Just in time!

Finished my Juliet this week. I love it! Like many others, I find the fit a bit big (I made an xs), but it will be a nice layering piece. I used Valley Yarns Berkeshire Bulky in plum and didn't made any modifications. The buttons are some from my mother's collection. Still knitting on the tree jacket. Congrats on all the beautiful projects this KAL, it's been a fun one.

Just in Time

I finished my Tree Jacket just in time. The only thing I have left to do is seam the arms up once it has been blocked. I really enjoyed knitting Juliet and Tree Jacket with everyone. I can't wait to see what we will be knitting next. For more pictures and details check out my blog.

Juliet done, but no Tree Jacket yet!

Juliet back
Originally uploaded by melanieforest3

Finished Juliet a few weeks ago. Had to block it first, which helped a lot, but took a while to dry. I went digging through my stash of buttons and found one that I liked. I think I like the look of the finished top but I'm not happy with the top I have on underneath; I didn't have time to change, I would have been late for work! I decided to make it longer, I'm not too crazy about the cropped look.

I'm not done with the Tree Jacket yet, I got stuck working on Christmas stuff and hats and other winter stuff. It's been -35C here with the windchill for the past week! I can't wait to finish it though, as I have a feeling that I will be needing it since they're saying it will be the coldest winter in years!

Juliet front

Juliet front
Originally uploaded by melanieforest3

I haven't figured out how to do all this picture stuff correctly, so I'll have t0 post twice.

A very sad Juliet

Well, I was going great guns on it and then after frogging the lace portion to many times to count, I have given up! Perhaps it's the double strand thing messing with me, I don't know ... I am going to try it again ... with different yarn though.

Tree Jacket not finished

I did not finish my Tree Jacket. You can see pictures of my progress
at http://mollymenmymini.blogspot.com/ I have enjoyed watching everyone knit and
seeing the different yarns used and the way each of you personalized your own. Thank
you for letting me participate, I have learned a great deal!

Tree Jacket done!

Through the forest darkly (oh lightley)
Originally uploaded by rchrispy

I love this little Beauty. I was so excited to get my Christmas sweater done and to have actually completed both sweaters this time round even with my busy schedule.

I hope everyone has a great holiday season and that we can pick some cool new patterns.

More details on my Blog.

A Tree Jacket!

Hey everyone, sorry for the bad in-the-mirror picture; I was waiting for my husband to help me with the pictures but I got impatient.



It's a bit bigger on me than I would have liked; being a bit on the short side I tend to wear things that are a little more fitted so that I don't feel overwhelmed. I probably could have gone down a size...and the sleeves are pretty big. I've never blocked alpaca yarn before and I didn't quite know what to expect. Nevertheless, this is easily the softest, cuddliest, most comfortable sweater I own. And super warm. I used KP Andean Silk in Hollyberry.

Thanks for the KAL! I am really looking forward to the next one!

Juliet Failure

So, I got to the lace portion and discovered that I was 6 stitches off. Grrr! I decided to set it aside because my frustration level was through the roof. I decided to start my Tree Jacket instead, and I'm enjoying it. I couldn't find my size 8 dpns, so I used 7s and did the collar looser than normal. It's actually a bit roomy, I think, but so far so good.

Tree Pullover

Woo! I finally finished the tree jacket and used up all the yarn I had up to the last yard or two. I love having no yarn left over from this project. I've been on a big stash reduction kick lately. Although I do have the minor yarn binge now and then when I can't say no to a new purchase. But about the sweater...

I chose to lengthen the body as mohair has a tendency to flyaway a bit since it's so light. I also put a small bit of the lace pattern at the sleeves with what yarn I had leftover. I'm rather pleased with how it turned out.

Where for art thou Romeo?

I finished Juliet a week ago and am really pleased with how it turned out. It's really warm and cozy.

I cast on for this sweater on Sunday, October 14, 2007, and finished it Saturday, November 17, 2007. It was knit using Valley Yarns Berkshire Bulky on Knitpicks Options size 10 1/2 needles (32 inch cord.) Due to a number of the comments I read about this sweater, I knit a size small rather than the medium I usually knit in Zephyr Style patterns and am really pleased with the result. (Thanks everyone for the great advice!!!!!)

I don't think I will get to Tree Jacket this KAL as I have a number of other sweaters in my queue for which I have the yarn before I purchase the yarn for that sweater but I have greatly enjoyed participating in my first Sexy Knitters Club KAL! I'm looking forward to the next one!

You can find more info about this project on my blog.

Tree Jacket - almost finished

So this was my sweater on Wednesday, I tried to post but my computer is allergic to the internet. To show that miserable little electronic brain, we got a new computer on thanksgiving.
Now to the lack of electronic magic, I finished Saturday night. It is currently blocking and I will be having a FO post up really soon. I finished every last scrap off yarn that I bought. I don't think I have ever cut it this close.

I love the pattern and can't wait to wear this. It is my Christmas sweater.

Still growing...!

Just sharing and updated photo, some of the rest are posted on Ravelry!

Progressing . . .

I'm back on track with my Tree Jacket. I had taken a bit of a hiatus to prepare for Thanksgiving. I separated the sleevels last night. It turns out that I am making the XS. I had originially thought that I would do the small as that's the size I made Rusted Root and that fit perfectly. After reading all the comments about size, I thought I'd try it on before proceeding. It turns out that the XS fits. This yarn has a lot of stretch which allows me to make this sweater with negative ease. I'm using Tahki Savoy which is 52% silk, 48% merino. It is incredibly soft. I have also modified the lace a bit so that it hangs straight and doesn't twist. I'm thinking that I will knit the sleeves in the round using 12 inch circular needles. I will also pick up a few stitches--maybe 2 or 3 under the arm to close the little hole that is there. So far I'm very happy with this knit. This yarn is indiscribably delicious!

I like this pattern. It is mindless enough to knit while watching TV or at knitting group, yet the little lace pattern adds interest.

FO - Juliet

Here is my version of Juliet. I may have to rip this back again - and make the lace portion an x-small as it's a bit too big for the top portion. I do love the color and the pattern and since it's a quick knit, I'll see how it fits my Mother first and then mull it over. Here's my FO pic. More details on my blog.

Tree jacket completed

I've finished my tree jacket, however I'm not sure if there's time for me to start Juliet - I'll make it eventually.... recap on tree jacket - used Dale of Norway/Svale in a dark green and cream for contrast on neck, sleeves and waist
size 8 needles. I did add the lace to the sleeves instead of doing the garter stitch but everything else was per the pattern.

Juliet GRR

Well I was hoping to try to finish up Juliet before the end on the KAL, but after knitting 2 repeats of the lace I realized somehow I made a big mistake, the lace pattern was totally off! So last night I ripped it back to the garter stitch section and picked back up. That was as far as I got I was frustrated and irratated by it. I'm not sure what I did wrong, but I'm going to try again, but it may need a time out first!

Frustrated - Tree Jacket Sizing

I have to say, I'm very disappointed in this pattern. Especially since I paid for this one (a first). It requires a lot of math just to get it to fit in some way like it does on the model. A good pattern should only need a few mods for a custom fit. And why does everyone have trouble with "their size" being too big in Zephyr sizing? I feel like I'm writing my own pattern!

Anyway, like numerous others here and on Ravelry, I can't seem to get the right size. I have a 38" bust and 15" circumference arms. After reading all the problems people have had making sizes too big for them, I decided to make a small. I want it to be form fitting. The problem now is that, although I got gauge in St st, the garter section is huge already, and I have only done 16 increase rows! I need to increase a bit more for the arms, but I'm worried that if I do the remaining 8 increases (64 sts), it may become too big. This seems pretty ridiculous considering I'm normally a snug medium. I know others have had issues, but can someone with my chest size tell me which size they made, modifications, if any, and how their Tree Jacket turned out (tight, loose, perfect)? Help!

Top 20 Nominations for January 2008

Hello all you sexy knitters! Today is a special day because it's time for the top 20 nominations for the very first SKC KAL in 2008! Hooray!

The top 20 nominations are determined by your nominations and how much positive feedback each nomination post receives. Unfortunately, we can only accept 20 nominations at a time for voting purposes. We're very sorry if the pattern you nominated was not chosen this time. Please don't take this personally, and please, if you strongly believe in a certain pattern, definitely nominate it again next time!

Without further ado, the nominees are:

1. Matilda Jane from Ysolda


2. Snow White from Ysolda


3. Dahlia from Winter 2007 Knitty


4. Abotanicity from Winter 2007 Knitty


5. Tilted Duster from IK Fall 2007


6. Gathered Pullover from IK Winter 2007


7. Something Red from Wendy Bernard at Knit and Tonic


8. Flair from Wendy Bernard at Knit and Tonic


9. Bella Paquita from Marnie MacLean


10. Giselle from Marnie MacLean (available at StitchDiva)


11. Drops Jacket 103-1 from Drops Design


12. Drops Cardigan 88-4 from Drops Design


13. Deep V Argyle Vest from Eunny Jang


14. Drops Cable Bag 98-54 from Drops Design


15. Blanche by our very own SKC member Just Call Me Ruby


16. Chinese Lace Pullover


17. Daliet Blouse (and here)


18. Juno from Rowan #40 Booklet


19. Cable Collar Cardigan


20. Military Cardigan from Veronik Avery's book "Knitting Classic Styles"



So pick your favorite and be ready to vote when our poll is up, in the next couple of weeks! Happy Perusing!

two in progress

The yarn for both Juliet and Tree Jacket arrived on the same day - what are the odds? I thought I could decide which to make first, but I've cast on both! I had to take a short break to make a special birthday gift, but now it's back to these...

At my request my mom sent me some buttons from her collection so I've been trying to decide which will be for Juliet. I think these...

- opinions ladies?

Completed Juliet

Here is another completed Juliet. I really enjoyed this pattern. The top knit up very quickly and I will definitely knit at least two more during the spring/summer. I used Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Priarie Lupine. I knit the XS, knit garter stitch past the bust line and made the longer version. I am very happy with how it turned out. You can view more pics on my blog: Yarn It.

Juliet

Juliet is finished and here she is. I used Debbie Bliss Merino Chunky in a purpley-blue color which I love. I made size small, and because of the weight of the garment, it stretched out quite a bit. It's a bit too big but I'll still be able to wear it. Read more about it on my blog.

Mary

Dim Sum Knitting

Tree Jacket

Here's my completed Tree. It's my first KAL and only my second attempt at a sweater. Because of the ease of the pattern instructions, I was brave enough to attempt a couple modifications of my own. My only complaint would be that it's a little large under the arms. (I know size has been a common topic in this blog, but I still didn't believe that I should knit an XS for my 5'11" frame.) That being said, I love it and have worn it several times already.

Updates Updates Updates!

Hello Sexy Knitters! My my, what lovely Juliets and Tree Jackets I've seen! Beautiful work, all of you!

We will be wrapping up the current knit along at the end of this month (November) and will spend all of December taking nominations for the next knit along which will start in early January. This allows all of us to get our Christmas knitting done and get through the holidays without having to worry about another knit along to keep up with. Please do not begin posting nominations until December, as any nominations posted before December will not be considered in the final nomination selection.

For those of you who completed either a Juliet or a Tree Jacket, or both, please send me an email with either a pic of your completed project or a link to your blog post showing your completed project so that you can be entered into our knit along drawing. Be sure to put "Juliet/Tree Jacket KAL" into the subject line of your email so that you don't get lost in the shuffle of my email inbox. The drawing winner will be announced in December.

We are still unsure how many of you didn't receive copies of our first newsletter, so if you had signed up to receive our first newsletter before it was sent out (October 23rd), please leave us a comment here. If most of you didn't receive your newsletter, we will resend it out to all of you. And get ready for another issue, as Lisa's got some terrific info in store for all of you Sexy Knitters! If you haven't yet signed up for the newsletter, be sure to do so by clicking on the newsletter button on the right hand side of the site!

Thanks again to all of you who participated in the Juliet/Tree Jacket knit along. I can't wait to see all of our December nominations!

Tree Jacket Progress shot

Here is a picture of my tree jacket progress.... I've actually completed
this sweater, however I haven't had time to take a picture of it yet.

Juliet

Juliet is done ! It looks amazing, and it was such an easy pattern to follow ... and super quick to knit, too. The yarn is something I had on my stash since forever, so it was great I finally got to use it.
I knit the small size, but on 6mm needles and it came out perfect.

As Promised

So, I finally got a picture of the Tree actually on. I was acting a bit goofy and apparently decided my boobs needed a little enhancing. Silly, I know - they attract enough attention all on their own! But, here's a picture of the Tree "Jacket" after it was finished blocking. I have worn it twice, and really LOVE it! I'm so glad I knit this one!

And, last night I started Juliet. I am using Patons Shetland Chunky for a Christmas sweater for my son, and I persuaded myself to get some in Medium Blue for my Juliet since I like it so well. I was thinking of trying to redo the pattern for a worsted weight yarn (not so sure that my ample frame needs a thick, heavy yarn), but decided to try it in this, and if it doesn't feel right for me, I think my sister will love it. So, wish me luck. I'll post pictures as soon as I get to an interesting part!

:O)

Juliet

Well I had all intentions of starting right away on the tree jacket, of which I have the yarn for! but I told myself I had to finish my 2nd Wicked (also from the Zephyr gals) 1st. Well that was done and I was at Michael's the other day and well all their yarn was on sale, so I picked up some Patons Shetland chunky in Rich Teal ( I LOVE LOVE LOVE the color!) and started. I am almost to where you split off the sleeves. Picts soon! My question. I want to make this long sleeved. I am debating on trying to make the sleeves lacy, or should I do them in garter? Any thoughts/tips/hints?
Thanks!
Michelle

Hoping to get this baby off the needles this weekend.

Juliet is progressing nicely. I should only have one or two lace repeats to go to complete the cropped version. I'm hoping to finish it this weekend so that I can wear my fair Juliet over the Thanksgiving holiday and would like to get started on a new project that I can take to my parents' house to work on over the holiday. The Valley Yarns Berkshire Bulky is knitting up very nicely. I was a bit scared when it arrived in the mail because it seemed really stiff and scratchy but, once it was wound and I started to knit with it, it has turned out to be extremely soft and great to work with. If anyone is considering using Berkshire Bulky for their Juliet, I would highly recommend it. My only caveat would be that I found a lot of joins/knots in it while I was winding it so be sure to order enough yarn to make up for what you may lose due to this problem.

Have a great weekend!

jsins

Juliet And I Are On a Time Out

I finished the lace portion on Juliet last night and took it off the needles to try it on before I finished up. It was too big. Not extremely big, but the arms were big and the back seemed really bulky and hung out quite far from my body. So.........I ripped it. Sniff sniff. It was hard to do, I really wanted to be done it and to move on to something else, not that I don't like knitting it, but I think I have a fairly short attention span and crave a new project. Anyways, I'm going to start again tonight during Grey's Anatomy on the XS and hopefully it'll work out. I'm considering decreasing the increases on the set up row for the lace. Maybe doing K1FBF instead of K1FBFB. If I do that 13 times (on the back section only), that will remove one section of the lace, and hopefully decrease the bulk in the back. Any thoughts? I don't want it to end up too small though. I am making the cropped version if that helps any fellow Juliet knitters out there. Partly to blame is probably my yarn choice - Patons Shetland Chunky...it is a bulky yarn, therefore a bulky cardi will be made!

Thanks!

Tree House Update - Expect the Unexpected

I should have remembered the cardinal rule especially with a newborn in the house again: "Expect the Unexpected"

I thought I was a multi-tasking genius until...

Baby with a full but gassy belly lying on my lap
+
1 dose of Ovol
+
knitting in progress
=
A projectile assault on my Tree Jacket
(and my shirt, the armchair, a nursing blanket and a cushion)

Fortunately, karma has been kind and I now see the ultimate reason behind the force that told me to knit in an easily washable cotton. And ultimately, this sweater was bound to be subjected to a spit-up attack sooner or later (I was just expecting it to be a complete sweater and off the knitting needles at the time).

A washcloth, some Woolite and fifteen minutes of gentle dabbing later...we're back in business and I have finally reached the end of the garter stitch torso. Now it's on to the body and it looks like I might even finish this project in time (shocking for me as the world's self-proclaimed slowest knitter - although several others also seem to claim the title). So far I am amazed at how well (and quickly) this pattern is coming together and I love the use of increases to magically form the cap of the sleeve. And of course the best thing about knitting in the round - there won't be any stitching required at the end (the stage of each project where I always seem to lose steam).

A tree that's growing, Fancy that!

Progress on Tree Jacket has been made! I was starting to think I wasn't going to make it past that garter stitch portion on the yoke (I get bored easily), but now it's finished and I'm on to the lace bodice! After separating the sleeves the first time, I discovered that the "small" size was way too big. I ripped out 8 rows and now am working the XS size. I would be confused (I am by no means an extra small), but I've read that Zephyr patterns tend to run on the large side sometimes. Whew. Here's a look at what I've got so far!

What the local trees are wearing

It's not my knitting. I saw these on the way to work last Friday morning.

Now those are some sexy trees huh? ;)

Juliet: Still in progress...

Hello all! Juliet is progressing...not as quickly as I would like, but I don't find that I can do the lace when my kids are interupting me every 5 seconds. I seem to miss those pesky YO's! So I usually wait till they are in bed. I'm using Patons Shetland Chunky. Seems pretty soft, but I'm not yet convinced it will drape well. I started out knitting the XS, but when I bound off the arms it felt a little too tight, so I went up to the size small. Now I'm having second thoughts though because I took it off the needles last night to try it on and it feels too big. I may have to gift this one to my sister. We'll see!


I am farther than this photo shows, I'm on the 5th repeat of the lace section...I think I will do 6 in total. I've never bought buttons before and I'm not sure where to find some nice ones. I checked Michael's but they have a very limited supply, and not much that I liked. Any suggestions? Should I head out to a fabric store?

Thanks!
Shannon

Juliet Help

So, I have frogged back to the first row of the lace portion and am having trouble making this work. I'm knitting the medium (131 stitches). Row 1 instructs you to repeat the pattern between the *s until 8 stitches remain. I haven't added or dropped any stitches, but the ends of my rows are just not matching up with the pattern repeats. Can anyone help? I have done lace patterns before, so I'm not sure why this one is giving me such a hassle.

Knitters-Delight

Did you miss it? Plus: Call for stories

If you hadn't signed up yet, you missed the inaugural issue of the Sexy Knitters Club Newsletter! Here's a sneak peak at some of what you missed:



(Unfortunately, photobucket won't let me put a picture of the whole thing in since it's too long, but (shameless plug, hint, hint) if you sign up for the free newsletter, next time it will be delivered to you in its entirety in your In box.)

Coming up in the next newsletter, we have the Sexy Issue. Okay, they're all Sexy Issues, so I guess I'll call this one a Sexy to the Bones issue: what makes a pattern sexy, and how does construction impact its sex factor?

Would you like to be published in the newsletter? We're looking for stories on:

• Shaping techniques (short rows, princess seaming, etc.) - you only need cover one technique in the article, so pick your favorite.
• Modification dos and don'ts - making a pattern all your own
• Photography tips (knittymuggins, this one has your name all over it!) for showing off your handiwork at its best
• or whatever else you can suggest

Just send an email to me (lizajane73 AT excite DOT com), or leave a post and I will contact you to coordinate!

Lisa

I Did It!

I actually started and finished a knit right along with you all this time! Yay me!

Here's my version of Tree Jacket, blocking. You can visit my blog to see how I changed it up a bit to suit my tastes and yarn choice! Or, I'll post again when I have pictures of the finished object actually on my body! I really, really, really loved knitting this one, and can't wait to wear it once it's finished blocking. I plan to do so tomorrow, so stay tuned!


:O)

Juliet, another to join the finished list.

Very pleased to have my version of Juliet ready for wear! It has been drifting into the minuses this past week, and I have been freezing. Having this is just so awesome to pop on, and it's toasty warm. So glad I decided to join in and knit this.

My mods:

I ended up decreasing a total of 8sts in the garter section to make bust darts, and increasing the stitches by 14 for the beginning of the lace pattern. The only problem from doing that was that it gapped too much when done up! So I ended up deciding to have it button up all the way down the front.

The only other thing I might do is to sew satin ribbon to the inside edge to work as a facing, which would limit the amount of pulling the buttons may do to the edge. I'm sure I'll blog about this soon enough, it's up on Ravelry at least!

my dueling juliets are finished!

i knit these simultaneously. the teal juliet is the grandaughters and is knit from brown sheep cotton fleece in new age teal. the green is knit from cascade pima silk in pistachio. i really loved the pima silk. i'm a fan of that yarn after this experience. the teal juliet started as a size med then i drastically reduced the number of sleeve increase and continued following the size small instructions and counts. the pistachio juliet started out as an xs and seemed too snug in the arms so i added extra sleeve increases and in the end both ended up a size small in stitch count. i added length to the sleeves of mine and made it shorter to resemble a swing jacket. love the design of this pattern and everyone's juliet look great! see more pics on my blog.

Tree Jacket

One question for the group: Has anyone tried to block the YO section so that the YO lines are straight? I have seen a bunch of beautiful FOs with the swirly lace section, but I was envisioning a straighter lace section for mine. Will it block out or should I learn to fall in love with the swirls?

Finished Juliet Awhile Back...

Here's my Juliet. I finished this about a month ago but never posted it.



I'm not loving it, but I am going to give it one more chance with a tighter fitting cami and jeans. I'm thinking what I need to do is less increases for the lace section (when transitioning from the garter stitch to the lace) so it won't be as wide, and then maybe lengthen it. I really can't pull off garments with a lot of ease.

Thoughts?

Finished Tree Jacket!!

I just finished Tree Jacket and love everything about it!! Another great pattern by the Zephyr Style gals!




For more details and pictures, see my blog!

Juliet

I actually knit this between 1st and 5th of September just before it became the SKC KAL but since I live in Australia and can't ever get organised enough to join in the other KAL's I thought this might count this time ;) (between finding / ordering the yarn and the different seasons...lol)

Ok, time for some specs -

Pattern: Juliet
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in 'Rue'

Needles: 6.5mm Addi Turbo Circ's

Started: Saturday 1st September 2007

Finished: Wednesday 5th September 2007

Mods: None

More details can be found either on my blog or on Ravelry...

Juliet

So MY Juliet's done...buttons, blocking, wearing.

Now for my sister's Juliet. I cast-on Sunday night but haven't gotten much done since then.
I wanted to start the Tree Jacket pattern but I couldn't find a good yarn for the pattern in my stash so I ordered some. It should arrive on Wednesday so I can cast-on then. Can't wait. I really enjoy knitting the Zephyr Gals patterns even if the sizing can be a little wonky.

Tree Jacket progress

Here's my tree jacket progress - I started this on Sunday 11/4 - I'm hoping to have it completed in the next couple of days - I'm using Dale of Norway Svale in an olive green color that I've had in my stash for awhile.
Size 7 and 8 us circular needles...

As promised

Here is my completed Juliet as modelled by me!

Details are in my last post or on my blog.

kind of a Juliet

Does anyone ever admit failure on this blog? :)




I have had such bad luck with Juliet. I started out kniting medium. Then I realized I should have been knitting a small. But I was too unmotivated to rip and just kept going. When I got to the lace portion I switched to a different color double-stranded (solid brown). And I didn't like that either. So I just ended up knitting more length to the garter section in the original yarn, instead of lace, and added a ribbed waistband at the bottom. I also added ribbed bands at the armholes to bring the sweater in a bit more. And I added buttons for the full length down the front. In this configuration it's wearable, but I still difficult to find something that works with it. All in all at least I have a cardigan, but it's not as nice as what everyone else has. In any case, I'm looking forward to the tree sweater being more satisfying. I at least already like the yarn more than what I used for Juliet. Staying positive! :)

One down, one to go!

So I finished Juliet. Here she is on the blocking board, still damp. I will model her once she is dry!
The yarn is Cascade Venezia, a bulky yarn of 70% merino, 30% silk. The sweater knit to gauge on size 10.5 Knitpicks Options needles. It is a size small with no modifications. The buttons are mother of pearl.

I swatched for Tree Jacket. I am using Tahki Savoy which is the most incredibly soft yarn. It is worsted weight 52% silk, 48% merino. It swatched to gauge on size 8's. I also tried a couple of things with the lace. I am trying to avoid the twisting that everyone is experiencing. I knit the first two repeats of the lace with K4, YO, K2tog, YO, SSK. I could see that it was going to twist, so I tried the next two repeats as suggested on the Zephyr Style message board: K3, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, SSK. That looks like it will go straight, so that is how I will knit tree jacket!