Beatnik Pullover Sweater: twisted rib comparison

The Stockinette blog has a post on how she knit her Beatnik in the round, with seamless set-in sleeves. It looks fabulous on her! It also looks like this sweater doesn't really need seams for structure. So I decided to start a sleeve in the round to see how it compared.



No contest. On top: twisted rib knit in the round on dpns. On the bottom: twisted rib knit flat. I'm glad I'd only just finished the back hem; less for me to frog and re-do.

Knitting a sleeve early on in this process should help me get an idea of the true gauge (the best swatch is a finished project, after all), plus a sleeve is a good on-the-go piece to have in my project bag. I don't think I could successfully work on the cabled body of this sweater at an SNB or in the car.

Beatnik pullover sweater: casting on

So that bag of Berroco Remix I bought along with Wendy Bernard's book Custom Knits, to knit the Ingenue pullover sweater with, after multiple swatches and much Ravelry research, is now being knit into the Beatnik pullover sweater. All of my swatching was suggesting that this wasn't the yarn for an Ingenue; getting to gauge would have made a very stiff fabric and I didn't want to have to redesign the sweater to suit my gauge instead. Just going ahead and designing a sweater for myself gripped me for long enough to sit down with Sweater 101 and take notes, and then Beatnik popped up in Friends Favorites on Ravelry and I was smitten. Although I know swatches lie, my swatches suggest I knit this one size smaller (the 40" instead of the 44"), so that's what I'm doing...even though the sweater is knit flat, in pieces, so trying it on as I go won't be an easy option. I'm also using 4.5 mm needles to knit the twisted rib hems, because I couldn't find 4.25 mm needles. So far, those are the only changes I have made to the pattern; once I get to the armscyes and sleeves it may be a different story, as I have broad shoulders and big upper arms.

I will note that knitting twisted rib in a non-stretchy yarn is not the most fun thing, especially when the needles are heavy enough to slide right out of the stitches if I'm not careful. Added bonus for me preferring to knit "combination" style, which means that the standard instructions for how to knit a twisted rib does not result in a twisted rib when I do it. It's been a little slower for me because I had to pay attention to the stitches and make sure I was twisting them.

Pattern: Beatnik by Norah Gaughan, published in Knitty Deep Fall 2010
Yarn: Berroco Remix

Lava Flow Cowl #3, blocking

Lava Flow Cowl #3, blocking.

The Lana Grossa Alta Moda Cashmere was a good choice. It's pretty airy for a bulky yarn, it's next-to-the-skin soft, and it's got a little bit of halo that you can see close up:


...and great stitch definition when you stand back:


Now I just have to graft the ends.
Pattern: Lava Flow Cowl by Dixie Norton, available free at the Dixie Stix blog.
Yarn: Lana Grossa Alta Moda Cashmere, 80% merino, 20% cashmere. Bulky/12-ply chainette. (YarnDex link)

Where to find me

Last year I blogged a lot less and started tweeting on Twitter (mk_carroll) and tumblring on Tumblr (mkcarroll). This month, I've also been pinning on Pinterest (mk_carroll). I'm still active on Ravelry (mkcarroll), although I have scaled back on the amount of forum posting I do and I've disabled Ravelry messaging.

Twitter: mostly little glimpses into my day, including, yes, what I have for breakfast sometimes.
Tumblr: still working this out. When I have more to say than the 140 character limit on Twitter, or want to share a photo. Had been using it to bookmark pages and sites as well, but I haven't done that since I got started on Pinterest.
Pinterest: 13 boards, currently, including But What Do You Knit or Crochet in Hawai'i (short answer: whatever you want to), Handmade Accessories, Vintage Costume Jewelry, and Books I've Been Reading.
Ravelry: knit/crochet projects, mostly.

Email (mail[*at*]mkcarroll[*dot*]com) is still the best way to contact me directly online.

Lava Flow Cowl, take 3

Lava Flow Cowl #1 is still in progress. I misread the instructions and cabled more frequently than the pattern called for - letting it marinate while I think about working that into the pattern or just starting over.

Lava Flow Cowl #2 - frogged, as posted earlier.

Lava Flow Cowl #3 has knit up quickly; what I need to do now is weave in the ends, wash it, block it, and see if it's the right length. This time I'm using Lana Grossa Alta Moda Cashmere on US #13 needles, and it is knitting up to be rather light and fluffy for something so bulky.