[Knitting] More Teddy Bear Jumpers!
Jan. 6th, 2009 08:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kniteracyWell, one more with a fragment of the next one. I'm really just preparing samples in shop wool at this point. I'll probably end up going with different wool for the gansey than I'd originally intended, and possibly different needles for both garments.
The Patterned Icelandic jumper will have a traditional yoke pattern, as well as the little peerie pattern on both body and sleeves. Originally I'd planned to make this on US4/3.5mm needles, but I didn't like the fabric, so I traded down to the US3/3.25mm ones. This is what Spindrift recommends, and the difference between the two fabrics is marked; I should really show you both swatches at some point so you can see what a difference a quarter of a millimetre made in the two fabrice. While it only changed the gauge by about half a stitch, the fabric is denser and more natural looking.
The real challenge here for me will be charting the stranded designs for the yoke. A traditional Icelandic yoke jumper, as you can see from this earlier example, is made in three tubes, then joined just below the shoulders and knitted into a big round yoke, which decreases down to the neckline. In the earlier example, I put stripes in where the decreases happened, so you could see construction details. However, Icelandic yokes are traditionally made with decorative patterns in the yoke, as you can see in this picture. So the trick is to calculate the number of stitches and decreases for the yoke, while ending up with bands of decorative stranded patterns that work for the number of stitches you're using. I think I've just about got it sorted for Cody's jumper, but teaching it in class will be a bit of a challenge! I'm glad I'm not covering this one until the next round of jumper classes.
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| Second Teddy Bear Gansey I'm not as pleased with this one: I used US4/3.5mm needles, and I'm unhappy with the fabric. This is Wensleydale DK, but it's a very fine DK, and I'm just not seeing the stitch definition I want to see. It's a shame, because this is the wool and needles I wanted to use for the class on this jumper, but now I will have to rethink that. Which is not to say that Cody does not look great in the jumper; he is a very handsome bear and can make almost anything look good! |
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| Second Teddy Bear Gansey, Finished Again, you can see that there's virtually no pattern relief on the front of this garment. I'm not very happy with it and will be remaking it either with smaller needles or using a different wool. |
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| Second Teddy Bear Gansey, Detail You *should* be able to see the two diamonds and two cables in the chest detail here, but I don't think they're showing up all that well. |
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| Teddy Bear Patterned Icelandic Jumper, beginning With all colours I intend to use in the jumper shown. The handwritten page is just my notes on the project. |
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| Teddy Bear Patterned Icelandic Jumper, Detail This is Jamison's Shetland Spindrift, on US3/3.25mm needles. |
The Patterned Icelandic jumper will have a traditional yoke pattern, as well as the little peerie pattern on both body and sleeves. Originally I'd planned to make this on US4/3.5mm needles, but I didn't like the fabric, so I traded down to the US3/3.25mm ones. This is what Spindrift recommends, and the difference between the two fabrics is marked; I should really show you both swatches at some point so you can see what a difference a quarter of a millimetre made in the two fabrice. While it only changed the gauge by about half a stitch, the fabric is denser and more natural looking.
The real challenge here for me will be charting the stranded designs for the yoke. A traditional Icelandic yoke jumper, as you can see from this earlier example, is made in three tubes, then joined just below the shoulders and knitted into a big round yoke, which decreases down to the neckline. In the earlier example, I put stripes in where the decreases happened, so you could see construction details. However, Icelandic yokes are traditionally made with decorative patterns in the yoke, as you can see in this picture. So the trick is to calculate the number of stitches and decreases for the yoke, while ending up with bands of decorative stranded patterns that work for the number of stitches you're using. I think I've just about got it sorted for Cody's jumper, but teaching it in class will be a bit of a challenge! I'm glad I'm not covering this one until the next round of jumper classes.
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no subject
Date: 2009-01-06 12:30 pm (UTC)(waves to Cody)
I'd agree that the second gansey isn't as clearly defined as the first, but I wonder if that's in part because the colour is so much lighter?
no subject
Date: 2009-01-06 08:47 pm (UTC)(And no; it's definitely the gauge.)
no subject
Date: 2009-01-07 02:49 pm (UTC)