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Sunday, September 8, 2013

Auden: early fall sweater

My latest knit has been finished since last Sunday, but my week didn't go as planned so I'm just now getting around to posting it.  In addition to lots of work and appointments on my schedule, I also managed to get a cold and a sports injury that put me out of commission for several days!  I'm mended enough now though that I wore my sweater today to have lunch with Hubby.  Of course, I forgot to bring along my camera, so here's one he took with his phone.


(My tummy looked somewhat flatter pre-lunch, hehehe!  It was delicious.  Many a crab rangoon was consumed.)

This pattern is Auden by Bristol Ivy.   It's one of a couple of sweaters I meant to make last fall and didn't get to.  The original was made in wool, but I had this Brown Sheep Cotton Fine in my stash that I've been wanting to use up.  Some of you may remember it as the same yarn from my failed Saffron sweater.  This was my fourth try at making a sweater from this yarn.  I was a little afraid it was jinxed, but it worked out quite well.


Being 80% cotton and 20% wool, the fabric is different than that of the original, although the gauge is the same.  It means that my sweater has more drape than the original, which in turn means that my sweater is tunic-length rather than hip length, and I'm OK with that.  The drape works in my favor at the sleeves, which are picked up and knit on kimono-style after the shoulder seams are sewn (or rather, finished with three-needle bind off).  One of the biggest problems people have mentioned in the comments on this sweater is that the sleeves end up looking line-backerish in the sturdier wool.  Even with my drapey fabric, they make my already wide-ish shoulders look even wider.


I find this yarn a little tedious to work with - the high cotton percentage means it has very little give, so it can get hard on the hands.  But the pattern itself was a delight - so well written, as Brooklyn Tweed patterns tend to be.  The fern stitch is easily memorized and fun to work, but you get 6 rows of respite too between them, which makes this pretty good TV knitting in my view.   One place where I ought to have turned off the TV though was for working the bind-off at the sleeve edges.  I ended up picking them out out and doing it over.  Look at the difference between "TV cast-off" and "paying attention cast-off":



SO much neater - I'm glad I made the decision to redo. 

One thing I really appreciated about this pattern is that the designer took the time to make sure all the rib sections line up with the stitch counts in the neckband, which is picked up and knit once the shoulders are seamed.  I actually expected to have to readjust the numbers to get a neat outcome, because I so often do - but with this pattern it was already done!



I've already got 2 more sweaters and a hat on the needles.  The hat is my "coffee date knitting" and one of the sweaters is the other sweater I meant to make last fall.  Better late than never - I've gotten quite far with it and I'm loving how it's coming along.

My illness and injury meant that I wasn't really able to do any sewing this week.  Luckily, I managed to finish up Victoria Blazer #2 before I got sick, so I'm hoping to get some time to post that one in the next couple days.  But even though it's still quite warm here, my brain knows that autumn is almost here, so all I want to do is knit!

30 comments:

  1. What the heck!? You are a machine making these lovely hand knitted sweaters! I love them!! I have tried to dedicate myself to knitting on several occasions in my adult life but I just can't stick to it.

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    1. Knitting is my first love. No other craft of hobby has ever been able to take its place! I think the last time I didn't constantly have something on the needles was probably when I was in college!

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  2. That is a great project. It fits you wonderfully and it's a nice color on you. Sorry you got so ill and got hurt. Glad you're better now and got out and about.

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    1. Thanks, Stef! I was so impressed by the quality of these instructions!

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  3. It's lovey and casual looking! :) you're such a productive lady! Love that colour. I have some yarn in a similar shade for a cardigan. :)

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    1. Thanks, Jo! Even though this one only took a little over a month, it felt like longer because the yarn was killing my hands! But I'm very glad it's out of my stash now!

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  4. Your week sounded like mine. I was busy with appointments and then I got sick too. No injury though. Sorry to hear about your rough week. Hoping this week is better for both of us.

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    1. Sorry you were in the same boat, Sarah :-( Let's hope for a better week for both of us!

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  5. I'm sorry you had a rough week and I hope this one turns out much better for you (no working on quilted clutches until your schedule clears - doctors orders!). What a great sweater - I love the color and it's perfect for fall. I really like the tunic length and there's no way your shoulders look big!

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    1. I think the wide hips keep my shoulders from looking too wide :-) And they really aren't insanely wide - it's really just that the shape of my body has changed over the last few years, in part because of all the rowing and yoga I do and also because of menopause and aging. So I'm still not quite used to it and it always kind of takes me by surprise! And I do believe I think about fit a little too much ;-)

      As for clutch-making - too late! I've already started!

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    1. Thanks, Lisa! I'll be heading to RIC this week - makes me feel like a real jock, LOL!

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  7. What a lovely and perfect for fall sweater, I can imagine a cotton/wool tunic could get lots of wear in September and October. I'm glad you're feeling better.

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    1. Thanks, Carmela. This is one I can imagine on you too - both the color and the style!

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  8. Hope you're feeling well and normal again... Your jumper is great, just right for end of summer wear (and very layerable for autumn too!) What on earth is a crab rangoon? I want one!

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    1. Thanks, Sabs! I hadn't even thought of layering it!

      Oh my - crab rangoon are the BEST! Thin dough (like pasta dough) wrapped around a filling of cream cheese and crab meat, then deep fried. And then dipped in sweet and sour sauce with plenty of chili peppers in it. Mmmmmmm!

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  9. Hope you're on the mend, Gail.

    Love your sweater.

    You do do a such a great job on everything you stitch
    And polish. :-)

    Hugs

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  10. Man, I hope you feel better quickly! That doesn't sound like a very fun week. :( But the sweater is a nice transitional piece! I love the stitch pattern-- it's so pretty!

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    1. Thank you! Isn't this a great stitch? It was really fun to work. I might try to incorporate it into a hat or something one of these days.

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  11. Gail, I hope you are feeling better and no more injuries. That is a great sweater and those are some pretty cute shoes too.

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    1. Thanks, Tracey! I'm still working on breaking in these shoes, but I'm thinking they'll be a staple for fall!

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  12. I like your Auden! The Cotton Fine drape actually improves the design to my eyes, by giving it some body shape instead of the straight box-shape of a stiffer fabric.

    Now I want some crab - not rangoon, I think, but crab baked in the shell with garlic.
    -- stashdragon

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    1. Thanks, Gretchen! In my opinion, there's no bad way to eat crab! ;-)

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  13. What a beautiful sweater. Perfect for fall. Wait, it's September and we're over 90 degrees. It just isn't fair!

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  14. I'm glad you are feeling better! I like your new sweater and love the tunic length.

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  15. I'm so sorry to hear you were out of commission for a while, but glad you're feeling better! I really like the stitch pattern on your sweater - subtle, but creates an interesting texture.

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