Haiku Cardi revisited

I really like how well my first Haiku Cardi turned out. (See it in the blog post prior to this one, or at my Ravelry project page here.) 

Dye lots are still a thing, y'all - sigh

I wanted to make the pattern again, but this time I utilized garter stitch to emphasize the stitch definition in the triangle section and also to alleviate some issues I had before with the front placket and sleeve edges wanting to curl. The plackets in garter stitch lie much better without any additional persuasion (i.e., aggressive blocking).

I ended up with 275 stitches across the bottom after rejoining the fronts to the back, which is a few more than the pattern called for, but a minor difference like that doesn't really matter in a project like this.

On this project, I learned the hard way that dye lots are still a thing, which is unfortunate, because the only way I had access to this Denim colorway of Red Heart Super Saver was by buying it through the mail.

Left and right fronts done

Of course, I don't know anything about how companies like Red Heart mass-produce their yarn, but it seems to me that in the 21st century, with the preponderance of all things digital, that companies ought to be able to exert better control over their color reproduction, to the point where dye lots are no longer necessary. (I'm only talking here about BIG companies; naturally I wouldn't extend the same expectation onto smaller or indie yarn producers.)

My stockinette gauge

So, anyway, I very clearly was given a skein from a different dye lot, which cuts a visibly darker line at the top of the lower portion of this cardigan. Nothing to be done about it now, so I'll just consider it a "design feature." Bah-ha-haaaa.

Oops!

I also had an "oops!" moment after rejoining the fronts to the back to start working the "skirt" of the cardigan. You can see the "oops" in the above photo, where I accidentally got one row of the garter stitch pattern wrong. Le sigh!! It's OK, though ... not terribly noticeable.

Considering my ongoing chronic pain issues, coupled with the fact that I'm not a particularly fast knitter, I'm amazed that I was actually able to finish knitting two of these in less than four months. 😊 

As I said, I really like how well this project turned out, and using the garter stitch edgings worked particularly well. I'm going to enjoy wearing this.

Swingy Shawlivest cardigan with pockets

I continue to experiment with my Swingy Shawlivest paid pattern. This time I decided to add sleeves to make a Swingy Shawlivest cardigan-style and also added pockets. I love how this turned out. It's so swingy and almost cape-like; I know this is going to keep me nice and cozy come next winter. You can browse my other Swingy Shawlivest blog posts at this link.

I used a regular DC mesh stitch for this one, rather than the EDC in the original pattern.

After working the body of the Shawlivest to the desired length, I continued working a twisted rope fringe across the hem without cutting the yarn.

To make twisted rope fringe: SC into next ch 1 space. Pull up 16-inch loop and twist 40 times before joining with sl st to top of next DC. Repeat across hem. (Mine ended up with 228 fringes.)

Mikey of The Crochet Crowd has a video tutorial showing an even better method (similar to what I did, but he uses slip stitches exclusively, and his version is probably more durable over time that way, so I recommend doing it Mikey's way). You can increase the space between the fringes by just working more slip stitches in between them, if you wish.

It only took me about two weeks to crochet most of this cardigan. But it took me over a year to actually finish the project because I stalled out while doing the twisted fringe. All that twisting was seriously aggravating the elbow tendinopathy in my dominant arm. I managed to work my way across maybe the first 25% of the hem over a period of about 11 months (that was less than 60 fringes in ELEVEN MONTHS, guys ... seriously — ouch!!!), and then I realized that I just couldn't do it anymore.

I showed the project to my husband and shared with him how defeated I felt by my disability. We both felt it would be such a sad thing if I wasn't able to finish it because of that. He asked me to explain to him what my process was for making the twisted fringe, and then in secret my husband went searching around on the internet trying to find something that would help me finish making the fringe without hurting my arm so much.

What he found was nothing short of magical.

Before my husband found it, I had no idea a tool like this existed.

He found and bought for me a Maple Quad End Fringe Twister from Etsy seller theknitstore. He knew I didn't need a tool with four twisters on it, since I was only making one fringe at a time on this project, but he decided to get the quad twister anyway (the seller also has a dual end option) so, in his words, I would have more possible options for using the tool when I make other things in the future. What a sweet and thoughtful man I married, right?!?!

When the tool arrived I watched a YouTube video on how to operate it, and even though I was only working with one loop being twisted at a time, the tool made the work SO MUCH easier on my arm. Yes, there's still some manual movement involved, but it wasn't nearly as strenuous as twisting the long loops by hand, and the tool made the process so much faster.

Bottom line: After only being able to make around 60 twisted fringe loops by hand over the course of about 11 months, with the fringe twisting tool I finished the remaining 168 loops in ONLY TWO DAYS with no painful aftereffects from the work. No matter how you slice it, that is a definite win.

After completing the fringe, the only things left to do were to add sleeves and also a couple of patch pockets on the front.

I attached the yarn at the bottom of an armhole to begin working the sleeves. I just crocheted in the same mesh pattern using joined rows. I put in some stitch decreases for the first five rows and then worked the rest of the sleeve straight, and then I finished the sleeve with a few rows of fpdc/bpdc ribbing.

For the pockets I used the pocket pattern from the Lazy Diamond Boho Pocket Shawl, and I think they complement the cardigan nicely. The pockets are about 10 inches square, so they're nice and roomy for keeping hands warm. I might add a fabric liner to the pockets later (useful if I want to keep anything small in there, like coins, which might otherwise fall out between the crochet stitches), but I'll see how I feel about that later.

True Blue Swingy Shawlivest

I love the look of ombre/gradient yarns, so I wanted to try using one to make another Swingy Shawlivest, since I practically live in these vests all winter - they are so comfortable. 

Here's a link to my Ravelry project page. Vest total yarn weight: 1,000 grams. Estimated actual yardage totals the length of about 3.5 skeins, but I needed portions from another two skeins to match the stripes in the armhole section, so at least 6 skeins are needed to complete the project with this yarn.

Going Gray Swingy Shawlivest

I wanted to try making another Swingy Shawlivest, but this time with pockets. 

 

The pockets are lined with fabric and are about 6 inches wide by 7 inches tall. I worked the pockets in an edc post stitch faux rib to sort of resemble the pattern of the vest fabric beneath but with a solid fabric to conceal the pocket lining.

It's nice to have pockets, but I decided if I make another Swingy Shawlivest with pockets, I'll make the pockets bigger next time. Maybe 8 inches by 9 inches or so. Here's a link to my Ravelry project page.

Swingy Shawlivest with pineapple hem for LadyU

For her birthday, my daughter LadyU was hoping for a loose-fitting crocheted sleeveless poncho type of garment of about hip length, preferably from a pattern that incorporated pineapples and an asymmetrical hem. She said her favorite colors are pale teal, purples, and blues, or greens on the blue side of their color scale. She texted me a couple of photos showing some similar pieces that she liked, but I was having trouble finding a pattern designed to be anything close to what she was describing.

So I texted her a photo of my Swingy Shawlivest and asked if it would be something she might wear. I mean, I totally live in mine all winter long -- it's like my own personal blankie to keep me toasty all day and night. She said she liked the look of the vest and if I could add a row of pineapples along the hem that would make it perfect for her. That is how this project came about.

Based on her color preferences I knew the Caron Simply Soft Paints yarn in the Oceana colorway, which I've worked with many times before, would be ideal.

I worked her Swingy Shawlivest following the pattern through row 40 then started working the pineapple border starting at row 19 of the chart from the Cute Halter Top pattern.

I had looked around for some time trying to find a pineapple border that looked the way I wanted it to -- with a bottom edge that let the pineapples hang with individual "teeth" along the bottom edge (as in LadyU's second concept photo) rather than a totally straight bottom edge. The bottom edge of the halter top pattern fit the bill.

I worked on most of this project while I was on vacation, so when I ran out of yarn on the very last pineapple (UGH! yarn chicken fail) I had to set it aside for a few days until I got home and could order another skein (of which I only used a few inches).

And so, naturally, since I had to buy another skein of the Oceana yarn but only used a tiny bit of it to finish the Shawlivest, it just seemed logical to use part of the rest of that extra skein to machine knit a coordinating turban twist headband for LadyU. (80 rows on the Sentro 40, gauge of about 4 sts/4 rows to the inch on medium tension.) This gives her two pieces that she can wear either together or separately. 😊

Swingy Shawlivest - new pattern!

New pattern alert! Today I released my crocheted Swingy Shawlivest pattern on Ravelry! This is a paid pattern, but if you try it I believe you'll agree it's a good value.

 

The Swingy Shawlivest is an eye-catching, reversible layering piece worked in a shape reminiscent of a classic top-down crochet shawl in an airy mesh fabric that drapes wearers of any size comfortably with ample positive ease. The seamless extended-double-crochet mesh pattern is easy to memorize. Choose to work until your Shawlivest is the length suggested in the pattern, or work until your piece has a finished length that suits you.

Perfect for keeping the chill at bay at the office or for staying warm and fashionable while running errands or cozying up at home, the Swingy Shawlivest is as easy to wear as any vest and stays in place all day with none of the fiddling, fuss, or repositioning that shawls often require.

A compact/printable version of the pattern is included, so you can save paper and ink by only printing one page.

The Swingy Shawlivest uses about 1,000-1,200 yards of worsted or aran weight yarn. (Total yardage will vary according to your individual gauge and choice for finished length.) You will likely need more yardage/skeins to match stripes if you’re using yarn cakes with long ombre color changes.

Gauge is not terribly important for this project; choose a hook size that works your chosen fiber into a fabric with nice drape, even if that means going up or down one hook size (or more).

Pattern includes written instructions and photos to guide you step by step.

If desired, add fringe or a crocheted edging along the bottom to give your Shawlivest a look that’s totally unique to you. You could even opt to add a few buttons or toggle closures to the front, although your Shawlivest will stay in place easily as you wear it without such embellishments.