The past few weeks I’ve blogged and uploaded several videos detailing some of the more interesting bits of my Autumn Colors Fair Isle cardigan by Betts Lampers. This is a complex and entertaining project that I began on the way to STITCHES West last year, which was the last big event Lost City Knits attended before everything shut down. I’ve made a few modifications such as knitting the sleeves two-at-a-time on one circular needle with two steeks. If you’ve not seen that method of knitting sleeves click here for a video I did on it. I think this simple method has tremendous merit for anyone who:
1 – gets bogged down knitting the second sleeve
2 – dislikes knitting on dpns or super small circular needles
3 – struggles with stranded gauge consistency going around the corners while using dpns.
Another modification is an afterthought pocket for which I’ll record another video to demonstrate.
I’m currently knitting the long rounds after joining the sleeves to the body. There sure are a lot of stitches on that one long circular needle! But I’m nearing the shoulder saddle on a steady pace.
Regardless of how much I love the current project(s), when I reach the stage of any WIP where I know the knitting will soon be finished I begin to scheme in earnest about the next project.
With that in mind, I have printed a copy of Afmæli (Anniversary in the Icelandic language). This pattern is FREE on Ravelry and has four color combinations and eight sizes ranging from children to adults. Or you can always pick your own colors as I have done.
My initial color inspiration is a snapshot I took looking up through the leaves of a tree in Pratt Park where Chris and I often sit and enjoy our take out lunches when in Tulsa.
You can see that the leaves hold a lot of green along with orange, rust, and gold. Once I had those shades of Léttlopi decided I rounded out the nine shades on the chart with a few blues and a dark violet just for contrast.
For my size Afmæli 16 balls of Léttlopi are required. Yarn cost at $5.50 a ball brings it to $88. For a frugal knitter, that’s a good price for a wool sweater. Even with taxes and domestic shipping it’s still under $100.
Shades used
A- 9426 golden (main color)
B – 86 light beige
C – 1414 violet
D – 9419 ocean blue
E – 1703 mimosa
F – 1704 apricot
G – 2427 rust
H – 1409 garnet red
I – 9423 lagoon
I know Spring knitting will soon capture my attention but knocking out one more warm winter sweater seems like a good idea.
