All Done

The end of June and the beginning of July got out of hand; my DH had surgery and I've been taking care of him. Though I finished the Yellow Lace, this is my first chance to post it.

The buttonbands are a traditional 1x1 rib, picked up along the steek edge and knitted. Buttonholes were knit in a bind-off-two-stitches on one row then cast-on-two-stitches on the return row. Since I didn't like the looseness of them, I edged the butttonholes with a blanket stitch.

After the button bands were knit on, the steeks were crochet-chained then cut and whip stitched down. Makes a lovely finish.

And so, fini! I love this sweater, from the color to the fit. Gotta love those Bohus designers!

Blocking Magic

The endless miles of stockinette are done, and the body is complete! Finished the bottom edge in twisted rib for 1 1/2" then corrugated rib in color for another 1/2". Bound off in the yellow to match the sleeves.

Now, my gauge changes with the TV show I'm watching; sci-fi thrillers create a tighter gauge than cooking shows. And this shows up in the lumpy bumpy body of cardigan. That's why God made Blocking.

I wanted to block the sweater before knitting the button bands to ensure they fit, so I soaked the garment in warm soapy water for 20 minutes, rinsed in warm water, rolled in a towel, and shaped it on my body double. It's amazing how the stitches even out, gauge smooths up and everything looks better.

Magic.

Miles To Go Before I Sleep

Not much to be said when there are 330 stitches to a round and there are endless rounds to knit. I wanted this to be a short-ish cardigan, so I'm ready to start the bottom ribbing. I think I'll copy a bit of the yoke colorwork in a corrugated rib. Then all that will be left is the button bands.

There is light at the end of the looooooong stockinette tunnel.

Body and Soul

While my DH drove us almost 8 hours to the Estes Park Wool Market, I knit on the Yellow Lace Bohus. On size 0 needles, I knit, and I knit, and I knit. One sleeve was finished on the drive out, the other on the way home, and the body is underway.

I did tink and then re-knit (for the 5th time!) the neckline. A simple twisted rib for 3/4 of an inch, and I'm so glad I did; the fit is much better and the look is what I wanted. The trick (since I knit the neck in rib once before and didn't like it) was using 000 size needles. Thank goodness the alpaca yarn I'm using for the neck and body is so forgiving; I'm not sure I looked that good after ripping four times!

But by reknitting the neckline into a much smaller, neater configuration, I can't try it on as I go anymore. So I'm not at all sure about the sleeve length. You would think that after knitting as many sweaters as I have, I'd know how long my arms are. But everytime I rely on trying on the sleeves just before I knit the cuffs to ensure the length is right. I'm thinking these may end up bracelet length depending on the blocking; if I really don't like how long the sleeves are I can always cut off the cuffs, knit more length, then graft the cuffs back on. But I hope I don't have to.

Note the cuff bind off is in yellow; now I'm trying to decide if I'm going to add any colorwork to the bottom of the sweater. Right now I've just completed the waist shaping decreases; another 10 rows straight and then I'll start increasing back out for the hips.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Bohus

I've knit about 6" of the left sleeve, and have picked out and reknit the neckline. I'm hoping the neckline blocks out to something a little less funnel-like and a little more regular neck like. And I'm beginning to wish I had knit this as a pullover and not as a steeked cardigan. But "thems the breaks," as they say.

For all that there are parts I don't like, I am absolutely in love with the colorwork yoke. Karin Iversson was an amazing artist.

Amazing Colorwork

I've completed the yoke for the second time with slightly different colors. The beauty of the yoke just points out to me how much I dislike the neckband; it's too big, and stands up around the neck too much.

Now, I followed the pattern exactly. And looking at other versions on Ravelry it appears that this is how it's supposed to be. But I hate it. So I'll have to pick it out and reknit it.

This sweater is turning into a lifetime project.....

Starting over may have been a storm cloud with a silver lining; a chance to do a better job the second time around.

I knit the neckband to be doubled; ribbed on one side, stockinette at a small gauge on the other, with a turning purl row to separate the two. Liked the stockinette so much more than the rib that I plan to use the stockinette as the public side. (Funny thing, though; cast on correct number of stitches per pattern, knit at pattern gauge, and the neckband looks sort of big....)

Changing the colorwork sequence was a plus as well; too much green my first attempt, even though I tried to match the original. This time the colors seem more harmonious, and the pattern more discernable. The yoke, now knit on size 3 needles, is still a little smaller gauge than called for; just shy of 10 stitches to the inch (pattern calls for about 8.5). Any looser, though, and the fabric would be too loose; in fact, I'd like it a little firmer (but down that road lies madness.....). I'll knit the larger size yoke and adjust the body for the fit I want.

As I knit the yoke (for the second time!) I'm amazed at the genius that conceived of this pattern. The Bohus designers, most notably Karin Ivarsson who designed The Yellow Lace Collar and The Swan; Kerstin Olsson, designer of The Wild Apple, The Egg, and The Mist series; and Anna-Lisa Lunn of the famous Blue Shimmer, were amazingly creative. Using Fair Isle as a basis for many of these designs, the artists managed to raise them beyond Craft to Fine Art using purl stitches to add textures and depth that Fair Isle alone does not produce. This may be the most beautiful yoked sweater I have ever knit. And that, of course, is what makes the Bohus experience so elevating; connecting to the remarkable and unrelenting pursuit of artistic excellence.