So the progress on the Jayashri Sweater continues, very slowly. It’s been a really busy week; several custom orders have come into the shop (yea!), along with several (28 – yes, twenty-eight) ruffle scarf orders. If you don’t take into account having 1) a job 2) a husband and loving niece and 3) social life, well then I guess I would have my pullover finished by now.
Wanna see some progress? Because I really want to share!
I am still keeping a very vigilant count of all the stitches that go into this wonderful pullover, it appeases my OCD as well as my genuine curiosity about how the garment is coming together. I am getting to the decreases that are written in the pattern for the waist, decreases aren’t a problem and I can see (both on the picture of the sweater and in my head) about how this supposed to turn out. It is the short rows and increases for the bust ( of which mine is….ample) that I am a little worried about. I am watching the Short Rows Class on Craftsy to get a better understanding of how these stitches are worked and it has done wonders to bolster my confidence. Of course I am saying this before I’ve actually worked a single row. 🙂
It is a bit daunting to put your first attempt at anything on the internet – especially when you spend every minute of your spare time seeing other bloggers amazing, flawless work. Perhaps it will be a way to motivate me to spend the extra time to learn the construction of a garment – I mean, who wants to fall flat on their face in front of such amazing talent? Either way it goes I am just remembering to breath and enjoy the knitting.
So friends and neighbors it’s question time! What was your first handmade garment? Did it end with smiles or tears? Is there any advice you would wish to share?
As always, it is a pleasure to blog with such great company! ♥
All Night Knits 
What a beautiful colour and the texture is gorgeous. I haven’t knitted with wool and silk mix yet.
Thank you! I’ll tell you, this is so much fun to knit with and not that expensive.
So pretty! I want to squish the yarn!
I don’t know if it counts, but my first handmade garment was a doll sweater that I worked on every Saturday morning under my Mommom’s tutelage when I was 12. In my early 20s, I completed a pair of socks and never looked back. 🙂
The yarn is incredibly squishy! I like the idea of a garment – but it is a bit intimidating. Maybe I should have started with the doll size:)
I sewed a plaid skirt when I was about 7 or 8…I thought it was the greatest thing ever until my mom hinted (very gently) that I may not want to wear it in public.
Oh no! There is something about wearing something your proud of at any age that is sacred, I am sure it looked amazing!
By the way, my Mom would LOVE it if I could sew anything at all!
You know, to this day I’m completely hopeless at sewing. I knit a pouch once – took me 2 hours. Sewing the lining took me two days and turned out awful lol!
I’ve taken the classes, watched the tutorials, practiced and practiced…but I’ve now come to terms with the fact that it’s one thing I’ll just never be able to do well.
I feel that way about juggling. Before you laugh…which is fine too…when I little it was the only thing I wanted to do. I tried every year (until I hurt my hand). Some things just aren’t meant to be, and that’s okay 😉
exactly! 🙂
My first knit project was a really really ugly scarf that I made when I was 10. My mother still refuses to throw it away.
My only advice? Don’t aim for perfection. Nobody’s perfect, not even the famous expert knitbloggers you read all the time. If it looks like they never make mistakes, then they’re just not telling you about them.
Aim instead for something you love and care about, and would want to wear, and let the little stuff go. Knitting is supposed to be fun, right? 🙂
You’re absolutely right, knitting is supposed to be fun!
That is so great about your first scarf, I still have mine in my hope chest – kept hidden from the world. I don’t think my Mom even saw it! 🙂
That’s a great question, my first was a stocking hat – I may have mentioned it before, but I made it out of this rust-red wool and it was all stockinette, because I was just trying to get the hang of knitting in the round, so – you know – knit a round, purl a round, yadda yadda yadda. . . with the rolled-up edge it ended up looking like a plunger without a handle, and I totally wore it to the hospital when my daughter was born. Nobody said a word about it, but I’m pretty sure everyone noticed it. 🙂
Aww, you met your daughter in a plunger hat – that is a fantastic story! Thanks for sharing, you’ve made my whole day!
Hey, any pics? 🙂
I have one. I just realized the edge was in stockinet the and then I started ribbing when I realized the edge was rolling up – but the effect was already done. 😀 lesson learned!
Good lesson – I’ve made so meant mistakes that I believe I favor learning the hard way 🙂
I’ll email it so you can see!
*Clapping!*
I love the color you chose! And we have another knitter: nareyayarnmosaics is knitting along. The first garment I made was M.C. Hammer pants in Home Ec class in 1992. Sadly, I don’t still have them.
Yea! Another knitter! 🙂
I think you are doing great! I love that you are counting the stitches – yikes! Glad you are getting to experience wool/silk blend, one of my favorites – second only to alpaca and silk. I love the sheen of the silk in the mix.
The first human sized garment I remember making is a bibbed apron for home-ec class. I think it is one of those things I sprung on my mom “I need this for tomorrow” She hates sewing, but thankfully, did have some fabric stashed away, so I had an apron with horses all over it. 🙂 I have no idea what ever happened to it. I never saw anyone wear it, that is for sure.
I think I was in college before I began knitting sweaters, and the first one I made, I gave to my sister, poor soul. I made it in a weekend, and that neck down plain pattern is still one of my favorites, I think I have made it at least a dozen times. Not a speck of style, but it is warm and fast.
Beautiful sweater!! I can’t wait to see the finished result 😀 Also congrats on 500 followers!!!!! Eeeeeeek that’s awesome!
Thank you! I really just want to stick my face in this sweater – I’ve never knitted with a wool/silk blend and I’m in heaven. Even if I did have to eat just Romen priced food for a month;)
Gorgeous!
Looks fab! I’m a big fan of silk and wool blends 😊 good luck with the short rows!
Lottie! I was just saying to my husband that I miss my blogging time and was thinking about you! 🙂
Aww bless! I miss my blogging time too – been too busy since I got back from holiday to blog much – preparing submissions, designing something I’m hoping might form part of a self published collection (eek!) and we’ve been refurbishing at work last week too so I’ve been to tired to do anything else even if I did have the time. Miss your blogs as well!
SO exciting about publishing *clapping loud enough to be heard across the pond!* Keep me up to date on how that’s going.
I feel your pain. I have blocked out time on Sunday nights to do all my substantial posts for the week, but my getting to read my favorite blogs is just not happening. I have developed this guilt at reading and not knitting. Hopefully when the custom orders get finished I will go back to normal.
I’m tentatively hoping to get enough things ready for a gradual release (one pattern every few weeks?) in the spring, but there is such a long way to go yet and some of my ideas are hopelessly over ambitious. Photography is a big worry as I hate having my picture taken and have limited options for locations and bribing someone to take the photos! Also I have to balance it with trying to keep getting published in magazines etc which all have their own deadlines. Arrrgh! 😳
Good grief, a lack of talent has never felt more relaxing here on my end! 😉
If your worried about models, bribing works really well – especially if they think they’ll be seen. I’ve seen adds that just offer it to aspiring models. If your worried about photography, see if a college photog student needs a project or something to add to their portfolio.
I wish you bunches and bunches of luck! If you need a test knitter let me know, otherwise tell me when I can buy your patterns!
Don’t be so hard on yourself! You’ve got tons of talent 😊
I might need a test knitter for a quick stash busting cowl pattern actually that I’m hoping to release on Ravelry before Christmas (probably as a free download or at least to start with), but I need to finish knitting it first! I’ll let you know 😉
As always, I am here whenever – like a beck-and-call girl knitter! Also, I am very good at moral support. Feel free to PM on Ravelry if you need to vent with more….colorful language;)
Aww thanks hun xx 😊
My pleasure, if you remember you saved me from the black hole of knitting – I owe you!
Hi Rachel! I’m confused about the decrease rows: “Dec Rnd: *Work in pattern to 3 sts before m, Ssk, K1, SM, work to 3rd marker from needle, SM, K1, K2tog, K to marker, SM; rep from
* once more.” –Can you spell that out for me? Thanks!
Okay. I’m super glad I wasn’t the only one confused by the way!
So here we go.
Knit to 3sts before your 1st marker – decrease and then slip marker. After this marker is moved it no longer counts – so your third marker would be the marker after you knit the embellishment rib.
So you have your 2 sets of embellishment rib – decrease before the first rib and after the second rib. Just remember not to decrease the back panel, it’s always around the sets of ribs.
If this makes no sense – PM me on Ravelry ( I’m RainyDayStitches) or email me at allnightknits@yahoo.com – I can take pics or make a little video. Just let me know!
THANK YOU!!! I’ll try it out as soon as I’m done doing dishes!
Excellent! Let me know how it turns out:)
It worked great! Thanks!
Excellent! 🙂