Skip to main content

Demi: Done

I've waited a year to write this post - Demi is done and I couldn't be happier. I stalled out on this sweater after lingering doubt about sizing got the best of me. Way back when I was first questioning the size, a couple of you gave me some sage advice that warned of Yorkshire Tweed's growing power and so I pushed on - well, after letting the WIP collect dust for several months. And, hell yeah, I'm wearing it today (now yesterday by the time I'm posting this!) despite the balmy temps.

Warning: I went a teensy bit overboard with pictures.



Pattern: Demi by Kim Hargreaves
Source: Rowan Vintage Style
Yarn: Rowan Yorkshire Tweed Aran in Thorny purchased here
Needles: Size 6 & 7 Addis - down a size from the pattern.
Buttons: From Joann's



Dates Knitted: January 2007 - February 17, 2008. Sad and Pathetic.



Mods: For me, a sweater's length is directly related to its wearability. I added three whole inches to the body of this sweater and a couple extra inches to the sleeves. I'm medium tallish (5'5-5'6) for reference. There's nothing worse in my book than getting a draft at your waistline while wearing a nice, thick wooly sweater.



As I mentioned above, I went down a needle size for this sweater which brings forth another pet peeve of mine: when an undershirt is visible through the sweater. I have a hard enough time selecting clothes in the morning without having to match my undershirt to my sweater. The resulting fabric is nice and thick, yet still drapey. And not see through - bonus!



Bobbles: I'm one of the few self-professed bobble-lovers out there. (Funny side note: When I solicited my husband's opinion about the sweater, his only comment was " you know there are weird balls stuck all over it?" Apparently, he doesn't understand the essence of the bobble.") I knit the back first with only three-stitch bobbles, rather than five-stitch. But the three-stitch just weren't bobbley enough for me, so I upgraded to the five-stitch on the front and sleeves. Surprisingly, I don't think the bobble variation looks weird. I could be deluded, though.



Fit: Despite my initial sizing concerns, this sweater fits EXACTLY the way I envisioned - somewhat fitted, yet big enough to serve as a top layer.

My favorite part: The button band. These directions really threw me off. I had to completely let me guard down and follow Kim's directions. Plus, I had some weird mental block getting all the piece names straight. Left front shoulder band? Button band? (Okay, I probably should have been able to guess that one). I was concerned the layering of these mini-pieces would get bulky and look silly, but it looks perfectly polished once assembled and really adds character to the sweater. Can you tell I love it?

Getting Demi, my longest running WIP ever, off my needles has given me a newfound freedom! I still have much of my Farmhouse Yarns haul burning a hole in my yarn, um, dresser and a some new Noro goodness brought back by my parents from Hong Kong just begging to be ... something. I'm thinking a cowly pullover?

Maybe 28 thirty?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Box Bag Tutorial

A couple of you inquired whether I made this pouch based on a tutorial or pattern and if not, if I could provide one. Ask and you shall receive! I've learned so much from tutorials out on the internets, I'm happy I can give back for once. Bear with me, though. This is my first tutorial and creating one is much tougher than I imagined. I give anyone who's created a tutorial tons of credit! I feel obligated to preface this by admitting I'm a trial and error sewer. I make things up as I go along and test things during the sewing process to see if I'm achieving my desired results. Also, I taught myself to sew just playing around on a sewing machine, so I don't always use text book methods. Just wanted come clean before you all jump into this and so you have a little understanding if I did something in a backass way. The pattern works, which is all that matters to me! Because of the versatility of this pattern, my instructions can be used more as guidelines. You can

Done: Weekender Bag

Happy 2007! I hope you all had a good time ringing in the new year. I have some lofty goals for this upcoming year and some musings on last year, but that's for another post because-- Finally! (the top looks kind of bumpy. I think it looks crisper when I'm holding it.) Pattern. Weekender Bag by Amy Butler Exterior Fabric. Amy Butler, Sunbloom Collection Cording Fabric. Amy Bulter, Charm Collection Lining. Khaki Fabric from Joann's I relied a lot on the tips from other bloggers who made this bag and wanted to give something back to the blogging community, so here are my.... 10 THOUGHTS & TIPS ON THE WEEKENDER 1. Dominating the cording. As the layers increased in the sewing, keeping the cording sandwiched in place became challenging. I had the best luck pinning the fabric together parallel to the fabric edge, rather than perpendicular. Stopping so often to remove pins got a little annoying, but was better than ripping and resewing. 2. Topstitching = Enemy number 1. I d

Granola.

In all my years of baking, I don’t think there’s any one food I’ve tinkered with more than granola.  Actually, that’s a lie. Let me try again. Besides chocolate chip cookies, there's no food I've tinkered with more than granola.   But granola! The goal: delicious, crunchy yet chunky enough to eat on its own, and not just dessert masquerading as a healthy snack. Doesn’t sound too hard.  But… the best tasting is inevitably the worst for you (not to name names...Panera copycat recipe). Consistency should not be a trail mix of sugared oats and nuts and fruit. There should be chunks you can hold without crumbling.   So, when I stumbled upon a granola so good the restaurant sends guests home with their own little prepackaged personal sized portion, I had to give it a try. And to document my trials so when I inevitably forget the recipe, I'm writing this post so it’s here waiting and ready. (And maybe, you, too, have been seeking that perfect granola recipe??)