Gossamer for Her
One of the most knit-worthy people in my life is my daughter, Anya. She is 9 and loves wearing stuff I've mad
That is, as long as said handmade items are made to her specifications. And while I know her pretty well (obviously), and I know what she doesn't like (pink, purple, frills of any kind), I'm not always so good at guessing what she'll want to wear.
Anyway, a couple of months ago I asked Anya if she'd like me to make her another sweater, since she is fast growing out of the last two I've made her (here and here, if you'd like a reminder), and of course she said yes. I thought she might want a blue cardigan, or something with stripes, or possibly a hood. I was completely wrong. When I asked what she wanted, she replied "A white sweater with cables. Not a cardigan this time."
And so that's what I made her. May I introduce you to Anya's latest handmade sweater:
The pattern is Gossamer For Her by Pelykh Natalie.
The sweater is knit in one piece from the top down with a beautiful cable pattern on the front and back, as well as the top and bottom of the sleeves. The neck is higher in the back thanks to some short-row shaping. It's beautifully designed, but I have to say the instructions were a bit hard to follow in the beginning. Part of that is simply because there is a lot to keep track of, with charts and shaping increases and short-rows, but it's also because the language is a bit awkward and you have to wade through a lot of details in the row-by-row instructions. I was well into the shoulder/sleeve shaping before the sweater felt intuitive. I wouldn't recommend this for a beginner, for sure.
Yarn choice was a little tricky. I don't mind hand-washing my kids' knitwear, but since Anya wanted white, I thought washable yarn might be more practical than not. Also, because the neck comes rather high I wanted something that would not feel at all itchy. I landed on a new-to-me yarn from Cascade called Anchor Bay, a washable 50/50 wool/cotton blend I found at Wisconsin Craft Market. I don't totally love this yarn; it was slippery and split easily, thanks to the cotton content. However, it's very soft and comfortable for Anya to wear, and it washes up very nicely without changing gauge, and I bet it won't start to pill any time soon. I'd use it again for baby knits for sure, though the colors available are rather underwhelming.
I made the 10/12 size, which is obviously roomy on Anya, but that was intentional. Summer is upon us, and for all the work that went into knitting this, I'd rather her roll up the sleeves for now and have it still fit her next fall and winter.
I need to do a catch up post soon, because I've been sewing a bit and have so many more things I'm knitting. I really prefer reading bloggers that post about process and include some personal details as well, but until the last week or so I've been so busy with work and family life I just haven't been able to keep up. Now that the semester is all wrapped up, though, I should be able to devote more time here. Still, I keep saying I need to post more often and then I get caught up in other things and before I know it, a whole month goes by. In the immortal words of Philip J. Fry, I don't promise to try, but I'll try to try!
That is, as long as said handmade items are made to her specifications. And while I know her pretty well (obviously), and I know what she doesn't like (pink, purple, frills of any kind), I'm not always so good at guessing what she'll want to wear.
Anyway, a couple of months ago I asked Anya if she'd like me to make her another sweater, since she is fast growing out of the last two I've made her (here and here, if you'd like a reminder), and of course she said yes. I thought she might want a blue cardigan, or something with stripes, or possibly a hood. I was completely wrong. When I asked what she wanted, she replied "A white sweater with cables. Not a cardigan this time."
And so that's what I made her. May I introduce you to Anya's latest handmade sweater:
The pattern is Gossamer For Her by Pelykh Natalie.
The sweater is knit in one piece from the top down with a beautiful cable pattern on the front and back, as well as the top and bottom of the sleeves. The neck is higher in the back thanks to some short-row shaping. It's beautifully designed, but I have to say the instructions were a bit hard to follow in the beginning. Part of that is simply because there is a lot to keep track of, with charts and shaping increases and short-rows, but it's also because the language is a bit awkward and you have to wade through a lot of details in the row-by-row instructions. I was well into the shoulder/sleeve shaping before the sweater felt intuitive. I wouldn't recommend this for a beginner, for sure.
Yarn choice was a little tricky. I don't mind hand-washing my kids' knitwear, but since Anya wanted white, I thought washable yarn might be more practical than not. Also, because the neck comes rather high I wanted something that would not feel at all itchy. I landed on a new-to-me yarn from Cascade called Anchor Bay, a washable 50/50 wool/cotton blend I found at Wisconsin Craft Market. I don't totally love this yarn; it was slippery and split easily, thanks to the cotton content. However, it's very soft and comfortable for Anya to wear, and it washes up very nicely without changing gauge, and I bet it won't start to pill any time soon. I'd use it again for baby knits for sure, though the colors available are rather underwhelming.
I made the 10/12 size, which is obviously roomy on Anya, but that was intentional. Summer is upon us, and for all the work that went into knitting this, I'd rather her roll up the sleeves for now and have it still fit her next fall and winter.
I need to do a catch up post soon, because I've been sewing a bit and have so many more things I'm knitting. I really prefer reading bloggers that post about process and include some personal details as well, but until the last week or so I've been so busy with work and family life I just haven't been able to keep up. Now that the semester is all wrapped up, though, I should be able to devote more time here. Still, I keep saying I need to post more often and then I get caught up in other things and before I know it, a whole month goes by. In the immortal words of Philip J. Fry, I don't promise to try, but I'll try to try!
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