Tuesday, January 19, 2010

My Holiday Sweater

The first time I saw the movie "The Holiday", I fell in love... with a sweater. I absolutely loved the white cabled sweater that Cameron Diaz wore and from then on it was "Jude who??". I searched and I Googled, looking high and low for who made this sweater and where I could purchase it. I found out that it was made by TSE Cashmere and it could be purchased on their website here. YAY! For $995.00!!!! NOOO! Now, I used to work in fashion so I am not shocked by the high price tag, but that price is a little too steep for me. But I am a knitter and I just knew if I could find a pattern that is close to this, I could knit it up. So I went to Ravelry (seriously, Thank God for Ravelry) and I found the exact pattern for the sweater!!

Pattern: Fireside Sweater by Amber Allison
Yarn: Schachenmayr nomotta Extra Merino Big in color 102
Needles: size US 9

I made a few mods which are all in the construction. I added an inch to the length. I shortened the sleeves by 2 inches and knit them flat instead of in the round. I also switched the buttons from the right side of the sweater to the left side. I think the fit is pretty good - I have a little extra room but the sweater is so nice and cozy.

I really love the yarn. It shows off the cables really well and it was nice to knit with. It was a bit less bulky than I thought it was going to be so I had to go down one needle size to get a denser fabric. I absolutely love this sweater!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Hats

The only other finished object I have as far as Christmas knitting goes is a hat for my brother-in-law.

Pattern: Turn A Square by Brooklyn Tweed a.k.a. Jared Flood
Yarn: Cascade 220 in Greystone Heather and Noro Kureyon in color 149
Needles: size US 6 & 7

I also finished this hat for myself a long while ago. I just needed a simple hat to throw on when it is cold and I had some yarn left over from another project.

Pattern: Ribby Hat by Tiennie
Yarn: Cascade 220 in white
Needles: size US 7
Mods: Only knit 50 rounds instead of 70.