The "mal" in Malabrigo

I won't be the first to say this: Malabrigo has enormous goodwill among knitters, because it's soft, offers great yardage for the money, and comes in such pretty, pretty colors. I've used it on more than one project and it's a pleasure to touch (um...just don't ever try to frog it).

However, Malabrigo seems not to be as well-liked by LYS owners and yarn buyers, because their supply chain seems to be a *wee* bit erratic. They're victims of their own success, apparently, and either can't (or don't bother to?) meet demand. People come into my local store on a daily basis wanting to buy Malabrigo laceweight--or any weight--and find that all they have left is a sad few hanks, and no word on when more will be coming. The order was put in months ago, and no one is answering the phone at Malabrigo, and the shop owner has thrown her hands up in despair.

Those of us who've had an eye on this summer's hottest pattern, the Featherweight Cardigan by Hannah Fettig, have started to feel this pain too. I want to make this sweater (or, OK, maybe something of my own design, but along these lines, and with this yarn) but not in pale yellow or bright pink Malabrigo--which was all my poor LYS could offer.

UNTIL NOW. Spinning Colors proprietor and crackerjack kettle-dyer Stephig has come to the rescue! She's offering a nearly indistinguishable laceweight 100% merino in some of her signature colorways, in a 950-yd. skein, for $20 (just one is enough to make the Featherweight in size Small). The color shown above is Jade; she's also got variegated Amethyst, Glacier, and Be Mine in stock. I have touched this stuff, and it's the real deal--downy-soft and superfine. Get your own before she stops answering her phone, y'all!

Well, that wasn't so hard after all.

Just 19 days later, Vera's done. And just as I'd hoped, working on something completely new helped me get back in the saddle on the old stuff, too--I'm making progress already and should be done with at least one of those projects by the end of the week, or maybe even sooner. I'm in a better groove with my "real" work, too. Things are looking up! (Including me, apparently, in this picture. Suggestions on how I could look ANY dorkier are always welcome, har har.) Thanks to those who made supportive and thoughtful suggestions on the whole feeling-bleh-about-working situation--it totally helped!

So, a word or two about Vera: This is a sort of remake, as I mentioned--same yarn, same stitch patterns, but with some structural changes/fixes and subtle improvements. It's worked with only two seams, one across each top shoulder, so finishing is really minimal. The body is in one piece up to the underarms, where the sleeves (worked separately) are joined, decreased on right-side rows up to the cap, and then the fronts and back are worked separately with the sleeve cap stitches decreased in seamlessly. The collar is squared off in the back, sort of like a sailor collar, and worked flat in one piece across the fronts and back neck after the body and sleeves are done. I've left the front open, but fastened it with a pin; it could be belted, snapped or buttoned if you feel you need closure. More pics and some additional pattern details are on Ravelry...

(If you are interested in test-knitting this for a larger size (44-54" bust), let me know! It'd take about 14 balls of Rowan Calmer, but there's no deadline.)

Setbacks, letdowns, doldrums...

Is it just that summer's starting? Or that I'm a better envisioner/ponderer/starter than a finisher? A preference for process over product? The lingering effects of end-of-term burnout? Or what?

The charting software I got is not *quite* what I wanted, and the dress form I finally allowed myself to buy is back-ordered until the middle of next month. I've got four projects either on the needles or waiting to start, and am just not that into any of them anymore. Ditto for the conference presentations, peer-reviewing and writing of journal articles, and qualifying paper that I'm supposed to be wrapping up. There's no shortage of deadlines and to-do list items, in other words; just a total lack of enthusiasm for the "do" part. That feeling of reluctance to stand up when your leg's asleep? I have it for my brain.

It would feel really good to Get Something Done, but instead of finishing an already-started thing, whee! I'm starting something new. Vera's an open-fronted, ribbed cardigan with a leaf-and-vine panel and squared-off collar, in Rowan Calmer, which is incredibly stretchy and soft. I made the original about six years ago, when I was just getting back into knitting after a long hiatus, and it's been my go-to for the slouchy pajama topper on a chilly night. The original was worked in pieces and seamed, but the updated version is worked flat in one piece to the underarms, with sleeves set in seamlessly.

Start the clock--we'll see how long it takes to finish this. Or anything.

The end of all-nighters is nigh.

I'm *thisclose* to finishing my projects and classwork. Hoo. Ray.

My end-of-semester treat to myself? Trip to Vegas and a new piece of knitting software. Either one could make me a millionaire--or cost me thousands! (Because I'll need to buy yarn to go with all those charts and graphs I'll be making once I learn how to use it, of course.) Mwah ha ha ha! Also, I get to knit instead of writing papers and doing research--for a few days, at least.

And when I get back, the now-traditional, semi-annual, complete and total overhaul of the ol' home office space to release all the pent-up mojo from the last four months. My new dress form should be coming soon, too. Can't wait.

Harriet pattern now available!

I'm sure no one was holding their breath, but in case you were, you can let it out now: I've just posted the pattern for the Harriet cardigan for sale in my Ravelry store. The published version covers a range of sizes from 30-54" bust, and includes instructions for making the sweater with or without the contrasting collar (without, it's a simple v-neck). What's of greater interest, perhaps, are the additional instructions for customizing the fit to avoid the giant-armholes problem that's frequently encountered in top-down raglan sweaters, especially in larger sizes. As you can (kind of) see from the image below (which is less nice than the image above, because the image above was taken by my more-talented friend Stephanie Gage, while I took the other one), it has a smooth, snug fit at the underarm in all sizes.


It's a simple enough trick--it just involves tweaking where and how often the increases are worked for the sleeves and front/back--but I think it gives great results, and might make the top-down raglan a much more successful style for people whose upper-arm and chest proportions differ from the so-called average. Since publishing Decimal, I've gotten a lot of comments indicating that this is a major area of concern--not just for larger knitters, but for anyone who has thinner arms/thicker torso or vice versa--so I want to emphasize that this pattern is designed with a great deal of care to maintain proportions and fit across the entire range of sizes. It's a classic silhouette that should be flattering and very wearable on everyone.

Hope y'all like it!

Myrtle

Another one is off the needles! This lace cardigan--named Myrtle for the usual reason, as well as for the crape myrtle trees that will start to blossom around here soon, and in honor of a friend's recently deceased cat--is worked from the bottom up in a fingering weight merino from Cherry Tree Hill, with set-in sleeves that are joined at the underarms and worked along with the upper body and shoulders for minimal finishing.

Unfortunately, the version shown here is most definitely a prototype. It's got about a million mistakes in it that will need to be corrected before a publishable version of the pattern will be ready. But I do love the color--Nantucket Red--and the dayflower lace pattern (which I first saw here, thanks to one of my professors)...

Carma

Named for the intrepid California State Librarian (1951-1972) Carma Russell (Zimmerman) Leigh, this is a delicate jacket worked in laceweight silk that was held doubled while knitting. I love the drape and hand of the finished fabric, but found working with a double strand to be kind of a pain, frankly; also, this particular ink-blue color bled onto my fingers and stained my nails while I worked it. I'm tring to find a fingering-weight silk or viscose blend I like, so I can achieve a similar drape and texture for the next one without all that mess.

Best thing about this project, I think, is that it was totally seamless--worked top-down from a provisional cast-on at the lower edge of the back neckline with set-in sleeves that are picked up and knit after the front and back shoulders have been worked about 1/3 of the way down. Barbara G. Walker's Knitting from the Top describes this technique, but I think the description and illustrations in French Girl Knits by Kristeen Griffith-Grimes are a bit better--and her book includes some nice projects knit this way, too. The pearly antique-white collar edging is picked up and knit in one piece with mitered decreases at the corners. I finished it off with matching Dorset buttons made following this tutorial. These ones were only 1/2" wide and extremely fiddly (not recommended, frankly, although I think they really look nice). And there's crocheted shell-stitch edging all the way around, which is a total case of "if you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail": shell stitch is the only thing I can do in crochet, and I only just learned it, so I kinda went to town on this one.

I like to think that the (extremely pretty) Carma might have worn something like this as a bed jacket around the time she got her degree from the UC Berkeley School of Librarianship in 1930. In this day and age, it'd be a perfect summer top over a sundress, or worn over a lacy cami and jeans.

Additional project details are in Ravelry...I'm currently working on a larger-size prototype, after which this pattern will be made available for test-knitting. Let me know if you're interested!