Yarn for Tree Jacket

In anticipation that Tree Jacket would be the next KAL I contacted the Zephyr gals and asked if they could give us some specific yarn suggestions. The pattern calls for a worsted weight wool blend.

Here's their reply: "... the red photographed sweater was knit with Knit Picks Andean Silk, which was lovely. Both of us Zephyr gals have also knit it with Lion Brand Cotton Ease, which you can get for a great price from (Discount Yarn Sale) I think we both prefer this yarn over the other... it's just so soft and wonderful! Rowan Cashsoft is another that would just be dreamy to work with and machine washable too!!!" Thanks Zephyr gals!

A Knitters Review of RYC Cashsoft is here. According to the KR review Cashsoft is similar to Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran .
I'd love to see other yarns suggestions posted.

WooT!

Well, I already had both Zephyr patterns & yarn so this is going to be fun since they were already on my HAVE TO knit list.

I am finished the first lace rep ... I'll try to post pics soon.

HOORAY

OHH I am so excited, I recently purchased the yarn and pattern for the tree jacket, and I also have the Juliet pattern too!! SQEE!!

And The Winners Are....

the Tree Jacket and Juliet! Yay for the Zephyr Girls! These two patterns can be purchased and downloaded by going to the Zephyr Style website.

This KAL will officially start on the 15th of October, but for those of you with yarn in your stash, feel free to cast on today!

Don't forget that you will have to re-request posting privileges for this knit along (sorry) -- click here for posting instructions.

For those of you who were pulling for Cherie Amour, don't despair... you can re-nominate it for the next KAL or go sign up for the Cherie Amour knit along.

I've emailed the Zephyr Gals letting them know that their two new patterns have won the SKC knit along, and I'm sure they'll be popping in to offer pattern support etc.

Other News....

Interested in podcasting? The Sexy Knitters Club is in the very beginning stages of producing a podcast and are looking for a poscaster! If you've ever thought about hosting your own podcast but were afraid to jump in, now may be your time, and with over 1100 SKC members, you're sure to have an audience! For more information, email Jeanie.

How about a Sexy Knitters Club newsletter? Another iron in the fire for the SKC is a monthly newsletter which would include important knit along information including pattern tips, ideas, and other interesting tidbits. If you have experience in this area and are interested in helping, email Jeanie.

The winner of the Fifi knit along is Erin W. Erin has won her choice of either a SKC t-shirt or tote bag. Congratulations!!!

Time To Vote!

You do not need posting privileges in order to vote! Links to each pattern can be found in the post directly below this post. Voting will end on Saturday night at midnight. Have fun!

Choose Your Favorite!
	#70 Lush and Lacey Cardigan
	Matilda Jane
	Simple Cape
	Colette
	Coachella
	Cap-sleeved wrap top
	Tangled Yoke Cardigan
	Back-to-School U-Neck Vest
	Accidentally on Purpose Drop Stitch Vest
	Cherie Amour
	Cardigan and Brooch from Garnstudio
	Ophelia pattern
	Mrs. Darcy Cardigan
	Deep V Argyle Vest
	Trapeze
	Scoop Neck Vest
	Minimalist Cardigan
	Sunshine Top
	Juliet
	Tree Jacket
Free polls from Pollhost.com

I don't think the voting has begun!

To the newbies--For the past KAL's we first were presented with a list like the one on the website now. This is so you can review your choices. A few days later another list was posted for voting. That list enabled you to click on one choice and you could view the results at any time. We should see this within a few days, I assume!

#17 gets my vote

Sorry if I'm doing this wrong - my first time voting as well. I'll keep watching in case this should be done some other way but otherwise, my vote is for:

#17 -Minimalist Cardigan

(one way or the other this one just has to be knit - too good to pass up - but I would love to have some company along the way) : )

Duh! My KAL Vote

Umm...I'm a little slow sometimes...I just figured out the KAL Nomination was a vote:)

I vote for #1: #70 Lush and Lacy Cardigan

Thanks,
Sarah

Voting?

Hi,

This is my first time voting. I'm a little confused. Where do we vote? It seems odd there are no votes yet...

Thanks a lot,
Sarah

KAL Nomination

I vote for nr 19. Juliet. I want to start knitting it right on!

Better late than never!

Here is my Fifi!

Details:
Yarn: Rowan Calmer in Refresh--3.5 balls
Needles: Knitpicks options in size 7
Size: XS
Modifications: I knit an additional 4 rows on the sleeves. I also cast on 7 stitches under the arm when joining the body and I did not decrease any stitches when picking up to finish the sleeves. I did 12 repeats of the center front panel pattern and I did a simple crochet slip stitch around the neck to control the rolling.

Here are the Nominations:

These are not in any particular order. Voting will begin on Wednesday!

Thanks Jeanie for letting me do this.

Cora

1. #70 Lush and Lacy Cardigan

2. Matilda Jane

3. Simple Cape

4. Colette

5. Coachella

6. Cap-sleeved wrap top

7. Tangled Yoke Cardigan

8. Back-to-School U-Neck Vest

9. Accidentally on Purpose Drop Stitch Vest

10. Cherie Amour

11. Cardigan and Brooch from Garnstudio

12. Ophelia pattern

13. Mrs. Darcy Cardigan

14. Deep V Argyle Vest

15. Trapeze

16. Scoop Neck Vest

17. Minimalist Cardigan from the Fall 2007 Interweave Magazine (You will need to scroll down to see the cardigan)

18. Sunshine Top

19. Juliet

20. Tree Jacket

Fifi Straggler

Hi all. I finally finished my Fifi a couple of weeks ago, but haven't had a chance to get a decent photo until today. For more pics and details, visit this entry in my blog gallery. This is such a sexy little sweater, that I would swear that I alone caused the temperature to rise 10 degrees just by wearing it! Thanks for choosing this one. I can't wait to see what's next!

One more nomination

I just purchased this pattern online and think it would be a great little sexy knit! It is called Matilda Jane and is available online at Ysolda's blog.


This is a top down raglan which means it will be easy to try on as it is being knit. The pattern comes with two downloads--one with smaller sizes and one with larger sizes so it fits a large range of sizes. It is made from a dk or light worsted weight yarn which means there are a lot of options and it can be made inexpensively. I love it! I hope it's not too late to include it! Ysolda is in the UK but the pattern can be paid for via paypal and then downloaded. When I bought it, it came to $7.26.

We Haven't Forgotten About Y'all....

but my "assistants" have all run off for the weekend so the official nomination list has yet to be compiled. If someone else is interested in helping to compile the nomination list, please email me, otherwise we'll get the nomination list posted this week and will vote a couple of days after that. There are some really great nominations out there, and I know everybody is anxious to go ahead and vote, so hopefully we'll have things underway shortly!

Thanks!

Long sleeved Fifi passed deadline

Hello Sexy Knitters,

it's just that I'm so pleased with the result of my latest Fifi that I want to share it with you.

Knit in Lana Grossa Elastico on 3 mm. needles. It took exactly 8 balls to finish with long sleeves.

Fifi Care Query

Hello, is it absolutely taboo to put calmer in the dryer? Has anyone ~gasp~, ever tried? The swatch has become a toy, so I have only Fifi, which shall not be a test subject :)

Thank You!

I know it's past the deadline, but...

since the voting hasn't started yet...

I really love this Sweater Babe Lush and Lacy Cardigan. I'm also very supportive of the earlier nominated Somewhat Cowl & Juliet.

Nominations: a cozy cape & fishnet anklets

Hello sexy knitters! I'm new here but would love to throw in a few nominations to the mix.

All year I've wanted to have a wool cape with slots for armholes. I kept thinking I could find one I like or have one tailored. But none were to be found. I really like this simple cape (PDF-sorry!) from Vogue Knitting though. I thought it would be nice for this coming season.

Also I would love to knit fishnet stockings. But I hardly ever get to wear dresses. So I thought it might be fun and more useful to knit some fishnet anklets. I thought they would look so cute with heels and jeans in a bit lighter yarn. In a funky, outrageous color, they'd be even better!

here are my top three favorites (currently)

Here are my three nominees...


A cables and lace Kimono from Sweater Babe. Versatile and should look great on most body types.


Colette from White Lies designs. I love her designs and they have the added benefit of being curve friendly. This one would be the perfect dressy cardi for the holidays.


Very Tall socks from Knitty. Definitely sexy and nice and warm for the winter.

I would like to nominate the following:

Coachella



I think that this looks so sexy!

Cora

I would like to nominate the following:

V-neck top


Cap-sleeved wrap top


Cap sleeve cardi




I thought that these were so pretty. What does everyone else think? These are also available free from the Prima site.

Cora

Nomination for Cardigan

I'd like to nominate THIS!



















It's the Tangled Yoke Cardigan by Eunny Jang from the current issue of Interweave Knits.

4 vest nominations

This one is an oldy but goody. It is Accidentally on Purpose Drop Stitch Vest from the Stitch n Bitch Nation which sells for cheap on Amazon right now. The photo above is of Leah before her blogging career started. I have been trolling Ravelry so this is what I get when I really want a vest. I would like to do Eunny's vest but these are other options.

This is of course the Back-to-School U-Neck Vest from Fitted Knits. I think this looks amazing on just about anyone.

This next one I think is hot it is called Green Day. The pattern is in another language but we might be able to get the designer to help us. Unfortunately Google translator failed me on this one. This is from Tikru who blogs at Made by Myself.


The last is the Scoop Neck Vest from Blue Sky Alpaca. This is a great example from Cathi at In the Pink. She blogged about the sweater here.

If I get around to it, I will post some cardis that have caught my eye.

Nomination for Cherie Amour

I just saw this in the latest Knitty, so how about a nomination for this.

Help with Fifi sleeves

Hi everybody,

I know that the Fifi knitalong is officially over but I'm truly hoping for words of wisdom to help me out. I tried on my Fifi multiple times as I was making it and noticed that the stitches under the arms elongated. (I used a backward loop cast-on.) So when I picked up and knitted from the cast stitches, I tried to spread the yarn out in the stitches along the whole sleeve. But when I finished it, I had this huge hole so I ripped back and tried again. This time I used smaller needles and held the tension snugly. It's better but still I have holes. I have no dropped stitches; I've counted and I have the right number. I'm afraid to put it on again because I think it will just get worse. My thought is to try to pull it together and treat it like I'm mending it. Is there a better solution? I love topdown patterns...how do I prevent this from happening again in my next sweater? (Obviously I'm new to making sweaters.) Please help. My Fifi is so beautiful otherwise.

Thanks in advance, Walk2Sing

I fail at life and/or Fifi-finishing.

I have utterly failed at finishing my Fifi in time, but I suppose I may as well post what I've got.



It looks like it's almost done, but it really isn't. I want to make some small mods to the bottom bit of the body. And some large mods to the sleeves - making them longer, about 3/4 length, and adding even more unnecessary ribbon. YOU'LL HAVE TO PRY MY UNNECESSARY RIBBON MODS FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS!

Anyway, I think I've gotten far enough to say that I really liked the pattern, and the fit, and the fact that it makes me look like I have enormous breasts. (I most definitely do not, so I am a fan of any piece of clothing that gives a convincing illusion of boobage.) I knit the XS even though I am not exactly XS-sized, and I think it was the right way to go. Yay for stretchy Calmer!

I would say that there are more pics on my blog, but there totally aren't, because I've been too lazy to post any Fifi updates. No gratuitous blog linkage for me. :(

fifi is fini

i added long sleeves to my fifi and am so happy with the results. i think she'll get a lot of wear once the weather heads towards fall. this is calmer in the color garnet and i love the color and loved the yarn so much i ordered more and something else calmer is in my future. this was an enjoyable knit and i love the end result. more pics on my blog. can't wait till the next sexy knitters kal all the nominations are beautiful so far.

Will I be the last one?

La Fifi est fini! Well, actually I finished it a couple of weeks ago, but haven't managed to post until now. I made it in size XS and it took about 2 and 3/4 balls of Rowan Calmer. I did just a couple of modification. In the top part, I added a few more cable twists in the plain K4 columns, just to break them up a bit. Then, in the bottom part, I did the center section only on the front. To me, it looks a bit too ornate for the back. I had tried doing the short-row shaping, but ripped it out.





So, once I was done with Fifi, my RCC yarn arrived a day later -- Noro Hana Silk in turquoise. Great, right? I have to say, I am quite unhappy with this yarn. Its little loops kept getting caught on my needles and I couldn't maintain gauge to save my life. Ok, fine, I would have been willing to forgive this and knit with it, even if it drove me insane. But one thing I couldn't forgive -- that all the wonderful cables and shaping of RCC were getting completely lost in all the fuzzy loopiness of this yarn. So, I scrapped it, and went with my old favorite instead -- Caron Simply Soft (this one's in Berry Blue). Yes, it's a 100% acrylic, but it has a lot of great qualities. It's incredibly soft, quite light, very easy to get (and maintain!) gauge, and has excellent stitch definition. And you can't beat the price -- $2.69 for a 6 oz skein, and it took just one skein for the whole RCC corset. At the moment, the corset is probably just 5-10 rows away from completion. I made just one modification -- no matter how loosely I bound off and cast on for the armhole, it was still too tight, so I added an extra 10 stitches for each sleeve, casting on 160 instead of 140, and working 29 stitches for each sleeve, instead of 19. In hindsight, I probably could've gotten away with adding just 5 extra stitches for each sleeve.





Phew! That was a long one!

Fifi for me-me!

Overall, this was a great knit, and I'm really happy with the results. There are a few more pictures on my blog, if you're interested.


Rowan Calmer, "Garnet" (175 yards per ball), almost 4 balls
US 4 and 5 (3.5 and 3.75 mm) circular needles and dpns
US D (3.25 mm) crochet hook

(And I'm glad I got to use the Calmer -- what a great yarn!) However, I did experience a few moments of confusion with the pattern and even, at one point (actually, um, when I was already finished), complete, dumb-struck horror.

I wanted to knit more or less the smallest size, but my gauge was off a bit, so I used the instructions for the second (33.5") size instead.

My main point of confusion was when the instructions seemed to direct me to use what I had thought were the body stitches as the sleeve stitches. After some internal debate (geez, I thought the front and back were wider than the sleeves... this doesn't sound right), I went ahead and did what I thought the pattern wanted me to do, separated the sleeves and knit a bit on the body. Then I tried it on. And it looked funny to me. The neck opening looked too narrow and rolled pretty badly along both front and back, and the sleeves were suddently huge. I ripped back and switched to the lesser number of stitches (71) for each sleeve and the greater number (81) for front and back -- much better!



Modifications: I switched to smaller needles (US 4) after 5 repeats of the 8 round "Lower Bodice" pattern to cinch in the waist a bit. I switched back to US 5's after 2 repeats. I lengthened Fifi quite a bit by knitting 11 total repeats. For the sleeves: I used the instructions for the smallest size for the decrease round and only worked one additional round on each sleeve before the final K1,P1 rib round and rib bind off. Additionally, I single crocheted around the neckline to minimize rolling.

The "dumb-struck horror" I mention above occurred after I was completely finished, I tried it on (as I'd done repeatedly throughout the knitting process) and experienced a shock to notice (for the first time!) that the region of purl stitches on one side of each center cable was one third as wide as the column on the other side, both front and back. How I didn't notice this asymmetry before is beyond me...

If you can't see it in my other photos, here's a close-up of the asymmetry (after blocking):


I hadn't previously noticed any asymmetry in the finished Fifi's I'd seen on the web, but then I started re-looking at other people's photos and realized that this asymmetry was present in all Fifi's. Clearly, it couldn't have bugged me much, since I hadn't noticed before.

During knitting, my increases (especially the Kinc's) had resulted in some obscenely loose stitches, so I went through and redistributed the slack in the diagonal "rib" of the cental panels to make things look nicer. As I did this, I tried to loosen the stitches in the narrow P2 column, and tighten the stitches in the wide P2 column. Blocking helped both issues somewhat, but didn't completely "fix" either.

I love Fifi anyway!

Just under the wire!

I actually finished my Fifi 2 days ago so I'm a bit behind in posting. This was a fun knit but a bit challenging for me (in a good way!). I ripped completely twice and ripped back to before the underarms once. Still, I learned a lot and was glad that I took the extra time to get the fit just right. For the bind off of the bottom, I chose a tubular double rib bind off. It was sloooooww but worth it. I'm also glad I was able to use Calmer for this one. I loved working with it.

Chiffon Fifi Is Finished......

Yay!! Fifi is ready to wear! She's actually been finished for a few days, but my photographer was kinda busy. I decided I'd try bribing him with Thai food and magically the camera appeared in his hand! I used just short of 4 balls of Rowan Calmer in Chiffon which I luckily got on sale. Though I haven't knit that many sweaters yet, this is definitely one of my favorites and something I can really see myself wearing. Thanks to everyone for sharing all their progress! You guys really inspired me to get mine finished up :)

More details to come on my blog......

Nominations

I have a whole bunch of nominations this time around. Most of them are free. I couldn't pick just one, as I love them all and hope to eventually knit them all!

This first one, Sangria, is available here. There are other pictures there, and the pattern cost is 7.oo.
This Dayflower Lace Top can also be knit longer to be a dress. It is available here for 5.50.
The rest of these are all free patterns.
There is this one, Serrano, available at knitty.

Mrs. Darcy Cardigan, available here.
This one is at garnstudio.

Ophelia, another free one is available here.Detail shot of the front.

Repost notice for Earthen Hemp Skirt

I apologize for the nonfunctional link to that pattern! I've reposted with a working link underneath the title, which is also the URL so if there are still problems with the link, then at least you can still copy and paste the URL into your browser.

For convenience sake, the URL is also found below. Pick the earthen hemp skirt!!!

http://twistedstitches.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/09/earthen-hemp-sk.html


Becki

Sexy Fall Vest

I've nominated this vest before but I think the timing may have just been off (who wants to knit an argyle vest in the summer?). But I believe in it and I think it's super sexy and would work well for all body types.

It's called the "Deep V Argyle Vest" from See Eunny Knit! The pattern can be downloaded here

I think it looks great, is sexy, and we could use a wide variety of easy-to-find yarn for it so it may not be too expensive depedning on what yarn you choose (a BIG plus for me and I'm sure for all the other student knitters out there). And this the the best part... "All the information needed to make this a successful first colorwork and/or steeking project is included here in exhaustive detail." Hooray for beginner instructions! What do you guys think??

My nomination

Salt Peanuts, a free pattern from Knitting Daily.

What about...

Trapeze Jacket from stitchdiva.com? I usually like things knitted in the round, but these cardigans are so cute. It's got instructions for both long & short-sleeved versions for our varied climate situations.

I also second the Juliet cardigan nomination. That /_\ silhouette is apparently really "in" this fall from what I've seen in stores.

All your fifis look great by the way!

I nominate...

Earthen Hemp Skirt

http://twistedstitches.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/09/earthen-hemp-sk.html

This skirt is a perfect piece for the late days of summer and autumn,
when the weather is just turning cooler.
Made from Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy,
a blend of Hemp, Cotton and Modal,
it is soft to the skin with a wonderful drape.
A gradual flare down to mid-calf length
makes it a flattering fit for most any body shape!

Finally Finished Fifi

And it looks like I finished just in time too! I just finished blocking her and wore her to work today! I have to admit that I loved doing the top cable section, but I did not like all that ribbing on the bottom. It took me FORever! Anyway - I can't wait to see the nominations for the next KAL. I just ordered Romantic Handknits and I'm thinking there maybe some things in there worthy of sexy knitting. I haven't had time to write about Fifi on my own blog yet as I popped over here, saw that deadline was fast approaching, and decided to post here first, but I hope to get to post more of the details soon at Spincerely yours.

Fifi almost done

I don't know what happened. I started Fifi in a fury and then put it down for a break... a two month break. Well, it is back on the needles and almost done. I love it. I think I had a bit more difficulty with the stretch in calmer than I anticipated and my stitches aren't as even as I would like. I love the color though I was a bit overwhelmed by it at first. It suits me. Anyhow. I'm thinking another set of rows and then bindoff.

Yah!

And the nomination goes to...

The Somewhat Cowl by Wendy Bernard of Knit and Tonic

This sweater is knit in the round from the top down and has instructions for both a short sleeved and long sleeved version.

And the nomination goes to...

I'd like to nominate the the minimalist cardigan from the Fall Issue of Interweave Knits. Perfect for Fall layering weather, spicy!