As a former newspaper gal and a freelance writer, I pride myself on my ability to meet a deadline. Thinking back through all my years of writing and even reminiscing about high school (!) I don’t think I missed one due date.
For whatever reason, my knitting doesn’t seem to follow the same rules as my writing. It probably has something to do with the fact that I view knitting as a peaceful, calming thing, which to me is inherently the opposite of a deadline.
I was not even close to done dutifully working on a baby blanket when its recipient arrived. I’d like to blame it on the fact that the sweet girl came a few weeks before her due date, but that day came and went while I was still working away, needles whispering late into the night.
So when I told myself I would finish Jordana’s Emmery by a speaking engagement in November I’d agreed to, I knew I was pushing it. Well, November came and went. Then December. (This, my friends, is why Christmas knitting isn’t in my near future.) And finally January.
Wheee! It’s my first sweater! And it only took me six months! To be fair I did have a few other projects I did in between, and my torso is obscenely long, so the body took some time. I am absolutely thrilled! It’s only been off my needles a few weeks, but I’ve worn it four times already!
Jordana told me that in every project I should learn one new thing. If you have to learn too many at once, she said, you can get overwhelmed and give up.
There were a few new things I picked up in this project, provisional cast ons (crochet method worked best for me) and how to try on a WIP (take the needles out and use waste string), but what I’m most proud of was tackling my fear of using DPNs. Not as scary as they look!
The Emmery really is a great sweater for someone who’s never made one before. It’s all stockinette and the shaping is really easy. Because it was so simple, I started to understand the construction of a garment in general. Super helpful.
Every time I put it on and take it off I’m sooo careful, as if it’s going to fall apart or something. It’s really taken some getting used to, this whole wearing-clothing-I’ve-made thing.
I’m definitely hooked, already deciding what my next JP knit is going to be. I’m thinking either Cerie or Cadence. I love Cerie’s look but I wouldn’t mind some long sleeves. Although by the time I’m done it’ll probably be summer!
In the meantime I need some advice from the JP community. I’ve started on some socks with the yarn I got from Desert Thread in Moab. I love them but I’m struggling with something. See if you can see it.
Arg! Laddering! I didn’t have this problem with the Emmery, I think because it was all knitting. As soon as I started purling it happened. When I worked on the sweater I would pull very hard on the first few stitches and it seemed to work. Not so much here.
Any advice on how to avoid this as I finish this sock and immediately cast on the next? I’m all ears!
When you’re in college, you don’t jump right into a 300 or 400 level class. You start in the 100 level class and learn the basics, right? Rebecca feels like she’s definitely taken that approach since she learned to knit several months ago. Here’s her latest update:
Generally I’m the kinda person who doesn’t like to get too comfortable, but comfortable knitting is really quite luxurious, wouldn’t you agree? Like a pedicure almost. I think I’m getting a little too comfortable knitting squares.
I’ve knit several scarfs. I wear them on my head, around my neck, as belts and ship them to friends when they’re too thick for California winters. The washcloths came afterward.
What a brilliant idea, especially when I’m camping. Dirt and campfire smells do not mix with the delicious alpaca and cashmere I’ve quickly become so addicted to. But honestly, my bathroom only needs so many of these.
So while I’m enjoying it, I gotta move on. You can only have so many pedicures before you can’t walk on your feet any more. After many months of knitting scarves and washcloths (and one giant afghan), I finally bought the yarn for Emmery, my first sweater!
I gotta say, I was more than a little overwhelmed when I got 14 skeins of yarn. I just wanted to use it as a pillow, it was so soft! This was also the first time I ordered yarn online, so I didn’t realize I would have to wind it myself.
Now, in every book, magazine and blog I’ve read. there is much debate about swatching. From what I can tell, if you don’t swatch, you could end up being a very unhappy knitter.
So of course, I swatch. I even got an extra skein so I could swatch, because I’m good at following directions (most of the time). Plus, I happen to have had a history of loose knitting (doesn’t that sound a little scandalous?), so I didn’t want to have a gargantuan sweater on my hands.
I spoke to a super friendly gal at Swift Stitch who told me to knit a big swatch and measure in several different places. Also, she told me: swatch in the same way you knit, so if you generally knit at night, don’t swatch first thing in the morning. Or something like that. Here’s what I came up with:
In my head I envisioned my swatch being perfectly 22 stitches per four inches. When I write it here, it seems ridiculous. I’m not a machine!
But I was stunned when one was a touch under gauge and one a bit over. Thankfully I have Jordana, the pattern designer, to help me. After asking a few sizing questions, she said go ahead and knit with the US 5, but try it on as I knit.
So I’ve cast on (a provisional cast on no less!) something that isn’t a rectangle, and I’m headed deep into unknown, imperfectly swatched, sweater territory. Wish me luck!
Help Rebecca hone her swatching/knitting skills: What’s your swatch methodology? Tell us about it in the comments!
Can you believe it’s August already? I don’t know about you, but if I don’t pay attention, weeks can go by in the bat of an eye. That’s why I thought it would be a good time to start talking about what you can make your kids, siblings, friends or yourself as a back-to-school treat.
I’m thinking the Emmery makes an adorable addition to any wardrobe, and it transitions nicely from summer to fall to winter (throw a cute long sleeve underneath for those really chilly days).
Or if you’re looking for something quick and easy, you can never go wrong with Mila. And if knitting isn’t on your radar right now (in some areas people can’t even look at yarn without sweating), the Knitter’s Messenger Bag is a great bag for the college-bound knitter. It could hold up to a 17″ laptop (although we recommend putting it in a padded sleeve first).
Being a student is tough and sending them off with well-made, thoughtful gifts might not make algebra easier, but it will definitely brighten their day. What about you? Are you knitting a gift for a student? Or are you a student who got a great gift (or has a good idea for a gift you haven’t gotten yet)? Spill! I’d like to know!
Last June my mom cast on Emmery. Voila, it’s done! She’s so pleased the sweater (knit in Ultra Alpaca Light by Berroco) and I think it looks great on her. It’s the first Jordana Paige pattern she’s knit. Sold on the fabulousness of top-down sweaters, she’s now cast on Landon.
This weekend I drove up to Lake Tahoe with my family. We didn’t do much of anything, which meant plenty of relaxing and knitting. I ran out of yarn for the sweater I’m designing. I was actually happy about this. It let me put down my work and knit for fun.
I made lots of progress on Annie, which I’m making for my mom. My mom got started on Emmery and made huge progress. She tends to knit in bursts, so she likes simple patterns that you can set down, pick up weeks later and get right back to it without any confusion. Emmery is exactly that type of pattern. It’s actually my easiest design–very basic, minimal shaping, worked in St st and top-down so you can try it on as you go. If you’ve never made a sweater before, this would be an ideal pattern to welcome you into the world of knitting garments.
We’re warming ourselves in the sun at Squaw Valley. We’re smiling because this is our view.
This is where I did the photo shoot for Emmery last fall. Same location, but such a different palette of colors.
Karen bought the pattern for Emmery just a few weeks ago at Stitches West and she’s already done. Knit in lavendar Valley Yarns Northfield, Karen modified the pattern by work a row of reverse stockinette at the bottom, cuffs, and neckline (at the folding points) to make the facings easy to stitch down evenly. She wore it to work for the first time this week; “Lots and lots of comments today about the sweater, from men and women alike! I’m thinking of making another one in light seafoam.”
Whew, I did it! Thirty days of only wearing my own knitwear designs. You can see all the looks in one place at weardrobe.com. I really enjoyed this challenge; both the styling and getting to wear my designs. Although taking my picture every day did turn into a bigger project than I expected, I got a little sad taking the last photos today. It’s been fun. I hope you’ve enjoyed it.
I feel like I need some great big finale-type look for today, but I really just wanted to wear Emmery one more time before it gets shipped off for a trunk show. It’s my favorite (my most recent design usually is). The past two times I wore it, I dressed it up. Today I kept it casual. The world is full of cute clothing, but nothing beats being comfortable. If you can get cute and comfortable, like with Emmery, then you’re in fine feather.
Entries for the contest are being accepted until midnight PST. The winner will be announced tomorrow.
Jacket: Emmery by Jordana Paige
Skirt: Anthropologie
Shoes: Borrowed from sister
There is so much to be thankful for. I had a wonderful day with my family. The dinner was a huge success, no disasters. I think my mom taught us well. Here’s a mosaic of the day.
Jacket: Emmery by Jordana Paige
Pants and Black Top: The Limited
Shoes: Bakers Shoes
Earrings: The Loft
Bracelet: Made by my aunt
Purse: Rio by Jordana Paige
Of all the sweaters I’ve worn so far, I am enjoying wearing Emmery the most. The yarn (Blue Sky Alpacas Sport Weight) is amazing. It’s so cushy, cozy, warm. Yum! I could just hug myself. I had a meeting today, so I needed an outfit that was business appropriate. I think this did just that.
So when I told myself I would finish Jordana’s Emmery by a speaking engagement in November I’d agreed to, I knew I was pushing it. Well, November came and went. Then December. (This, my friends, is why Christmas knitting isn’t in my near future.) And finally January.
