03-05-22
Just wanted to share this shot of so many wonderful Daytripper Cardigans (and one wonderful Destination Pullover ☺️). It's possible that one or two of these sweaters may be missing a sleeve, but that can be forgiven -- the KAL started only a month ago!
The knitters are, from left to right: Me, Brenda K (she couldn't be there for the photo, but her sweater was!), Liz M., Fey H., Torild H., and Laura (front row).
Devin is making great progress. The body is completed and he's working on the sleeves:
Isn't it fun to see all of the different color combinations?
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02-28-22
It's the last day of the month, and we actually did it! My Daytripper Cardigan is complete, although not blocked:
and Laura's Destination Pullover is all done:
We promise to post better pictures soon!
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02-26-22
This just in! Progress reports from the Northfield Yarn community.
Fey H. is halfway through the Body Trip chart. Aren't her colors so fun?
Brenda K. has finished sleeve #1 -- the knitting part of the project is nearly done!
Great job, everyone! Can't wait to see us all together proudly wearing our sweaters!
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02-23-22
There are 5 days left in February, and it looks like I may actually get this sweater done in time! I cut the steek this morning:
It was very exciting! I used the crochet method to secure the edges, and it looks like everything is holding just fine.
Devin is almost done with the body of his sweater:
If you've got keen eyes, you may have noticed the different accent colors on the top left side. What's the story? After finishing the yoke, Devin wasn't sure he loved the contrast color he used for the accent stitches in row 12, so we experimented with other colors using duplicate stitch. This is such a great way to test different colors, because it is very easy to pull out the stitches. If he finds a color he likes better, he's just going to duplicate stitch over all of them for an almost-instant color-change!
And how's Laura's sweater coming? Well, it's coming along nicely, but it is no longer a Daytripper -- it's a beautiful Destination Pullover:
Not satisfied with her Daytripper yoke, she deftly demonstrated the Knitter's Pivot -- an important knitting skill! Instead of giving up, she found a different pattern in the same book that calls for the same yarn and she's feeling much better with the outcome. Isn't it pretty? Sometimes a project just doesn't want to cooperate, and an experienced knitter will hear that message and respond!
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02-17-22
Just over two weeks into Bang Out a Sweater, the first sleeve is done!
Maybe I will actually succeed in finishing this sweater in a month! :)
Also, I blocked the body before starting the sleeves. It looked pretty small fresh off the needles, and I was concerned that it wouldn't fit. I had to stretch it and pin it to get the size I need, but I think it's going to work:
It isn't as big as I expected because my gauge tightened up in the colorwork, but it will fit me. Of course, this means I'll have to stretch it each time I wash it, but I'm okay with that (it beats starting over!). On to sleeve #2 today!
Laura also has progress to report. She swapped out the red for light pink, and finished and blocked her yoke:
Isn't it fun to see the same chart in such a different palette? Now it's evaluation time for Laura. She's not sure she's in love, so her project may take another turn.
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02-08-22
It's been one week since Cast-On Day, and I am excited to share my progress. In fact, I'm extra excited because today's post includes some guest appearances, so you can see a variety of Daytripper WIPs. :)
Thanks to a couple of plane rides, I was able to get all the way down to the start of the Body Trim chart:
It looks a little sad and crumpled now, but I'm confident that a nice soak will make it flatten out nicely. A few notes about modifications:
- Row 12. I didn't trust that I would be able to control my tension on row 12, which has a single contrast color stitch in the middle of the background color. I intentionally left it out, planning to add it later with duplicate stitch. I'll probably wait until after the yoke has been blocked, just to be extra sure that the floats between the stitches are long enough.
- Color choices. I chose a total of 6 colors, instead of 7, so the red will appear along the edges, and also in the zig-zag on rows 13-16.
- Length. The directions for my size said to work the body until it was 10 inches from the underarm, but I know from measuring a favorite sweater that I will want at least another inch of length. Plus, I know from measuring my swatch both before and after washing that the sweater will gain some length when it's blocked. Therefore, I worked to 11 inches, predicting that it will grow to closer to 12.
I probably won't be able to make this much progress during Week 2, but I will try! Meanwhile, I also have progress reports to share from . . .
Laura H., who had to start a little late but still got her swatching done and chose all of her colors:
Then, just before this post "went to press," Laura changed one of her colors! Tune in next week and I'll reveal the switcheroo!
Brenda K., who had finished her yoke by Saturday (when this photo was taken) and has since made it through most of the body:
Devin C., who also has a completed yoke to share, using some of the same beautiful earthy tones:
Keep up the good work, everyone!
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02-02-22
Cast-on Day Complete! I've got a tiny start on the yoke chart as of the end of Day One. Can't wait to see how the colors all come together!
I'll post again at the end of Week One and we'll see how much progress has been made. Only four weeks total -- yikes!
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01-31-22
When I heard about MDK's Bang Out a Sweater Challenge, I couldn't resist jumping on board, even though I have a long list of other things I should be knitting right now. I love working with Lettlopi, I love colorwork, and it would feel so good to make an entire sweater in a month -- definitely not something I've ever come close to accomplishing before!
So I've swatched, and I got gauge on a US 10. The stitches were too small fresh off the needles, but they blocked out just right (color in the photo is Galaxy):
I'm still playing with the color choices a bit. My Main Color and Contrast A (the button bands) are set, so I'll be able to cast on on February 1st, but I'm still playing with the placement (and quantity) of the other colors.
I'll post updates here as I make progress throughout the month. If you want to join in the KAL, you can purchase the pattern here, and the yarn here. (We've also put together Yoke Kits, in case you'd rather not have to choose so many colors yourself.)
I hope you'll join me in this challenge -- cast on day is tomorrow!