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Pattern: Cherish by Kim Hargreaves, from her excellent book Heartfelt: The Dark House Collection. I love Kim Hargreaves' designs. They do tend to be a little samey (similar shapes and designs from season to season just with different yarns or small tweaks to the patterns) but almost all classics. Thinking about my Ravelry queue, she's probably got the most designs in it of any single designer.
(note the stunt brooch! I didn't have time to get the right button for this so I've left that to Miss J!)I love this pattern for its clever touches - a bit of short row shaping on the fronts to make it fit so well around the bust, and for the sideways garter stitch edgings with a picot-style edge. And the slight flare on the sleeve cuffs - very chic! (I did have a modelled picture of this but of course forgot to put it on my memory stick, so I'll update the post with it tonight!)
Yarn: Cleckheaton Gusto in black (col 2088) - in the end I think I used about 7 or 8 x 100g balls. Nice story about the yarn. Miss J had bought 5 or 6 balls to make something, decided she didn't like it and gave the yarn to me. As soon as I saw this pattern I knew she would love it so decided to make it for her. When I got to the sleeves and still hadn't finished the first sleeve even after unravelling my gauge swatch, I knew I wouldn't have enough yarn. And of course by that time, Cleckheaton Gusto was discontinued and no black was to be had anywhere. So I posted an ISO on Ravelry and Carson so very kindly sent me almost a whole ball, which I thought would be enough. But no, this pattern seems to eat yarn! So I contacted the Australian Country Spinners Mill shop, hoping they might have a stray leftover. And they did! A very nice lady phoned me to say they had one ball left and she would send it to me - for nothing! She wouldn't take any payment, which was so very kind.
When it arrived I think there was at least the equivalent of 1.5 or maybe 2 balls (it wasn't wound the usual way the balls are) and so in the end, I've actually got a whole ball of yarn leftover! Which means someone somewhere will someday receive a black chunky yarn hat!
Sticks: 12mm KnitPicks Options. You know, I really don't like the knitting with the big sticks - so hard to manipulate and so heavy. If I didn't already have these, I would have bought the large sticks in the Harmony style, as they'd be a lot lighter, but since I hardly ever knit with the big sticks, I'll just keep the nickel plated ones.
Time: 25 April 2008 - 10 September 2008. I know that seems like a very long time, but to be honest, I did the back and fronts of this on the first weekend I started, and then the sleeves each took 2 or 3 nights each and the seaming another day, so it's actually a knit you could get done in a week, if you weren't a procrastinator or didn't run out of yarn!
What I learnt: You can find discontinued yarn almost anywhere if you look hard enough! And Knitters are very kind! (well, I knew that already!)
23 comments:
Good God.It's perfect. Breathtaking. I love it! It could almost convert me to chunky knitting - for the right project.
I love Kim H, too. I just don't have any of her books. I shall rectify that pronto!
Well done. And the sourcing of the yarn is really a good lesson isn't it? You can find stuff. Don't let the yarn beat you!
Your Cherish looks great, I recently got my hands on a copy of Heartfelt and have been trying to decide which one to do first, there are so many great patterns to choose from, I've very quickly become a huge Kim Hargreaves fan as a result. Great story about the yarn too, it's amazing how things can be found.
I'm sure your friend will love the present, I know I would!
That is SOOOO nice. What a lovely friend you are!
I've not been a fan of chunky yarns before, but this looks fantastic. I'm very tempted to queue it myself now. :)
Knitters are pretty wonderful! I've never met one who wasn't willing to share part of her stash with someone who was in need. The sweater is great. I am not familiar with that designer and am off to look her up!
It's gorgeous & I love it. With such big needles, it does knit up very quickly. I do agree that knitters are wonderful people - always so generous in sharing!
what a great chain of events, and a lovely story attached to this knit!
Isn't it amazing how we knitters can all work together and help one another, no strings (sorry, pun) attached?
love it!
Me likey!
Gasp. I totally love that. Its perfectly perfect!
Oops got sidetracked by lovely FO. I gave you a blog award, see my blog :D
3 wips finished? You overachiever! Love this :o)
I absolutely adore that, the colour, and yes the brooch. It's stunning.
It is very elegant, and I can see it is chunky, but it is still very elegant!! I can't knit wth big needles, 8mm feels like I am using tree trunks. Such good goal achieving this month!!!
I think that your getting the extra yarn you needed was just good karma from you helping me with the yarn I needed! The sweater is lovely. I'm quite sure that it will be loved. And I agree about the Kim Hargreaves patterns, but I think her classic shapes are what make her such a great designer. Have fun in Melbourne.
It's so refreshing to hear (mostly on blogs) about the niceness of other people.
Good change from the regular news media that mostly seems to say we're all killing each other.
great story, great result! it really is fantastic. well done you!
Gusto disappearing off the shelves has thrown lots of people. Kylie (Kylie's Crafts) had to go hunting around for gray gusto and was fortunate in that our LYS lady has a memory like an elephant's and knew who she'd sold her yarn to. Turned out to be another person in our S'n'B! Kylie got the jumper finished, only to find it wasn't the right style for her at all : (
yay you! that looks adorable - especially that ribbing at the wrists. very pretty.
Its beautiful! And the broach just looks fantastic too!
Lovely! The brooch is a great finishing touch for it. I love Kim Hargreaves patterns too - she's so great at making flattering shapes. I made this cardigan last winter. I love it, but don't wear it too often, as it leaves the bottom of my back too cold :(.
How lucky am I as the recipient!!! See, giving yarn does give good Karma, I gave RR the yarn as I didn't like my project that I bought it for and look how it boomeranged back to me. thanks my lovely friend Miss J xx
Its fabulous! I love KH patterns. Have you got the latest, Thrown Together?
Great sweater! Looks like one that will get lots of wear. I know what you mean about knitting with the big sticks. I was helping someone fix a project on Sunday. She was knitting with huge needles. It was so awkward. I thought no wonder it's a mess! She was a beginner so I told her to go to an 8 or 9 for a better satisfying knit project. I prefer 2's to 6's though!
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