Jul 16 2007
Cast on: Nordic Memories
Cast on with a nice eggplant purple. Two rows of purple. Switch to dark chocolate brown in a mistake rib pattern.
Ribbing ends and leads into stranded colorwork
This is my second stranded project – my first was the Kristen hat last February – and I love the process of colorwork. I hope Nordic Memories lives up to all of my expectations over the years! It does take a row or two to even up my tension in the floats on the wrong side, but each row gets better and more even. I love the eggplant stripe next to the dark brown, but I am still not completely sold on the cream next to the brown. Is it too much of a contrast? I would prefer for it to be slightly darker – maybe a yellow? – but I don’t think I am willing to rip back, buy more yarn, and start over. It will probably “grow on me”, and I will end up loving it.
There is a large gap in the sizings on this pattern, and it gave me a problem deciding which one to choose: the medium is a 37″ and the large is a 43″. No in-between. I usually knit 37″ pullovers for myself in plain stockinette, but the stranding tends to make the garment smaller and does not offer as much ease. So, I went up a needle size in the body – to a size US 7 needle – instead of the US 6. I am hoping this will give me a little more room up top. Have you tried this before?
I’ll often switch the needle sizes if I like the fabric it makes or to get that in between size. I usually will calculate out the final size to see if it will be what I want.
I love the gut shots…good luck.
O. M. G. That looks so cool… I love the color combination, it should look amazing in that pattern! Thanks for inspiring me to get to work on that whole learning colorwork thing… Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
When I switch needle sizes, it usually gives me a half-stitch difference in size and you would not believe how much of a different that can make over the course of the body. Those half-stitch really add up!
love the purple. i think going up a size would work fine – i’d take a measurement or two as you go to “check in” and see how the sizing is
I tack down v. long floats and switch needle sizes but I am a bit of a loose knitter in that sense.
the purple does look great next to that brown.
i tend to be a super-tight knitter, especially when it comes to stranded knitting. i usually have to go up two needle sizes to get gauge, but i’m a bit of a freak like that. i think going up one size should work out fine for you.
i’m looking forward to watching the sweater progress!
I love the eggplant, and I think I prefer the cream to yellow, though both would be nice.
It’s looking great so far! And it’s always nice to know I’m not the only one whose floats are a little loose for the first row or two.
Love the colour combination. The cream and brown make me think of white and delicious dark chocolate snugged up together. Yummy and the contrast draws in the eye and really makes the work stand out.
I’ve done that precise needle trick for sizing and it worked like a charm…your sweater is going to be amazing. I can feel it.
I am doing the needle thing right now, in fact. I had the same “in between” problem with the Katherine Hepburn cardigan. So, I found a guage I liked then picked the size in the pattern that would give me the right number of stitches to get the size of sweater that I wanted with the guage I had. I’ve never done it before. I hope that it doesn’t lead to some nasty re-figuring for the sleeve caps. Good luck with yours!
oooh, I love the deep purple next to the chocolate brown! I’ve never tried going up one needle size to make stranding a bit looser, but I would think that would work as long as you’re happy with the fabric it produces. Can’t wait to see the FO!b
I love that eggplant next to the chocolate brown…what a gorgeous color-combo! I hope the needle-size switch works out for you. I’ve never tried it, but it seems like it ought to work as long as you like the fabric it makes. Can’t wait to see more of this sweater!
i think it will be nice with the cream and probably allow you to wear it with more things. the eggplant is really lovely.
How pretty. I can’t believe there isn’t an in between size. I will be looking forward to your experimenting!
I like browns and creams together, I think it will grow on you. And that little stripe of purple, love it! I knit pretty tightly when doing stranded colorwork, swatching becomes very necessary…unfortunately.
That’s a gorgeous sweater, Lolly! I love your colours as well.
I think your assessment that you really don’t want to take it out and start over is the most important factor. The white is most definitely going to look quite nice–and hopefully it will grow on you–but if it takes a while, rest assured that it will look great! (i really love the purple, but that wouldn’t show up enough on the body.)
I l.o.v.e. the purple edging against the brown! I think the cream looks good, I think cream and brown is prettier than yellow and brown, but that all depends on the yellow, I guess.
Love your colors! That is going to be beautiful!
Thanks,
Jill
The colors are beautiful! I think you’ll like the cream once you’re wearing the sweater and not looking at it so close-up.
Gauge has never been nice to me. I have knitted things on larger needles and ended up with gigantor FOs. But that may just be me.
And I love the purple and brown together. The cream will eventually make sense, I’m sure, but I’d be tempted to use lavender to echo the purple.
I haven’t done the needle thing before, but I’m interested to hear how it turns out! A 6″ jump in sizes is huge. And the cream is going to look great against the brown–color changes always seem more muted, to me, in stranded work. Anything much darker won’t pop the way you want it to.
I love the color!
I have nominated you in my blog, because I think you rock!
yes, it will work. i normally knit my worsted weight yarn on #6 needles…but decided to do a hat recently on #9′s and it was HUGE.
I love these colors and I think that the white is good. I know it looks drastic now, but once it’s all done, it will be perfect.
Such rich colors! Lovely!
Oooo, that’s lovely. I see that many other people suggested noodling around with needle size. That could help if you knit the 37 inch size.
Love the eggplant and chocolate together. I prefer cream with navy, which is how my great-aunt always made her Norwegianish sweaters – but I’m sure it will be beautiful with the brown, too. I might experiment with rust, green, a soft red, pale blue, or lavender if I ever knit this gorgeous sweater. The great thing about chocolate brown is that it looks good with almost everything.
I loved this model as soon as I saw it the first time. I am very happy that you chose this one, it’s a superb sweater, the colors are so beautiful !