Back to brioche

In case you're wondering, my yarn diet is over - quite successfully, I might add. (But I did manage not to buy any yarn for more than four months!) My most recent (not true, come to think of it) addition to my stash was more than 2 kilos of wool a woman I got in touch with wanted to get rid of, since she knew she wasn't likely to use if after some 20 years. Eight hanks of blue and green Vålberg wool from Wålstedts, for example. How could I not come to the rescue? Sometimes it's easy to be a gentleman!

garter attempts

The tricky thing was deciding how to use it. The wool is unevenly spun (on purpose) which made me decide not to use stocking stitch. Garter stitch worked well, but I was only happy with some of my swatches and they didn't feel comfortable enough but a bit too stiff. Time to try dear, old brioche - I think I was inspired by your positive comments on my brioche cowl. Thank you!

This is what I wanted: it's thick but soft in a way garter stitch isn't. Also, I'm fond of stripes, and like the way there are both horizontal colour stripes and vertical structure stripes. However, brioche is such a voracious technique, I wasn't sure there would be enough - and it would be difficult if not impossible to get more. Fortunately, there was enough: I have about 7 meters left...

Varför garnbanta när man kan komma över vackert garn från Wålstedts? Åtta hekto av detta vackra blågröna garn räckte precis till en patentstickad tröja. Gissa om det har varit varmt i knät! Jag har känt mig som en riktig masochist när jag har provat den vartefter för att kolla storleken. Den sitter riktigt bra, men jag kan inte med bästa vilja säga att det är skönt att ha den på. Inte för att jag längtar efter kyla, tvärtom! 

Det är sällan jag faller för flerfärgade garner, men det här kunde jag inte låta bli och jag tycker att det blev lyckat med kombinationen av ränder: färgränder på bredden och strukturränder på höjden. Garnet är ojämnt spunnet, så jag ville inte slätsticka med det även om just det ojämna är en del av charmen med det. Rätstickning funkade bra i och med att det drar ihop ihop sig, och färgskiftningarna gjorde sig bra i den tekniken, men det blev väl kompakt. Patentstickning blir förstås också tjockt, men det är samtidigt luftigt och betydligt mjukare.

The more "Alba" the merrier

"Alba", a design by Alice Starmore, a photo by Asplund on Flickr.

Alice Starmore's "Alba" sweater had been waiting patiently for me for almost two years when I finally returned to it. I had picked up stitches around the armholes and knitted sleeve caps using short rows (my modification) but not the sleeves. Fortunately, I had finished both sleeve caps, so I didn't have to analyse the process as much as I feared.

Alba: sleeve decreases

Once I was back on track knitting the sleeves was pure joy! It is such a beautiful pattern and the colours are stunning. The sweater is not for me but for my friend Anders, but as soon as I had darned in all the loose ends I cast on to make another for but for my not quite sweaterless self.

sleeve caps and armhole

Much as I love Alice Starmore's designs (and this one in particular) I also love experimenting. What I've changed knitting Alba no 2 is the colour sequence for the check border pattern: less contrast and a gradual change from darker to lighter shades.

Alba no 2 (slightly modified) in progress

Also, I've started the main pattern at a different row to keep using the shades of blue from the check pattern for the background. This in turn means I skipped the light horizontal lines in the original version. I like Starmore's better, but mine well enough to keep it.

Alba sweater

"Mystic" sweater: reknitting sleeves

"Mystic" sweater: reknitting sleeves, a photo by Asplund on Flickr.

To my immense surprise, the sleeves turned out to be too long - actually, having long arms was a main reason for me to start modifying patterns. (Small/medium chest, medium/large shoulders, large/xl arm length... What was a poor, disproportionate guy to do? Develop his knitting skills, of course!)

Knitting sleeves top-down is a major advantage in cases like this: I only had to rip back and reknit a few inches, and only the shortest rows too. I think the new, shorter version looks better: the net starts in the centre of the panel and blends with the ribbing. (I often write "blend with", don't I? Something of an obsession, I guess.)

Sewing the shoulder strap in place took some time, but wasn't as tricky as I expected. It helps having a nice patch of garden to sit in - and the neighbours came for a cackling visit.

good neighbours

I always block sweaters inside out as I think it makes it easier to get the seams straight. Many instructions tell you to do the seaming after blocking the pieces, but I prefer having the boring bits over and done with as soon as possible.

blocking

And here is what the finished sweater looks like. I just can't capture the colour (no 4009), but here is a good photo.

Diana asked about whether the shawl pattern "Leaves Dancing" is available in English. Not that I know, I'm afraid - but at least lace charts are international. 

"Mystic" sweater in progress

"Mystic" sweater in progress, a photo by Asplund on Flickr.

This is a really difficult colour to capture: in reality it's brighter, greener and bluer.

But not this bright (and the green doesn't show here):

Not that it matters much - the important thing is that it's enjoyable to knit, which it is.

Thanks for all your comments on my Aranish sweater! Summer arrived at long last, so I haven't worn it yet. My impression is that we practically skipped spring this year. Didn't I wear layers and layers of clothes only a few weeks ago? It's a good thing I'm not allergic to wool like one of my friends!

Aranish sweater finished

Aranish sweater: front and back, a photo by Asplund on Flickr.

What I always find tricky is getting the neck opening right - both comfortable and nice looking. If possible I want complete pattern repeats on both back and front. In this case the centre panel is worked over so many rows the opening would have been too low in front if I had done that. (A low-cut gansey doesn't feel quite right - and not simply because I have no cleavage to flaunt.) I could have knitted half a repeat on the back, but decided to add a little loop shape instead for a finished look.

Another finishing touch I like experimenting with is blending edges and main patterns: getting the ribbing to turn into cable patterns and vice versa as far as possible.

raglan detail

Quite obsessed with the combination of cables and Cascade 220, I've started knitting yet another gansey. Alice Starmore's "Mystic" (from Fishermen's Sweaters) is a design I've admired and wanted to make for a long time - and I thought of it at once when I spotted the teal skeins.

in reality darker blue with more green in it

Det är alltid knepigt att få till halsöppningen, tycker jag: förutom att det ska vara bekvämt vill jag att det ska se så snyggt ut som möjligt. För det mesta försöker jag få med hela mönsterrapporter på både fram- och bakstycke, men det är under förutsättning att en rapport inte stickas över alltför många varv. En djupt urringad fiskartröja känns inte som en överdrivet lyckad idé...

I det här fallet bestämde jag mig för att lägga till en liten ögla på bakstycket i stället för att stympa mönstret genom att sticka en halv rapport, även om det också skulle fungera.

Jag är riktigt förtjust i det här garnet (Cascade 220), och när jag fick syn på några blågröna härvor kom jag att tänka på en fin design, "Mystic" av Alice Starmore. Tanke och handling äro ett. (Ibland.) Fortsättning lär följa!

Aranish sweater

Aranish sweater in progress, a photo by Asplund on Flickr.

Thanks for all your kind words about St. Brigid! It was a really enjoyable project, and it reminded me how much I like knitting cables. Add to this that I thought Cascade 220 was perfect for cables, and what happens? Quite right, yet another new sweater in progress.

I call it Aranish as the yarn is thinner than Aran weight wool, but I'm using typical Aran patterns and am making a raglan sweater - and testing some construction ideas.

First I knitted the four pieces separately back and forth: I find it easier than knitting cables in the round as the cable patterns are done on right-side rows only and in this case every two/four/six rows.

However, I joined the four parts to knit the yoke in the round in order to avoid raglan seams. Instead, there are cables wih decreases on each side.

The front is wider than the back: there are side panels with increases to make gussets. (Same thing with the sleeves.) Therefore, the side seams will be closer to the centre of the back. This way I could accentuate the sides with a cable pattern without a seam in the middle of it. Not that it would have mattered that much, but I wanted to see if it worked.


The colour (no 9465) is difficult to photograph, but it is sort of cool brown with hints of grey in it.

Både flätor och Cascade gav mersmak, så nu har jag en till tröja på gång. Eftersom jag tycker att det är enklare att sticka flätmönster fram och tillbaka (lättare att hålla reda på var jag är när det bara är vridningar på rätsidan) har jag stickat fram- och bakstycken samt ärmarna för sig - men för att undvika sömmar stickar jag oket runt. I stället för raglansömmar har jag flätor med minskningar på var sida. 

Jag fick en lika fin som rolig komplimang för min St. Brigid i förrgår: "Den är så snygg att man blir alldeles förbannad!" Den ska jag leva länge på!

"Aberlady" sweater in progress

"Aberlady" sweater in progress, a photo by Asplund on Flickr.

First of all, thanks for your comments on my "Shells" sweater! (And christinelaennec: thanks for making me laugh with what you wrote about the string of pearls!)

I had barely cast off before I bought more Rowan creative linen and cast on to make another sweater This too is a design by Alice Starmore, "Aberlady" from her book The Celtic Collection. Starmore for president!