It’s been such a long time since I’ve written on my blog. Doesn’t it seem like all my recent posts start with a sentence like this? haha I really want to revive my blog as I miss it quite a bit, so be aware, I think it’s going to be about a lot of crafty stuff in the future!
There are a few things I want to change… like the theme / layout, I want to make my 101 List more of a Bucket List because there are things on there that I don’t really care about anymore and other things I want to do as well. I think over the last few years my priorities, interests and possibilities have changed, so some things on my blog need to change to reflect that. I just need to sit and take the time to do it. I’m so out of touch with all things WordPress!
So, moving on to what I wanted to write about. I’m so excited about a recent project I completed. One thing I’ve always wanted to do was learn to knit a sweater. It’s actually on my 101 List to knit Xander a sweater, and I’ll get there, but I wanted to make one for me first. Knitted sweaters intimidated me and since I find crochet a lot easier I decided to give the Convergence Top by Linda Skuja a try. I first saw it on Ravelry and immediately went off in search of a copy of that issue of Interweave Crochet Magazine.
The pattern looked sort of complicated, but my main concern was the cost. It called for three balls of Noro Taiyo Sock which is approximately €20 a ball. Yeah, I’m sorry but I’m not spending €60 to TRY to make a sweater. At that point I had no idea if I’d even succeed so I wasn’t going to put a lot of money into the attempt.
I knew I needed a similar yarn, something lightweight with long stripes, but everything I looked at seemed to have a very short striping pattern that I knew wouldn’t do this pattern justice. So I decided to throw it out to the internet! I went to a few crafty Facebook groups and the Ravelry forums and waited to see if anyone had any suggestions.
A lady in a crochet group suggested that I look into a bamboo yarn made by a Turkish company called Alize, which I could get quite cheap from Yarnstreet.com. I knew the minute I saw it that it was perfect for this project and ordered it right away. The cost didn’t hurt either, I mean €10 for the sweater rather than €60? I’m in!
Once I got started with this project it went very quickly. The pattern was very easy to follow and even though this was my first experience with short rows I had no problem with them because the designer was very clear in what I was to do. It also worked out perfectly, just by chance, that the blue color in the striping landed right on the short rows, giving the top the exact color I was looking for.
The only problem? My obsessive nature had me spending quite a long time making sure the same striping happened on the back, where it didn’t just magically happen for me!
It took a while but I got there in the end. Both sides were as exact as I could possibly get them and I was incredibly pleased with myself!
Now, this project wasn’t all smooth sailing, as I did have a few issues along the way. Although they didn’t rear their ugly heads until I was about to stitch the two sides together and decided to do a trail run. I clipped both sides together with clippy stitch markers and tried it on, only to realize that it was too tight at the bottom. Crap!
The problem was the starting chain. The sweater is crocheted from the bottom up and calls for the first row to be a chain, and then you continue on with double crochet. This is where I went wrong. Once the sweater was complete I realized that the entire sweater was beautifully stretchy but the bottom had absolutely no give at all. Being as ‘hippy’ and pear shaped as I am, this was not an ideal situation. I felt like if I were to sit down I would stretch the bottom row to the point of snapping, and that really worried me. It was finished, how on earth was I going to go back and fix it now?
Back to the internet I went, explaining my situation and begging for someone to please tell me how on earth to fix it! This was when I learned a very very valuable lesson. Why I should avoid starting chains like the plague and instead use foundation single or double crochet. In the end, after a few test swatches, I put a lifeline in the first dc row and carefully tore out the foundation chain. I then replaced it with a row of single crochet, creating a foundation single crochet which had much more give than the chain. It made all the difference in the world when it came time to try on the sweater again!
Another thing I did differently was using the no chain double crochet method rather than the chain 3 at the beginning of each row. I always hate how those darn chains look and had heard about this method a few times in the past, so I gave it a try. It was great! I don’t think I’ll ever do a chain at the start of a row again.
You can find a tutorial here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhbRoNX2nQw
After wearing the sweater I noticed a few more things. Firstly, the bamboo yarn has a crazy amount of give to it. When I blocked the sweater I stretched it out quite harshly to meet the size in the pattern. After wearing it, it loosened even more, especially around the hips which you can see in the right hand photo at the top. I’m not sure there is anyway around that baggy bottom, stretched out look for me when it comes to sweaters as I’m just completely pear shaped and it just takes one sit and it stretches out. I’ve made two different sweaters now, this one and a knitted one that I will share later, and it has happened with both. So I’m resigning myself to the fact that it’s just another thing I have to live with thanks to my big booty!
On the flip side, I’m also very small in the shoulders, which makes the neck on this feel a bit big for me. I’ve seen that a few people had the same issue and went back and added a row or two of single crochet to bring the neck in a bit, and I’m considering doing that, but will wear it a few times more before deciding. If I wear it in the dead heat of summer I may find that I appreciate the wider neck.
All in all I absolutely love this sweater. The yarn was perfect and is so lightweight that I honestly feel almost naked when I wear it, which I think is going to be great in the heat. Also, who knew bamboo was so soft? I’ve felt soft yarns before but this is just beyond. I could not stop fondling it when it arrived in the mail. It’s hard to believe that the yarn was so cheap! I ended up ordering it in another color for the same project, as well as some of their cotton and wool yarns for future projects.
My favorite thing about this project?! A while after it was complete I got an email from one of the designers of the magazine, asking if I’d send them a photo and blurb for their “In the Loop” section! I couldn’t believe it! I knew the sweater worked out amazingly well with the striping in this yarn and it did look very cool, but being in magazines? Isn’t that something that just happens to the super-crafters? I was so excited I quickly sent off a photo and a bit of a write-up of my experience making the sweater. I figured I should send it in quickly before they realize I’m a complete novice at all of this and change their minds!
After stalking their website for a few months, there it was, the 2014 summer issue with me in it!!
So let’s see. What did I get out of this project?
- Learning how to do short rows
- Learning how to remove a foundation chain after the fact
- Learning the benefit of foundation single or double crochet in place of a chain
- Learning why I shouldn’t over-stretch in my blocking
- Discovered that bamboo yarn is absolutely delicious and great for summer
- Found ways to find cost effective alternative for insanely priced yarns
- Learned to do a starting double crochet in place of a chain at the beginning of rows
- Had my project highlighted in a magazine
- Got a free year subscription to the magazine for my efforts
- Gained a ton of confidence in my abilities
I’d call that a win!!
Brilliant! Obviously I’ve watched this since the get go, but I’m so happy you’ve blogged about it!
So cool! Nice return for all your efforts!