Sweater Descent

jenjoycedesign© sweater-descent-aran-tweed

Descent is a word which takes many directions in meaning, most typically it means to ‘move down’ or ‘lower’ as in a physical place of going, as ‘down from a high place’ as from the peak of a mountain. It has metaphorical meaning to me as well, which I absolutely groove on, like ‘making easier’ and ‘moving into a secure low-ground of the known’.  Of course there is the meaning of ‘lineage’ or ‘clan’, and far-off distant cultures or bloodlines one may have come from.  But for me, primarily  the relationship of the word refers to mountains, and walking, and in my case knitting while walking about the mountain on which I live.

Put it all together and I have myself a fun and meaningful project on hand to ~ finally ~ learn the knack of cardigan making, with focus on unique approaches and short-cuts, and designed for ease which one can actually knit-while-walking. My descent from a shaky high ground through the ‘scree field of mistakes’ into the known of a secure expanse of solid-ground of skill and know-how, to find place where the cardigan can be my ‘go to’ pattern when I want to throw something together and try a new kind of yarn.  (hint, hint… I’ve been wanting to try  Studio Donegal yarns from Donegal, Ireland… forever and a day, but more about that yarn and that place  is another subject for another post).  My favorite kind of clothing is a cardigan, so I am wondering why then is my wardrobe so cardigan-anorexic at this time in my life?

So as a picture tells a thousand words, I leave you fully introduced into my meaning & intent of Sweater Descent, and as there is now the first, that implies intention of a series.

Here forth the mystery will appear from the mist…

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Twists

jenjoycedesign© Twists Mitts

Yesterday and today I made myself one of my most recent designs,

a pair of   Twists Mitts  to match the colorway of my favorite walking shirt…

 

 

I thought the result was pretty successful, and I love the yarn (Berocco Ultra Alpaca).  The shirt is an old wool thrift shop find from a few years ago, and I have worn just about every day 7 months out of the year. Anyway, I have been knitting up these mitts recently, trying different yarns and colors. I’m very happy with this simple & very rustic design with cables that almost seem asymmetric and give affect of deep waves which create amazing warmth.

 

 

I hope you try knitting yourself a pair to see for yourself how fun these are to make and how amazingly warm they are!

 

 

My Birthday

jenjoycedesign© Altitude Lace Cowl

A lovely cowl I finished yesterday, since casting on New Years Eve.

It is a pattern I named “Altitude Lace Cowl”  (photographed below on sassafras walking stick my brother gave me on my birthday decades ago).

jenjoycedesign© Altitude lace cowl on sassafrass walking stick

It is beautiful and I used especially for a present to myself in very plush & spendy Madelinetosh Pashmina yarn, 100g skein with oodles of yards, in the color “wellwater”

jenjoycedesign© Altitude Cowl in Pashmina

This sample is the biggest of the sizes, at 9 repeats (40″ circumference x 11″ wide).  As it is my birthday, I’d like to give-away this pattern TODAY thru Ravelry only, to all who do the following ;

((text removed as give-away is over))

Thank you! And now I’ll go on about my next birthday event by taking a walk in the woods with Emma, along our  knitting trail, while casting on another of these quick-knit lacey neck cozies.

jenjoycedesign© Altitude Lace Cowl 2

 

A January Day

jenjoycedesign© clouds

The weather has been fabulously wet and the cloud & fog shows as entertaining as can be, and nothing is better than cups of coffee and a little knitting, or in this case,  sweater surgery, as was needed this morning. Can you see the section I have added on? About 4 inches worth!

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Remember this post  from mid November? Well apparently Miss Thirteen has totally outgrown her Autumn Sweater, and it needed lengthening, which I was very keen to do, for it was rather outgrown before she even recieved it. Backstory is that both my nieces were measured for their Autumn sweaters last July, then I had them all knit by mid August , just awaiting the equinox so we could have our Autumn Photo Spree. Well, a couple of weeks before the equinox, the devastating fire which consumed half of the county happened, and everybody was so displaced for weeks (my nieces’ home narrowly escaping destruction)  … and so this year they didn’t actually receive their Autumn Sweaters until Mid November.  Three months after they were measured, and  not difficult to guess that as Miss Thirteen is growing like a  weed,  some lengthening would be in order.

So, I’ve enjoyed doing a little sweater surgery today and made a tutorial to add to Tips From The Table. I hope you enjoy it and that it can be of use to you or any bottom-up sweaters you know which are in need of a little sweater surgery.

Lengthening Bottom-Up Tutorial HERE

jenjoycedesign© fixed