Day 7 of 8 Days of Designs: One Awesomely Quick Pullover

Well, everyone, I am up to the penultimate design of my Romantique collection for autumne/hiver 2013, and we have come upon my pullover for the season - the Moody Bleu:

This pullover may have a rather detailed pattern, but it is actually quite simple to put together: it's bottom-up construction, worked in the round to the underarms. The sleeves are also worked in the round to the sleeve cap, so finishing is minimal. Intuitive, intuitive, intuitive.

What surprised me the most about this design is my final choice of fiber. The body of this is worked up in Red Heart  Boutique Eclipse, and people let me tell you this yarn is incredibly lightweight and springy. And look at those colors! I used two different colorways (carrying both but using one each on alternate rows) and I absolutely love how it turned out. Combined with the Berroco Cirrus I used for that spiffy collar, and I am completely pleased with the color play.

This is a pullover that will do well with a lightweight, very sproingy yarn - something with a tight twist, or with some amount of nylon. The chainette construction of the Red Heart also makes the texture of this almost crunchy, which I just love. Can you tell I'm completely bowled over by this yarn? Really, I had no idea.

Blogger is giving me fits this evening, so loading more photos will not be possible. However, look for more on the Ravelry pattern page as well as in the online preview book. I am just so thrilled with this pullover, I didn't want to wait any longer to post. :)

Ok, just one more to go. Let's hope Blogger behaves better later.

 

EDIT: Moody Bleu Part Deux

What a difference a good sleep can make - Blogger is now back to its ole' self, and uploading photos of the Moody Bleu pullover is easy as cake.

To the right is a back shot - I love how these colors and textures play together. The lace is a very easy stitch, picked up around the neck edge and worked in successively decreasing hook sizes; there's also one row of actual decreases, which gives a nice fit at the back of the neck. It can also be folded down for a slight shawl collar effect.

I am also a big proponent of Tunisian 1x1 ribbing - the other knit/purl ribbing, as I like to call it. I love its great stitch definition, although it behaves rather differently than it's knit counterpart: there's really no stretch to speak of, so whatever gauge you work the stitches is how it will stay - no expansion or contraction.

Nevertheless, I think it provides a neat finish to most edges, and is especially intriguing with this self-striping yarn (I used only one color at cuffs and hem).

Thanks so much for sticking with my Romantique collection roll-out. If you haven't yet seen the pattern preview book, feel free to check it out here.


And happy holiday making!

Sneak Peek Revealed

I have, for approximately the last six months, moderated a Ravelry forum in which we have swapped goodie packages with paired partners. The overarching thread is Lion Brand yarns, and each swap has its own particular theme. The most recent swap was holiday- and charity-themed. Each person spends a particular amount on items swappees have identified as favorites in a previously answered questionnaire, and at least one item should be hand-made using the aforementioned yarn.

And here comes the revelation behind the sneak peak – I made a crocheted mobius wrap (pattern compliments of Red Heart) for my swap partner, in one of her favorite colors – purple. As you can see from the photos, I added an edging of mohair and lurex in lavender and silver.

The edging gave the piece just that little pop of color and sparkle next to the face. I also positioned the twist in the back on my dress form for a different look.

While I can’t say I’m a huge Red Heart fan, some of their patterns are quite lovely – especially if you can imagine them made with different yarn weights. While worsted weight was super for this project to ward against the cold, this wrap would also look elegant in laceweight or fingering weight yarn (plan to use between 500 – 600 yards, depending on size and gauge).

Most importantly, my swap partner loved it! Additionally, we both made something for a charity each had respectively identified at the beginning of the swap, and I sent along two blanket squares for Project Night Night:

Since I am stepping away from my mod duties to focus on other goals in 2011, it was a nice note upon which to end.

So – go out there and make something for somebody, alright?!!! And, once I receive my package (which should be very soon) – I’ll let you know what goodies I get.