mYak is an ethically sourced fiber born in Tibet and crafted in Italy.
Baby Yak is a worsted-spun yarn that is lightweight and feels luxurious knit up.
I love the naturally dyed heathered tones they offer – in particular, mustard, which is the colorway I chose for my sweater.
The sweater is designed to include approximately 5.5″ positive ease. I knit mine in XS and had plenty of yarn left over to make a matching hat. I’m still not very good at gauging how much yardage I actually need for my size. I don’t mind having the extra skein though – I’d rather that than have anxiety playing yarn chicken!
Here it is!
The turtleneck, hem and cuffs are knit in twisted rib.
The pattern called for a particular bind off that I’m not familiar with and was too impatient to learn.
Can’t remember if I went with just a regular bind off or JSSBO but either way, very happy with the results!
My favorite design element has to be the shoulder shaping!
A belated International Women’s Day post celebrating the phenomenal women behind this dream combo. Pattern and yarn are both from fellow Filipinas 🇵🇭 and I couldn’t be more proud.
I’ve been dreaming to knit with Akara Yarns ‘Ube’ colorway for some time now and was excited when Jessie Mae released Cozy Classic Raglan. I knew I found the perfect pattern for it.
Ube (pronounced OO-BAE) is a purple yam/sweet potato that is common in the Philippines and other Asian countries, and is on every Titas’s (auntie’s) dessert table.
I have many fond memories growing up eating ube cake. Back then, you can only find it as a traditional cake like the photo above or as a roll. Nowadays, you can find ube in almost everything from donuts, to brownies.
If you’re local in the GTA, you have to try the Ube Mochi Cupcake by Tri Pas Bakes:
And! If you happen to be in SoCal, you must indulge in the most delicious ube cheesecake by TheMissingPieceOC:
My mouth is watering just looking at these photos.
What were we talking about again? Oh, that’s right, yarn!
Let’s get back to the knitting 🙂
The pattern calls for DK weight or fingering + mohair.
At first, I held ube with the silver mohair together, but eventually wound the two in a single ball.
It’s best to alternate skeins when knitting with hand-dyed yarn, and managing 2 instead of 4 cakes per row made the process smoother.
I love the simplicity of a raglan sweater and the fact that top-down construction lets me try it on as I go.
I knit a matching pair of socks to go with my sweater using Ube by itself:
I used Sugar Frost socks, a free pattern by Marianne Heikkinen. I find socks with a minimal texture more comfortable to wear than a plain stockinette stitch.
Some of my go-to patterns are: Blueberry Waffle socks and Hermoine’s Everyday socks. Both are free on Ravelry. A new one I recently finished and adding to my rotation is Andrea Mowry’s DRK Everyday socks. The heel construction is perfect for self-striping yarn.
It’s been 2 years since I came across this pattern. I love that it came with 2 variations to choose from and the instructions were pretty straightforward. So what took me so long?
The sweater is knit in the round from the bottom up. It’s even super cropped so you would think I’d finish it in no time but as per usual, I procrastinate every time I have to seam.
It also became obvious that I was going to lose in yarn chicken for the contrasting color after I finished the ribbing.
I had some leftover Brooklyn Tweed Arbor in Arabesque from the hat I preview knit before. It paired well with the yarn I chose for this project, so in my efforts to use up what I had, I played the game.
When I realized it wasn’t going to be enough to finish the sweater, I asked around on IG if anyone happened to have leftovers sitting in their stash that I could buy. I didn’t need a full skein to finish the sweater and didn’t want to end up with leftovers again. It was a long shot, but to my surprise, someone in my community answered my call. Knitters are the best and I am so grateful!
I mentioned this pattern came with 2 options, a rolled hem neckline or a hoodie. I really liked how the rolled hem (loose neckline) looked in the pattern photos and intended to go with that version for my sweater.
But, after I tried it on, I realized it wasn’t for me so I ripped back and modified with a traditional 2×2 rib. It wasn’t until after I took my FO photos that I realized I probably should’ve used a 1×1 rib to match the sleeves and body.
Noted for any future mod’s – pay attention to the details!
I’ve heard of using markers for the decreases in the sleeves so I wanted to give it a try. I am forever an analog kinda girl so this was both weird and amazing at the same time for me.
It felt liberating to knit round and round without having to pause, grab a pen and mark a line on paper for each decrease. It was easier to keep track too.
Do you use markers for decreases or do you prefer to write it down? Those little checkmarks I get to put on the pattern after each section is so rewarding, but as for knitting sleeves, I think I’m converted 🙂
And here’s the finished sweater!
I’m really happy with how it turned out, even though I wasn’t as lucky this time around with my yarn not matching exactly. (You might recall this post where I used 2 different skeins of BT and had a different result.)
You can see a slight difference of Arabesque in this photo. The one from my stash (ribbing on body) is darker than the donated one (sleeves).
But honestly, you can’t really tell!
I love how it turned out.
My favorite design detail is the mini striping just before the ribbing on the sleeves and body.
And my favorite way to wear it is over my Smash and Tess Saturday romper in Forever Fawn.
My love affair with NBK‘s metallurgy colorway continues with the Andy Sweater. A cozy, top-down raglan cardigan designed by Junko Okamoto.
If you’ve been following for a while, you would know how much of a fan I am of this colorway. I’ve been knitting with it throughout the years using different bases, from a luxurious shawl in BFL Silk & Cashmere to socks in Merino & Nylon.
I love the moodier tone of this colorway in worsted weight and I searched for a while to find the perfect pattern for it. I wanted something in plain stockinette to show off the variegation.
I came across the Andy Sweater and immediately fell in love! It was exactly what I was looking for. A cozy sweater in plain stockinette. I’ve mentioned before how much I love cardigans and I was excited to add it to my hand knit wardrobe.
But a few things kept me from knitting it right away. It was a one size fit all sweater written for bulky weight yarn.
I’m thankful to my friend, Selma who helped me problem solve this dilemma. She is a beautiful knitter who’s made many modifications to sweaters she knits and shares on her podcast. If there’s anyone who can help me make this work, it’s Selma!
We were sitting at a cafe one day and in the middle of doing a puzzle with the kids when I remembered Andy. I showed her the photo and explained I only had worsted in my stash. I hoped for a magical solution and sure enough, she had one!
Basically, she recommended using the same needle size listed in the pattern (or whichever one got me the same gauge) with the worsted instead of bulky. I’m sure there was plenty more insight offered and I really should have taken better notes because she also managed to factor in my size in her equation. Whatever kind of brilliant math she was working out in her head worked! Thank you, Selma!
I am petite, so I did have to modify the body so that it would be oversized just enough for me. I used German short rows for the wrap and turn section and stopped increasing after Row 16. I was trying it on as I went and as soon as I achieved the ease I was comfortable with, I stopped increasing.
The pattern comes with 2 versions, long and short. I wanted this to be an everyday go-to sweater so I opted for the longer one with mod’s to fit my height. From my scribbles, it looks like I stopped decreasing at 190 stitches, but again, it’s easy to customize this and move on to the ribbing once you’ve knit it at your desired length.
Pardon the dirty car floor in this photo, but I forgot to take a group shot of the buttons I used. I finished knitting this sweater a while back but it took me some time to find the buttons because I had my heart set on army green ones. The pattern didn’t specify what size to get so I just guessed.
I went with the 14mm matte Corozo Button in Khaki from Merchant & Mills. One of the random things I’ve purchased online during this pandemic. I have to say, it has really paid off being subscribed to newsletters these days!
My everyday uniform long before quarantine has always been yoga pants and a t-shirt. Elevated with comfy hand-knit socks for the past few years, and now, I’m slowly adding comfy hand-knit sweaters, too!
I’m so happy with how this turned out! I just love metallurgy so much and now I get to wear it every day! I’m also really excited that I have my own formula down to make Andy again. It’s one of those timeless sweaters you can knit over and over! Maybe I’ll add a pocket to the next one!
It was back in September 2018 when I picked up issue #6 of Laine Magazine from my local yarn store, The Knitting Loft. I’m pretty mindful of the books I bring home and as much as I would love to have their complete collection, #6 caught my eye with Afterparty.
Almost a year goes by before I cast it on but I always had it in the back of my mind. I remember feeling as if I had just won the lottery when I found out that my LYS, The Knitting Loft were carrying the yarn.
It was meant to be!
I used the exact colors used in the pattern: Biches et Buches – Le Cashmere & Lambswool in Dark Grey for the main color and Grey Brown for the contrast.
I’ve heard of some knitters starting with the sleeves first and I’ve always wanted to give it a try so I went for it. At the time, I was busy with show prep for Knit City Montreal, so I thought it was a great idea to knit something (almost) mindlessly other than a sock for a change.
Even though it’s also knit from the bottom up, I managed to avoid the same mistake I ran into with Citrine of knitting the sleeves too long because 1) it’s knit in the round so no two at a time action and 2) I could easily try it on.
I pretty much stopped as soon as I reached my armpits 🙂
As you can see, I skipped the colorwork on the bottom hem of the sleeves and body. I like how it looks on others, but I prefer a more minimal aesthetic so I opted out.
I highly recommend this pattern if you ever wanted to try colorwork. The chart is very simple to follow, and you only have to alternate between 2 colors!
There is a tiny bit of seaming to do at the end but trust me, it’s totally fine! The sleeves are attached to the body by grafting a small number of stitches. That’s it!
I always put on this video as a refresher whenever I have to do Kitchener stitch and as long as you can have a quiet room for a few minutes, you’ll have the sleeves attached to the body in no time.
It’s my first sweater made out of Cashmere and I’m so happy to have treated myself to it! It’s been an interesting, humbling past year to say the least and I’m so thankful to be a knitter more than ever nowadays.
I wanted this to be a timeless piece so I knit it fairly long to make sure it covers my bum properly so I can wear it with leggings.
What do you think of it paired with faux leather leggings?
I love it, but my son, Ry, who took these photos of me btw, wasn’t a fan. I like it and that’s all that matters anyway, right?
I might just be the biggest procrastinator when it comes to finishing a seamed knitted garment.
But you know what?
I’m ok with it!
Between all the housework that comes with being a full-time mom and running a small business, those precious moments I get to knit have been limited. I’m finding myself setting aside the project if it requires anything other than knitting. This includes blocking and weaving in ends, too!
You’d think this would stop me from picking patterns that require seaming, but it doesn’t. If I really like the design, I’ll still cast it on regardless of how it’s constructed. I’ve come to accept that it’ll just take me longer to have the finished object in my hands.
From the moment I first saw this sweater, I knew I had to have it.
Boxy? Check.
Geometric? Check.
Split hem too? Bonus!
(Wait, was that included or did I add that myself? I can’t remember! It’s been too long but either way… check, check, check!!!)
I love Emily Greene‘s aesthetic and Citrine was an absolute pleasure to knit.
My favorite part is the simple detail of the twisted rib carried up on both sides of the body. Combined with just a hint of lace at the top of the sleeves is genius!
Citrine was a simple, fun knit. The pattern is easy to follow and I finished knitting all 4 pieces in no time at all. It just took me a year to put it all together! Full disclosure, I did make an error that contributed in the amount of time this languished…
I thought I was being smart by knitting the sleeves two at a time, but I ended up miscalculating the length all because I was too lazy to separate and measure.
I have to be in the right frame of mind to seam and it was only during the pinning part that I discovered I had knit the sleeves too long. Of course, by this time, I forgot that the sweater was knit from the bottom up, and when I realized this was the case, I set it aside again because what I thought would be a quick fix of re-knitting the ribbing was actually incorrect.
Another month goes by before I pick it up again. It was around February, when Knit City Montreal was just around the corner, and I really wanted to wear this by then.
I remember laughing at myself after it clicked that what I had to do was a lot simpler than I thought! I shortened the sleeves by ripping back from the bind off edge about an inch, and binding off. I didn’t even have to knit! I seamed the sweater that same afternoon.
Of course, I didn’t block it for another couple of weeks but the important thing was I finished it!
I’ve been waiting for a special occasion to wear my new sweater – the Diaphanous Raglan designed by Jessie Mae Martinson and this past weekend, I was finally able to!
We spent a couple of days in Toronto to celebrate my son’s 20th birthday. First, some one-on-one time with me and Radley in downtown Toronto. We met him at the Cineplex VIP to watch Parasite then we met up with the rest of the family for dinner at Scaddabush.
Ever since I saw this design, I knew I had to make it. I was intrigued by the fact that I only needed 1 skein of fingering weight yarn to knit this sweater. I’ve collected so many single skeins over the years without a project in mind for them and I was excited to finally be able to use one up.
I knew I wanted the sleeves to be navy which was my jumping-off point. I picked up 2 skeins of Isager Silk Mohair (color 100) from my LYS, The Knitting Loft then narrowed it down to 2 skeins from my stash that best matched the mohair. If you’re following me on Instagram and participated in the poll I did, thank you for your input!
DI-APH-A-NOUS
adjective
(especially of fabric) light, delicate, and translucent.
It’s my first time knitting with mohair and I enjoyed it so much! I also really liked that this pattern came with a few different options for sleeves that you can choose from. I knit the Bishop sleeve for mine. I used the main needle size for a slimmer version and omitted the underarm increases – which were all noted in the pattern.
I did end up getting a third ball of mohair as I only had 1 gram left after knitting the first sleeve. (The pattern does call for at least 550 yards but I wanted to wait to get the third ball in case I changed my mind on the sleeve).
Also, if you are super petite like me (4’9″) and wanted to know, I had about 26 grams of fingering weight left at this point as well.
I love the feminine shaping of the v-neckline for both the front and back of the sweater.
Ever since I saw this design, I knew I had to make it. I was intrigued by the fact that I only needed 1 skein of fingering weight yarn to knit this sweater. I’ve collected so many single skeins over the years without a project in mind for them and I was excited to finally be able to use one up.
