Announcements!

Hi, Knitters,

I hope you are doing well. All of a sudden it seems like a lot is going on but that's expected when knitting is your game and the high knitting season has arrived.

First, I want you to know that late yesterday we posted the long-awaited Branches & Buds Sweater Kits again on Barrett Wool Co. This is our most popular kit and we can't keep it in stock! They are already going super fast.

The pattern and design is by the incredibly talented Carrie Bostick Hoge of Maddermade and Making Magazine. It has been so much fun offering these kits with Carrie! The size range is really good and the Wisconsin Woolen Spun yarn literally makes the sweater come to life. I have been wearing mine non-stop, pretty much every day.

Click here to find out more or to purchase a Branches & Buds Sweater Kit! 

Here is a quick photo of the Branches & Buds Sweater Kit from Barrett Wool Co. I promise you will love it as much as I do. It's fun to knit and fun to wear.

The next announcement I have is a big and exciting one! I have a new book, both digital and printed, that has just been released through Quince & Co. I have worked on this project for quite a few years and to see it finalized in this fantastic book format is such a treat. The digital download ebook is available now. The printed book is up for pre-order right now over on Quince & Co. I think the printed book will be out on October 5th (which happens to be my birthday, what a gift!).

Quince & Co. is very much so the nicest company on earth. I LOVE working with them, they are smart, kind, knowledgeable, and everyone is incredibly talented and artistic. I can't say enough good things about this company. It is an honor and a privilege to get to work with Quince in any capacity. Thank you, Quince & Co., for bringing my work to life in such a charming and easy to read way. 

Here is a description of the book from Quince & Co.:

Susan B. Anderson’s book, Kindred Knits: Knitting For Little Ones Near And Far is more than just a pattern book—in addition to the sweet variety of cardigans and other accessories for babies, the book includes a thorough primer in the construction of a basic cardigan pattern, fully annotated and illustrated, plus a tutorial on using a child’s tee to measure, calculate and knit a custom cardigan pattern that is guaranteed to fit the recipient. A pattern for tiny sweater ornaments is also included! Every project is worked in worsted-weight wool Lark. This fun book is available in print+pdf and is a treasure to have on the knitter’s bookshelf.

Preorder now and download the ebook immediately! Print expected to ship October 5th.

Click here to find out more, see all of the projects, and to purchase!

Click here to see all of the patterns included and to favorite on Ravelry!

Just one more thing about the Kindred Knits book. The size range of the little sweaters and hat go from newborn to 24-months but the techniques and know-how to make a cardigan in any size using a tee-shirt for measurements is invaluable. You can be across the country from the intended baby or child and if you know the size they wear, you can knit a sweater for them that will fit. There are worksheets and guides that will help you knit an incredible cardigan in any size. And there are fully illustrated step-by-step tutorials included. It's a really good resource of information.

Also, my artwork is sprinkled throughout the book and that is super fun for me! I have a secret dream to be an illustrator so it is a thrill.

So again, click here to check out Kindred Knits: Knitting For Little Ones Near and Far!

Click here for Kindred Knits on Ravelry!

My last announcement is that I am teaching at Vogue Knitting Live in New York City in January 12-14, 2018! The classes have just gone up and I hope if you are able to attend, please consider taking one or all of my classes. I would just love to see any of you in person. This is one of my most favorite events of the year. You can't beat gathering with thousands of knitters in the best city in the world, NYC!

Click here to check out Vogue Knitting Live in NYC! 

Alright, my loves, I will be back soon with more. I love this little blog and I appreciate you checking in with me. Have a wonderful weekend.

xo ~ susan

My Kermis Cardigan and the Kit Giveaway!

Hi, Knitters,

Be sure to read to the end to find out how you could win a Kermis cardigan kit!

How are you holding up with the holiday bustle this year? I hope well. It has been a fun stretch around here. My new book, Kids' Knitting Workshop, was officially released a couple of days ago. I hope you'll give it a look. It is really good for kids, adults and anyone in between who is interested in learning to knit.

Click here for Susan B. Anderson's Kids' Knitting Workshop on Amazon!

I filmed two short tutorials to go along with the book. Click here for the Magic Loop video and click here for the double-pointed needle video!

Thank you to Knitty.com for the kind review, click here to read it!

Thank you to Paula of Knitting Pipeline for a good, in-depth review on her last podcast and blog for Episode 232! Click here to read and/or listen!

I have a great yarn and Kids' Knitting Workshop giveaway coming up very soon. I am getting it organized right now. Stay tuned for that.

Now onto to some knitting that's been happening around here. The lovely Cate Carter of Infinite Twist sent me a kit for the Kermis cardigan (in the photo above) a short while back. There are several different kit colorways but for some reason the Carousel kit caught my eye the most. I think it was the coral-red edgings. 

But let me tell you how I even ran across this cardigan first. Do you remember the Solja sweater I knitted last spring?

I love this sweater and I loved knitting this sweater. The lace on body and sleeves was fun and fast and the colorwork yoke was even better. I loved selecting the colors and the whole thing was a good experience. 

Click here for the pattern and information for Solja!

Click here for the blog post about my version of Solja ~ the yarn and the mods I made! 

Anna Maltz is the designer of Solja and since I enjoyed it so much I wanted to check out her other designs. This is where I ran across the Kermis cardigan. Anna has a keen eye for playful designs that are both wearable and whimsical.

Click here for the pattern and information for Kermis!

When I saw Infinite Twist had kits for Kermis I contacted Cate Carter to see if we could coordinate a giveaway for a kit for the cardigan. Cate was in! I received my kit and was blown away by the colors of the yarn, the pattern and the sweet pink buttons all included in the kit. I think needles might be included, too, but I told Cate I didn't need them. 

I couldn't wait to dive in.

I did a few things differently than in the pattern. I wanted to knit the entire thing in the round so I added a steek to the front starting at the cast on edge. The pattern has you knit back and forth up to the colorwork section of the yoke, which is only 12 rounds or so. 

I'll talk about this a little more but first here is some general information:

Size: Medium ~ 38.5 inch bust (The sizes range from xs to xl.)

Needles: US size 5

I usually knit sweaters in around a 36 inch bust size give or take depending on the sweater. The description of Kermis says it is supposed to be a fitted but as I've said many times, I don't love a tightly fitted cardigan or sweater. If I had wanted the cardigan to be fitted I could have made the small size at 35.25 inches for the bust. Anyway, I set out to make the cardigan in a more relaxed fit from the start and that's exactly what I got!

Modifications:

~ I added a steek for the entire bottom-up garment so I could knit it up faster in the round (the pattern has you knit back and forth for the body). I added in 5 extra stitches to be worked in stockinette stitch on each side of the 5 added steek stitches because of the eyelet rounds. When the steek is turned under on the wrong side I didn't want it showing through the eyelets.

~ I shortened the rib on the body significantly. My bottom rib section is about 2.5 inches and the pattern calls for 6.5 inches. 

~ I lengthened the body by a couple of inches before reaching the underarms.

~ I shortened the rib on the sleeves. My ribbed cuff is about 5 inches and the pattern calls for 7.25 inches.

~ I lengthened the sleeves to be full-length.

~ I used the crochet method for steeking the sweater. Click here to see a tutorial!

The pattern calls for a unique steek technique called a knotted steek where you knot the cut ends together for a tidy finish. This method looks like it takes a lot of time and would work well for a 12 round steek like the pattern calls for but it's maybe not my first choice for steeking an entire sweater.

~ I changed the numbers on the button bands for the number to pick up (I think I picked up 20 fewer stitches than called for in the pattern). 

~ I changed the number to cast off and cast on for the buttonholes from 4 to 3. Four bound-off stitches would have been too large of a hole for the buttons. I changed the numbers for the buttonhole row completely to accommodate the different buttonholes and picked up stitches.

~ I used 9 buttons instead of 8 buttons as in the pattern. 

All in all, it's adorable! My version of Kermis has a relaxed comfy fit. The fabric is light, airy and bouncy. It isn't too hot and heavy at all. I just love it. The pattern is well-written and designer Anna Maltz did a super job. Congratulations, Anna on another great garment design.

Click here to visit Anna Maltz' website!

The kit I used is called Carousel. The other kit colorways are called Sparrow (browns and creams) and Toffee Apple (pinks and purples) and the new Kay's Choice (that's Kay of Mason-Dixon Knitting, of course). All of the kits are gorgeous!

Check out the kits here on Infinite Twist!

Thanks to the generosity of Cate Carter of Infinite Twist I am able to offer one Kermis kit in the color of choice to a lucky winner today! The kit is valued starting at $110. Cate will work with you on the color and size selections if you win.

To enter to win a Kermis kit, please leave one comment on the blog that includes your email address or your Ravelry username so we can get in touch if you win. In your comment you can let me know what colorway you would choose for your kit if you'd like, I'd love to hear about it. When leaving your comment please click on the submit button only one time. There is a delay before your comment will appear on the blog. 

Happy holiday season to all. I hope you are all knitting away the days in happy anticipation.

Good luck if you enter and let the comments begin!
xo ~ susan

A Tiny Flock of Sweaters for Good

Important Update Dec. 2018: Juniper Moon has a new shop for the wooden cutout animals you can find right here: https://juniper-moon-yarns.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage 

Hi, Knitters,

Today I am publishing four free and tiny animal sweaters as a small contribution of added fun for the Heifer International fundraiser being driven by Susan Gibbs and family of Juniper Moon Farm. Susan's husband is the one cutting out the animals and I have a feeling he is going to be a very busy guy!

A portion from each sale of the wooden animals is being donated to Heifer International. The cut-outs can be ordered until December 15th, 2015 (of course check with Susan Gibbs for any new or different information on this sale). Their goal is to raise $5,000 for the organization through this fundraiser.

To make your own adorable sweater-ed flock the first thing you'll need to do is order your wooden animal cut-outs, and the stands if you'd like, from Juniper Moon Farm. The stands are optional, of course, but I love them and they give you more options for displaying the animals. The animals would make great ornaments with an added hook or string or they could be used as little gift-toppers or stocking stuffers as well.

Click here for the Juniper Moon Sheep Shop on Etsy!

Click here for the Juniper Moon Website and blog! The blog shows different ideas for decorating the animals, which is fun to see.  

The following patterns will remain only as a blog post right here on the blog and they will remain free. Please feel free to copy the text and paste it into your word program to create your own documents or pdfs if you'd prefer that. 

The pattern for A Tiny Flock of Sweaters for Good is on Ravelry! Click here!

The animal cut-outs and stands were gifted to me from Susan of Juniper Moon Farm. I created the tiny sweater patterns to boost interest and to hopefully bring more attention to Susan's creative fundraising idea. Thank you, Susan Gibbs, for including me in your amazing and creative idea to support Heifer International's fantastic charity work all over the world.

Click here for the Heifer International website! This one is so cool it will bring a tear to your eye.

Click here for the Heifer International Instagram account!

I've added A Tiny Flock of Sweaters for Good to Ravelry! Click here for the project page!

Yarn: Bits and bobs of sock or fingering weight yarn. Mini-skeins will work. 2-3 grams will be enough per animal.

Needles: US size 2 dpns or circular for magic loop or size to obtain gauge

Gauge: 7 stitches per inch in stockinette

Materials: 

Scissors

Ruler or tape measure

Stitch Marker

Yarn needle

Please read the pattern notes before starting!

Pattern Notes: 

~ All sweaters are started at the bottom edge.

~ All sweaters are worked in the round starting at the bottom up to the front leg. 

~ Once you reach the front leg you will be working back and forth or flat up to the bound-off neck edge. 

~ After knitting the sweater, the wooden animal is put into the sweater by putting the head and front leg through the cast-on bottom end and then arranging the sweater on the body. 

~ You will be sewing your animal into the sweater.

~ The cut yarn end from the bound-off stitches on the neck is placed on a yarn needle and the ribbed neck is held in place together around the animal and is whipstitched together down to the front leg. 

~ All ends are pulled to the inside and trimmed to stay inside, no weaving in of ends is necessary.

Lamb Sweater

Cast on 16 sts. Join to work in the round being careful not to twist the stitches. Place a stitch marker on the first stitch.

Rnds 1-4: (K1, p1) repeat to the end of the round.

Knit every round until the body measures 1-inch from the cast on edge.

Now begin to work back and forth or flat. You will begin with a purl row. 

Tip: I placed all of the stitches on 1 needles for this part. The first couple of rows are a little tight this way but it loosens up after working a few rows. It's up to you! You can continue working on all of the needles back and forth, too.

Work back and forth for 5 rows, beginning with a purl row.

Rib neck:

Rows 1-6: (K1, p1) repeat to the end of the row.

Bind off. Cut the yarn leaving a 6-inch end. Pull the end through the remaining stitch.

Follow the instructions in Pattern Notes (at the start of the pattern) for finishing.

Yearling Sweater

Cast on 18 sts. Join to work in the round being careful not to twist the stitches. Place a stitch marker on the first stitch.

Rnds 1-4: (K1, p1) repeat to the end of the round.

Knit every round until the body measures 1 1/2-inches from the cast on edge.

Now begin to work back and forth or flat. You will begin with a purl row. 

Tip: I placed all of the stitches on 1 needles for this part. The first couple of rows are a little tight this way but it loosens up after working a few rows. It's up to you! You can continue working on all of the needles back and forth, too.

Work back and forth for 7 rows, beginning with a purl row.

Rib neck:

Rows 1-8: (K1, p1) repeat to the end of the row.

Bind off. Cut the yarn leaving a 6-inch end. Pull the end through the remaining stitch.

Follow the instructions in Pattern Notes (at the start of the pattern) for finishing. Note that for this sheep I cuffed the neckline.

Ewe Sweater:

Cast on 20 sts. Join to work in the round being careful not to twist the stitches. Place a stitch marker on the first stitch.

Rnds 1-3: (K2, p2) repeat to the end of the round.

Knit every round until the body measures 2-inches from the cast on edge.

Now begin to work back and forth or flat. You will begin with a purl row. 

Tip: I placed all of the stitches on 1 needles for this part. The first couple of rows are a little tight this way but it loosens up after working a few rows. It's up to you! You can continue working on all of the needles back and forth, too.

Work back and forth for 8 rows, beginning with a purl row.

Rib neck:

Rows 1-11: (K2, p2) repeat to the end of the row.

Bind off. Cut the yarn leaving a 6-inch end. Pull the end through the remaining stitch.

Now follow the instructions in Pattern Notes (at the start of the pattern) for finishing. 

Alpaca Sweater:

Cast on 24 sts. Join to work in the round being careful not to twist the stitches. Place a stitch marker on the first stitch.

Rnds 1-4: (K2, p2) repeat to the end of the round.

Knit every round until the body measures 2-inches above the cast on edge.

Now begin to work back and forth or flat. You will begin with a purl row. 

Tip: I placed all of the stitches on 1 needles for this part. The first couple of rows are a little tight this way but it loosens up after working a few rows. It's up to you! You can continue working on all of the needles back and forth, too.

Work back and forth for 9 rows, beginning with a purl row.

Decrease Rows:

Row 1: Ssk, knit to the last 3 sts, k2tog. 22 sts.

Row 2: Purl.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 once more. 20 sts.

Rib neck:

Row 1: (K2, p2) repeat to the end of the row.

Repeat Row 1 until the rib section measures 1 1/2 inches.

Bind off. Cut the yarn leaving an 8-inch end. Pull the end through the remaining stitch.

Now follow the instructions in Pattern Notes (at the start of the pattern) for finishing. Note that I cuffed both the hem and the neckline for the alpaca's sweater.

Please let me know if you make a flock with sweaters! I would love to see what you do. Post on Instagram and tag me, #susanbanderson, if you think of it. That would be wonderful. 

Click here for a link to my Instagram account if you're interested.

The pattern for the sweaters is in Ravelry right here.

Enjoy, dear friends! We are heading fast and furiously into the holiday season. Let's all hang onto our hats and needles together.

xo ~ susan

Antrorse ~ the details and mods

Hi, Knitters,

Quickly, I have a couple of teaching announcements. I will be at Vogue Knitting Live in NYC 2016! I'd love to see you there.  

Mark your calendar for Vogue Knitting LIVE New York January 15-17! I’ll be teaching there! Register here: http://bit.ly/1GIsIy4 #vklive

Also, the registration for the DFW Fiber Fest, April 1-3, 2016, has just opened. I can't wait for this one. Click here to find out more about the classes and more! Here is another link with lots of event information: click here.

Last one for today, I am teaching at A Good Yarn in Sarasota, Florida from March 19-21, 2016. Contact the shop if you are interested in attending my classes! Click here for more info.

Now for the business at hand. Today I am sharing the details of how I knit my Antrorse sweater by Shannon cook. I have talked about it a bit already but I like to have a blog post with all of the information in one place. So let's start with some general links for the pattern and materials.

Pattern: Antrorse by Shannon Cook of soveryshannon.com

The Antrorse pattern is sold individually but it is also part of a collection book called Journey.

The pattern is written in a fill-in-the-blanks format where all of the numbers are written in large charts. The knitter finds the numbers for the size being knit on these charts and then fills in the numbers in the blanks in the written pattern. The pattern is written in 11 different sizes, ranging from a 30-inch to a 50-inch bust. 

As you can imagine the wide range of sizes makes for a lot of numbers and I suppose that the charts and fill-in-the-blank pattern style makes things simpler for the knitter. This may be true but I didn't enjoy the extra steps of finding my size numbers on the charts and then filling in the blanks before starting the knitting. I also worry that there is more opportunity for errors to be made when transferring the numbers to the pattern. I think a couple groupings of sizes in parantheses and/or brackets would suffice fine and would eliminate these extra steps. That's just my opinion and I know others enjoy this type of pattern style.

With that being said, it was all fine and the pattern is wonderfully well-written and clear.  

Yarn: Quince & Co. Osprey in the Peacoat colorway, 100% wool in aran weight

Needles: US size 10, 32-inch circular and double-pointed needles 

I used Knit Picks nickel-plated interchangeable needles for the circular needles and Knitters' Pride Karbonz double-pointed needles in the 6-inch length.

Size: I made the 36-inch bust size which has a 38.25-inch finished measurement. 

This gives me a little over 2-inches of positive ease. Be sure to check the finished measurements when selecting your size because they are different than the listed size measurements. 

Buttons: From Wooly Moss Roots on Etsy, 1.25 inch buttons in Black Walnut

 

Pattern Notes: 

~ The sweater is worked from the top-down starting with the funnel garter neckline. The neckline is worked flat, back and forth, and the  three one-row buttonholes are worked in as you go. Then the flat garter neckline is joined to work in the round. Increases are made yoke-style, where the increases are spread out across the rows/rounds. 

~ Once the shoulders are joined to work in the round you start a simple Chevron panel chart that is worked down the entire front of sweater. The chart is just simple knits and purls and it is fun and keeps things interesting. I really enjoyed it. The start of the round is the first stitch of the chart which keeps things easy to knit and follow.

~ When the yoke is completed the sleeves are separated and the stitches are held on waste yarn. The body is then worked down to the hem. I shortened the body quite a bit. The pattern is written for more of a tunic-length garment. If you look at the posted projects on Ravelry for Antrorse you will see that many are made much longer than mine coming down past the bottom to the top of the legs. This length does not work well on my figure so I shortened it up. 

~ The final body length measurement from the underarm to the bottom bound-off edge on my sweater is 14-inches. I worked 10 garter ridges, which is less than in the pattern. 

~ I did not include any waist shaping. 

~ After the body is completed the sleeve stitches are placed back on the needles and the sleeve is worked from the underarm to the cuff. My sleeves measure 17-inches from the underarm to the bound-off edge of the cuff. I did 9 garter ridges for the cuffs, which is less than in the pattern.

~ The pattern gives you measurement increments instead of round counts for the sleeve decreases. Instead of using the measurements I figured out how many rounds would measure the same as the given increment and kept track of the sleeve decreases that way. So for example (this is just an example not exact to the pattern), if the pattern says to decrease every 1.25-inches, I figure out that 7 rounds equals about 1.25-inches. Therefore every 7th round I worked the sleeve decreases as written in the pattern.  

The part I love most about top-down sweater patterns is that you can try them on as you work. Here I am trying the sweater on after I completed the body and before getting ready to start the sleeves.

Top-down construction is really great for figuring out the perfect length for the sleeves and the body before binding off. When you are wearing the garment the lengths tend to shorten up compared to the lengths when the garment is measured flat.

Before sewing on the buttons I washed and blocked the sweater by soaking it in Twig & Horn Wool Soap in the Rosewood scent. I just laid the sweater flat to dry on my blocking boards without any stretching or pins, kind of as is. The wool really relaxed and softened up to make a cozy fabric. 

Antrorse is a beautiful and wearable sweater. The Osprey yarn from Quince & Co. is lovely aran weight wool. It is smooth and fast to knit.  

 

The only other thing I did to clean up the neckline opening is that I stitched the base of the opening closed for about an inch and using a length of the yarn. This helped to hold the edges closed and in place a little better. I used matching thread to sew on the the lovely handcrafted wooden buttons from Wooly Moss Roots.

Well, there you have it. Antrorse was a pleasure to knit and it is a pleasure to wear. If you'd like to see me wearing the sweater I wore it in stages in Episode 20 of my video podcast.

Click here to see my podcast on YouTube!

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. I'll be back soon with much more.
xo ~ susan

Fall Inspired

Hi, Knitters,

I have randomly selected a winner for the Little Skein Secret Garden Luxe Kit and the winner is.....

Susan Cowan or MaggieGrl on Ravelry! Congratulations to Susan. 

I've already emailed Anne Vally of Little Skein to pass on Susan's contact information. Anne will be getting in touch directly. Thanks to everyone for entering, what an amazing and huge response! I will host another giveaway very soon.

I started recording a podcast episode and I got about 20 minutes in and I noticed my phone had stopped recording. I had to stop and move things around and by the time I got back to it the house was full of family and there was a lot going on. So I have about a half of a podcast filmed and hopefully I'll get to recording the rest this weekend or early next week. 

Well, fall has hit pretty hard around here. It is such a beautiful time of year. We have had a mild and somewhat warm fall season. Although we've had some colder weather recently the first week of November is supposed to be back up around 70 degrees. That seems impossible.

Everyday I get outside to enjoy the outdoors and the fall colors. It has been beautiful and inspiring. The fall landscape and temperatures have seeped into my knitting over the last couple of weeks. I'm thinking a lot about cozy sweaters and warm wool socks.

I started a pair of Patchwork Socks. There isn't a specific pattern for these socks. You just take leftover sock yarn and your favorite sock pattern and switch yarns every 10 rounds or so. The yarns I'm using are the leftovers from the four pairs of Arne & Carlos Regia socks I have made. I am knitting these socks from the toe-up and it has been really fun. They won't match but they will definitely go together and look like a pair. I see a lot of autumnal colors when I look at that finished sock. I've already started the toe on the second sock.

And for some reason navy blue has been going strong around here as well.

Miss Molly (my future daughter-in-law) finished her Yowza Weigh It 3 Shawl using Miss Babs Yowza in the Stairway to Heaven colorway. It is beautiful and she reported that she has worn it several times already. Molly says it is warm and cozy. She loves it!

The other navy blue project I've been working on is the Antrorse sweater by Shannon Cook. I am using Quince & Co. Osprey in the Peacoat colorway. Those are Karbonz dpns on the sleeve, US size 10. 

Since this photo I've finished the sweater and it is blocking and drying now. I've ordered some buttons that I hope will work out well. I'll share more about it as soon as it is all together and done. Antrorse is a great pattern, super simple and fast. 

I'll be back with my podcast episode very soon.

xo ~ susan

Good Stuff & a Shoplouleigh Giveaway!

Hi, Knitters,

I am blocking the beautiful Solja sweater by Anna Maltz. It is taking quite awhile to dry on these warm summer days. I am happy to say it fits great and I will admit to trying it on repeatedly while it's still damp. I can't resist. I kitchener stitched the underarms together and wove in all of the ends while I was working so all that's left to do is finish duplicate stitching the flower centers on the first and second rows of flowers. I think I will use pink centers on the middle row of flowers and honey centers on the top row of flowers. That should be good.

I'll do an entire blog post about Solja when it is truly done and maybe even a podcast so many more details will come on this one. I did do quite a bit of modifying along the way and I'll let you know about that soon. Anyway, I loved knitting Solja to no end and I think I will love wearing it as well.

I have a wonderful giveaway opportunity for you today. The generous Leigh from Driffield, England, is offering one lucky winner their bag of choice from her Etsy Shop called Shoplouleigh!

I have purchased two of Leigh's bags and can highly recommend them. They have quickly become some of my favorite project bags. Leigh uses a heavy cotton canvas or linen fabric that is sturdy and high quality. I love the natural overtones and the simple prints she selects. The drawstring bag construction is top-notch with an eye for details. The bag sits up nicely and the top can be rolled down to create a nice opening while working. 

Click here to visit Shoplouleigh on Etsy!

Leigh adds a wristband on the side in a pretty contrasting print and I like the simple white lining. But best of all....

There are three pockets on the inside! I miss pockets in my project bags and most of the smaller bags I have don't include pockets. Leigh uses a contrast linen fabric for the three-part pocket. I love this so much.

Leigh of Shoplouleigh on Etsy has offered the opportunity for one winner to receive a bag of choice from her shop! I see she only has a few bags up on her shop right now but I am sure she will work with you to select the bag of your choice. Check out the sold section of her shop to see some of her other bags.

To enter to win please leave a comment on this blog post. Please only leave one comment, be patient for your comment to appear and only click on Publish one time. Please include your Ravelry username or your email address so Leigh can get in touch with you if you win!

Another quick thing I am working on is switching out any worn out, fraying grosgrain ribbon or cord drawstrings on some of my all-time favorite and heavily used project bags. I am hard on my project bags, they travel with me and are thrown in cars, larger bags and crammed in all sorts of corners around the house. Some of them need a little freshening up. I am switching out the frayed ribbon and cording with twill printed measuring tape. I am turning both of the ends down about a 1/4 inch and sewing them down on my sewing machine so they won't fray.

Click here to see where I purchased my spool of twill measuring tape!

I can't take credit for this super clever idea. A little less than a year ago I was really impressed by a beautiful little project bag that Helen of Curious Handmade had sewn. She used a natural and wide woven measuring tape as a drawstring and I never forgot what a charming touch this was to her project bag.

Click here to see Helen's project bag with a measuring tape drawstring! You can even see that I left a comment on Helen's bag at that time. I loved it then and I love it now. I don't believe Helen sells her bags, I think this was a gift for someone. 

I love the wider natural woven measuring tape more than the one I used. I wonder where she got hers? If you know of a good source please let me know!

My absolute favorite drawstrings are made of fabric like the ones Knit Spin Farm does on all of her bags and Lowland Originals does on some of her bags, for example. I know this takes extra work but it is a really nice finishing touch.

I know that Dianne of Suburban Stitcher on Etsy (and I love her podcast) actually sells bags with the measuring tape drawstrings. Check out Dianne's Etsy shop right here!

One last thing, I cast on for the Louise cardigan by Carrie Bostick Hoge. I am using Quince & Co. Osprey in the Belize, Kumlien's Gull and Honey colorways. I am using size 9 and 10 US needles. Those are Signature needles in the photo. I think this is going to be a very quick knit with the aran weight yarn on bigger needles. It's kind of exciting to start a new sweater. It never gets old.

Well, don't forget to leave a comment for a Shoplouleigh project bag of your choice! Good luck if you enter. I'll randomly select a winner and I will announce it in a few short days.

It is my 26th wedding anniversary this week. Time flies when you're having fun, as they say. It's also my daughter's 19th birthday this weekend and of course, it's the Fourth of July! So much to celebrate in so little time. I'm sure we'll find a way to have fun together. That never seems to be a problem.

Let the comments begin!

xo ~ susan

p.s. I put a new header on my blog that is a photo of my new shawl design that will be released right after the SSK Retreat that ends on July 18th. It is a fun knit and I can't wait to share it with you.

Favorite Sweater Number 6 ~ #projectsweaterchest

Hi, Knitters,

Before I get into the #projectsweaterchest chat I want to let you know that I have put up a giveaway for a new sock pattern by Leah Oakley called Shoe Candy on my Ravelry group called Itty-Bitty Knits. Everyone is welcome to enter but you do have to be a member of the group to win. Simply leave one comment on the thread to enter. I will randomly select a winner in a few days. I love this new sock pattern and can't wait to try it out. I read through the pattern and it is very clearly written.

Click here for the Itty-Bitty Knits Group!

Click here for the Shoe Candy pattern giveaway thread that is stickied at the top (I posted photos of the sock pattern here)!

Also, if you purchase the pattern before December 16th, 2014 (I will end the giveaway with plenty of time to purchase and enter) you are automatically entered to win a skein of the always hard to get Lollipop Yarn sock yarn in the Carol the Bells colorway. If you win Leah will automatically enter you in the contest for the yarn so you won't miss out. 

Jump on over and leave a comment! Good luck to everyone. Also, come join us in this super fun group if you aren't a member already. It's a very welcoming group.

Okay, on to today's topic of #projectsweaterchest. I haven't written about this for awhile now but I have a bunch of sweater knitting plans coming up so I want to finish up reviewing the Top 10 sweaters I have already knit before talking about my new sweater plans. To refresh memories I have already talked about (in no particular order) the Garter Yoke Cardi, the Basic Chic Hoodie, Owls, Calligraphy, and Tea Leaves. 

In March of 2014 I quickly knit up the Hiro Sweater by Julia Farwell-Clay and I instantly fell in love with the pattern and the finished sweater.

Click here for the pattern information or to purchase the Hiro pattern!

I used some decade old black Cascade 220 and I supplemented with newer stash of Cascade 220 in turquoise, hot pink and heather gray. I think I talk about the colors numbers in the Catching Up #4 Video Podcast that I've embedded at the end of this post. You can see me wearing the sweater in this episode as well.

Hiro is a truly simple bottom up sweater design. It would be the perfect first-time color work sweater. The pattern can be knit as a cardigan as well, the instructions for this are included in the pattern. The pattern is clearly written, very simple and easy to follow instructions. It's a good one.

I felt like Hiro flew off my needles. It was fun to knit, motivating, and easy. These are all qualities I look for in a sweater pattern.

The only change I made was to eliminate the waist shaping. I made Hiro in a smaller size than I usually do, I think a 34-inch size when I normally make a 36-inch size. I can't remember what I was thinking when I did this.... wishful thinking maybe? Not sure.

It was a little snug when I first tried it on before blocking and so I stretched the heck out of it when I did block. Now it fits great! It's really kind of perfect.

I think you would love the Hiro pattern, too! I can't recommend it highly enough. It's well-written with lots of sizes and options. The fact that you can knit a cardigan or pullover is wonderful. I would even consider knitting another one of these and making it a cardigan this time.

I've included the two videos that relate to the Hiro sweater, one where I am wearing it and the 10 Favorite Sweater Video for those of you who might want to watch again or for any newcomers that have no idea what I am talking about.

Click here for my YouTube Channel for all of my videos! I have over 60 videos (I can't remember the exact number), most are tutorials and then I have 10 podcast episodes or so. Remarkably, I am getting very close to having 1.6 million views on my YouTube Channel which is pretty exciting so thank you for that! 

Good luck if you enter the sock pattern giveaway on the Itty-Bitty Knits group!

Four more favorites to go and then I am going to tell you about a couple of not-so-favorites. #projectsweaterchest is an Instagram hashtag for anyone wanting to post photos of sweater knitting of any sort. Please post in here with the hashtag because there will be some cool prizes coming for those who do!

Have a great day.

xo ~ susan