

I found a free pattern online : Damenjacke mit Zopfmuster und Blütenstickerei by LanaGrossa, it was published in Filati Trachten 6 (Modell 2) as well as online -> https://www.woolplace.de/strickanleitungen/damenjacke-mit-zopfmuster-und-bluetenstickerei/ .It is only available in german and in two sizes (36/38 and 40/42).

I chose a bit thicker yarn than the instructions suggested, and the smaller size. The body of the cardigan fits perfectly, but the sleeves are a bit tight. It is not really a problem, because i can wear it as it is. But i have the feeling a lot of knitting patterns (and sewing patterns as well) have very tight sleeves. Maybe i have too musculous arms…haha.

The yarn i chose was Schachenmayr Soft&Easy Color (which is weirdly not in the Ravelry Database) in Colourway 90 (which is a light blue with white mixed in). 100 g have about 235 m (3.5 oz = 257 yards), it is a medium weight yarn (Nr.4). Gauge is 19 sts x 26 rows = 10x 10 cm. It is 100% acrylic, but one of the softest acrylic yarns i have ever touched.
And if someone asks (or is shocked – yes this happens) why i make a cardigan out of acrylic (in some peoples eyes “cheap” stuff). BECAUSE i can´t wear wool, it seems that i´m – to a certain degree – allergic to it. My skin starts to itch and get red spots. I have to admit, that I haven´t tried every kind of wool and weirdly my feet are fine with virgin wool.

I bought about 600g of it (and after knitting there was one skein plus a leftover left). I used 3.5 mm and 4 mm needles + 4 mm cable needle and knitted everything flat.
I started with the back piece ribbing with a 3.5 mm needle and changed to the 4 mm needles afterwards. First the cable pattern was a bit confusing (this was my first time making cables) but i got used to it pretty quickly.

After finishing the back piece, i noticed that i misread the pattern, or better said, i misunderstood the instructions. As you can see in the picture, i have “two rows” of purl stitches but in the pattern it is only one. This happened because i purled on the right side of the work (as given in the instructions) but i worked the row in the opposite at the wrong side of the work. I was always taught, that if you knit on the right side you purl on the wrong side and vice versa. Well, i didn´t want to change my mistake, so in continued it throughout the cardigan.

The next “mistake” happened while knitting the front pieces. In the instructions all cables always show in one direction (as you can see at the back piece above), I thought (while knitting the first front piece) it would look very nice, if one front piece has cables that look to the right and the other has cables that look to the left. I mean it does look nice, but doesn´t fit to the back cables…but i didn´t really think about that while knitting…well well..
I knitted the sleeves so they fit to the cables of the front pieces (one side left leaning and one side right leaning).

The beginning of the sleeve

If you look closely you can see the slight change in colour. I was devasttated at first, but i got used to it and now you can hardly see it, while wearing. Weirdly all the skeins have the same dye lot numbers…

What i noticed is that, although the instructions are very good written and understandable, they change their counting of rows once (at least this is what i think they did). I can´t remember exactly (and this is were i would need my written notes) but I think first they counted the Front and Back row as one row and than, while knitting the sleeves, the front row was counted as one and the back row as one as well. I remember that i noticed something isn´t quite right because i needed to calculate something for my sleeves twice and to me it appeared as if there was some change.

Nonetheless, i really liked this pattern, although it took me ages to finish it. I started in mid september 2021 and finished it in mid february 2022. I lost interest once in a while and than came back and knitted half a piece in one day.
And after knitting, it took me ages to sew everything together (and then to crochet the border and sew on buttons…haha).

I know, you can´t see that much, but once i finish my dirndl i will make some better pictures!

All in all, i really like it. It was a ton of work but totally worth it! And i realized that i totally love cables or any kind of texture in knitting!

If you have any questions to the pattern, feel free to ask, i hope i can help you.
Thank you for reading and have a nice week!