I was able to finish the back to the arm hole depth, pick up the front stitches from the saddles, and contour the center front neckline. YES!
Something that might be of interest is that I did both saddles at the same time when I knitted them, and I picked up stitches from both at the same time with two balls of yarn. No mistakes possible!
For quite some time I've had the idea that I'd like to do an Aran that incorporated both heart figures and flowers. All of my stitch books, and many of my pattern books, have little post-it flags sticking out the tops and sides! I played and played, trying to decide what I liked best, and I finally accomplished what I had hoped to do. It involves modified cable patterns from Barbara Walker, Nicky Epstein, Ivanova, and Annie Maloney.
Along with the idea for this sweater I had an ideal color in mind. And it wasn't in my stash, nor could I find it at a price I would pay. Suddenly one day I had a "light bulb" moment. I'm a weaver. I've got yarn up the wazoo. Digging in my shelves I found three cones of very fine 2 ply worsted spun wool. Two were a pale pink and the other was a pale apricot. When twisted together they gave the exact color I was searching for - a pink with a slight yellow cast. Off to the spinning wheel went I, and a couple of days later I had 36 ounces of six ply wool yarn that was the perfect size for my sweater.
The yarn was skeined and set, and sampling commenced. I really began to get excited because this was going in exactly the direction I had hoped. The yarn was a joy to work with, and my size 5 needles were just right. What this meant was that I could use my "recipe" for the perfect Aran which is derived from Janet Szabo's FLAK in which you knit saddles, pick up the back stitches, then the front, etc. It is a "top down" sweater, and when the gauge is right I know the number of stitches and the length I'll need for every part of the sweater. This is the only way I knit now, and all of the sweaters that I've done since the FLAK have been done in this manner.
Here's my stitch sample swatch:
I've now knit the saddles, picked up the back and have finished one entire repeat. When the back is finished to the underarm I'll post another picture. We're traveling this weekend, and I hope to get a bit of knitting done in the car!
... since I last posted. I think it's a case of "life getting in the way" again. But the crocus flowers are history, and the trees have green leaves! Lilacs are starting to bloom, the redbud trees are beautiful, and our quince are the most glorious salmon red that they've ever been. Life is good!
I haven't been twiddling my thumbs, however. I ripped the toes and redid the Cable Medallion Socks. The pattern was written for a much bigger foot than mine. I really like them much better now.
And I've done some spinning. I had a bag of angora/silk blend for which I'm totally blank on origin. I think it was one of those crazy impulse buys, and it's long gone from my memory. I have about two ounces, enough for a lacy scarf or small shawl as it's spun quite fine.
Finally, I've started a new Aran. That will be the subject of my next post.
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