Is complete!
I finally got around to joining the arms to the body, and from then on, finishing was a breeze. Especially since I was sick and had so much time to sit around and make yoke decreases. Boy, did I catch up on the TV I’d missed while being away.
Specs:
Pattern: Durrow, by Jodi Green, available free
Yarn: Lamb’s Pride Worsted, color kiwi, six skeins used
Needles: 7US to gauge 18st/4in
Mods:
I had read on blessed Ravelry that some people didn’t love the fit of the neck, that it was a little wide, and I didn’t want to start messing with arm-hole and sleeve shaping, so I did the whole thing in the round, joined the arms and body at the armhole, knit an inch, then decreased for a raglan every other row until it looked right. I did a neck a la Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Knitting Workshop, raglan style. Turned out to fit her perfectly, and I’m thrilled.
She chose the color, and while it’s wild and some people couldn’t carry it off, it looks perfect on her. Color is more true in this picture:
She likes it! She really likes it! Plus, it makes her look like she has guns. Not that she isn’t muscular, because she IS. But her shoulders look BUILT under those cables. Yep. Sexay.
In other, sadder knitting news, I wound up a skein of that lovely orange cashmere I bought in New York. My splurge. I cast on for a lace scarf. I am trying to learn to love the lace. I can DO the lace, but I don’t love it. And I see all these other knitters who rhapsodize over knitting lace, their faces brightening, their fingers quivering, and I want to feel that rapture. So I was trying.
I cast on, didn’t like it, got another needle, tried again. Went twice through the opening repeats. I was liking it. I left my knitting on the table. I took a shower. When I got out, Clara had strewn the whole damn ball all over the house, pulled it into little bits, all 400 yards. Hopelessly tangled. And it’s lace-weight, so it’s just impossible.
I have to admit, I cried. Contrary to what one reader thought (comment deleted), we don’t have enough money to be profligate — hell, we barely have enough money for beer! I had to work an 18-hour overtime shift just to be able to go on the trip, and I had a strict and small yarn budget. Those two precious skeins of cashmere were just that to me: Precious. And Clara DESTROYED one of them.
However, my wife has a certain level of ADD when it comes to things like tangles in cords, wires, and yarn, so she might be able to save it. I have written it off in my heart, or the hope would be too great, but I will pass the mess on to her and see what she can do.
BAD CLARA. Strangely, the only yarn she’s EVER gone after is cashmere. She destroyed another, cheaper skein once, not that precious, and she ate the arms and ribbing off a thrift-store cashmere cardigan. She never bothers my other knitting. I. Was. So. Mad. At. Her. Words cannot express.
And I even brought her a present from Rhinebeck! A border collie (which she loves loves LOVES).
Can you see it? She’s dreaming of cashmere…..
So I’ve given up the lace for now, and I’m casting on for Ariann, by BonneMarie Burns, in some grey Rowan Kid Classic that I’ve had in the stash for at least five years.
lala and the sweater look great together.
too bad clara has such good taste…
Hmm…maybe she can smell the goats? I’m very sorry that happened. She is really, really cute, however, and she has a good name. (I have a child named Clara.)
Oh no! So sorry to hear that Clara went a little cashmere-crazy. Hopefully she-with-FAR-more-patience-than-I can untangle your yarn.
aww that sucks. clara! bad cashmere eating dog!!!
i’m sure lala can salvage some of it though. remember i knew that digit would come back. i’m psychic!
I feel your pain.. I too lost a silk/alpaca lace weight (I could ill afford a the time) to my old girl cat Stumpy. She made a nest of it and was contently making biscuits when I found her. I also have a dog who looks a bit like Clara who has eaten my best wooden knitting needles! I have decided that lace weight is just not for me so maybe Clara is helping you decide that as well 😉
Not the orange cashmere!! Oh, Clara, you have good taste but this is not the way to express it.
My friends call me the Yarn Whisperer, because I can be extremely patient with a tangled skein. I hope Lala can persevere and preserve the beauteous bounty. My dog once took a lovely skein of koigu and pawed it asunder and I about came unglued. To them, I guess, it’s just some interesting form of rope…
The green sweater is tres fab! I lurve it!
Lovely Durrow on your lovely wife!
Ouch! Naughtie doggie! Must say, however, the sweater is really lovely. Great color! Looks great with your wife’s skin tone.
The Durrow looks awesome on your wife! I had a problem like yours with one of my cats – Lovey likes yarn. He stole a skein of my fingering-weight handspun (merino and silk) and proceeded to shred it completely. When I found it, it was in short lengths and he was purring like a motor boat – BAD CAT! I hide my yarn in the basement now…
she looks hot! and in a good way not like a wool sweater in CA way!
When I was in the early stages of dating my boyfriend (and and early knitter)I gave up in despair one night after hopelessly tangling a skein of Koigu. I went home that night, and the next day when I saw him again he had untangled the whole thing – took him an entire evening. That’s when I knew he was a keeper.
I really like the color and it fits her wonderfully! I like your mods, too! That EZ was a genius!
So sorry to hear you didn’t win the competition (I’ll have to go read Trust Me, I never got around to it before), but glad to hear you’re getting the chance to edit and fiddle and get it exactly the way you want it! You’re so brave to even try, and you should be proud as hell of that!
And of that sweater! Durrow looks great, and Lala looks great in it! I’m knitting it for the hubby in the recommended yarn (because it’s my FAVE yarn and I need no excuse to knit with it!) in the round, too, so I might be hitting you up for help when I get to joining the sleeves and finishing it up, if ya don’t mind! Of course, I still have to finish the BODY, but one of these days (it’s a Christmas present! Better get on the stick!)
Great sweater! Lala looks wonderful in it — the color, the fit, the guns!!
I’m sorry about the cashmere but I’d have to forgive Clara. It’s a good thing she’s so darn cute! You can send her to me if you want! 😉
I love that color; the sweater looks great and Lala looks great in it.
Too bad about the naughty dog with expensive tastes. What’s that phrase about champagne and caviar tastes but a macaroni and cheese budget? Hopefully Lala can save it, otherwise I suppose you can use bits and pieces as part of novelty yarn experimental spinning, or grab bag/texture knitting. And I’m sure Clara will NEVER do it again, ever. 😉
I feel your pain! My dog only goes for the alpaca. Won’t touch wool, so I’ve learned not to keep any of my good yarn out. She also thinks they’re balls for her to chase. No, bad dog!
There’s nothing as wonderful as a new sweater! In the second picture, Lala looks as gleeful as a five-year-old on Christmas morning.
Poor Clara looks a little sheepish, as if she knows she blotted her copybook (she’s certainly got good taste, though!).
Naughty Clara…that is really bad news. I hope you can save some 🙁
When Alys played Andrex puppy with us, at least the ball was only wool!
That is the color I would have chosen if you were making me a Durrow also. But I can make my own damn Durrow, assuming I want to shame myself after seeing how awesome it looks on La. 🙂
NaNo? I think I decided last night that I’m doing it. Are you?
Dude, we both know I’m a little strange already, so I have no problem saying this: I actually LOVE untangling knots. It’s some sort of zen thing for me, akin to working in a professional kitchen and hand dicing and entire case of onions or something.
If she won’t do it, I will 🙂 We can meet for coffee or something. I’m in your neck of the woods all weekend for performances.
Durrow is beauteous, and it suits Lala perfectly!
SO sorry to hear about the cashmere, I will lend commiseration power by mentioning the two holes I found in my Klaralund when I went to put it on today. It is an investment sweater I definitely saved up for.
Owwwww! Not the precious yarn!
Lala wears that sweater so well! Beautiful job finishing it.
Durrow looks amazing on Lala! Well done there.
I gasped so loud when I read about Clara and the Cashmere (good title?) that I woke Scout up (at which point I yelled at him to GO GET THE MOUSE. He went back to sleep. Useless!). I am sure it is salvageable. I feel it in my gut.
The weird thing is Scout attacked my merino/angora yarn the other night, like he could smell the bunny. (Smell the Bunny–another good title!)
Your wife is a total stud.
I got all excited when I first scanned, (before the slow, deep read, 😉 your blog, as what I saw was that La had chosen the color “Jodi Green,” for her sweater. And it IS a lovely, lovely color. I was gonna give you both cred for using MY green. Then, I re-read, only to see that JODI GREEN did the specs. So, she should, of course, get the cred, along with y’all. I, it seems, should get a reading tutor.
Beautiful sweater, regardless of it not being made in my honor. 😉
NaNo! Holy crap, it’s tomorrow!! I’m game. We can do it!! Wahoo!!
Miss ya.
Yeah for the La-La-Land sweater. It’s amazing and she looks great in it. I LURVE the cables on the sleeves. They are simply wonderful.
No, the other Jodi is absolutely right there. That shade of green IS Jodi Green, that’s why I use it so much myself.
Beautiful job on the sweater, and beautiful Lala! And beautiful Clara too, even if she is bad. At least she has good taste.
Lovely sweater on Lala! Really lovely! I’m so bummed for you and the cashmere. My pup did that to a ball of 220 Cascade and I had a total fit, so I can imagine how you reacted to the cashmere. I hope Lala can fix it for ya. =)
Oh, Clara! Naughty!
But I love the Durrow. I’ve only done lace once. I can do about 10 rows a day and then I wander off to something else.
do you remember which yarn store you got it from here in the city? some of them are really super nice (my favorite is knitty city) and might sell it to you at cost. you never know…
Oh crap! Hey if Lala can’t untangle it, give it to me to have a go – I’m pretty good at that stuff too.
Gorgeous, gorgeous sweater! Your wife’s not chopped livah either – they look great together.
The sweater looks great on Lala. And I’m sorry about Clara and the cashmere, but, gosh, how often do you meet a dog with such good taste?
The seater is beautiful and Lala should wear it EVERY DAY – she looks so good in it! Amazing what people will say when they feel anonymous, isn’t it.
Lala looks A-Mazing in that sweater. When I first saw Darrow, I thought, oh, that’s nice. But it looks so fantastic on her! Whew. I’m just about ready to run out and make one RIGHT NOW.
Bad Clara. I have a lizard, and he doesn’t really care one way or another about yarn.
gad. that (sweater) is GORGEOUS.
As an compulsive *untangler* myself, I feel sure that LaLa will be able to salvage some of the cashmere.
sigh.
Great sweater!
What a complet and utter piss-off about the cashmere. My kitties are similar. They ignore the acrylic yarn and go after the silk etc. Must be some pheromone in the not-plasticated yarn.
As for lace, well, I don’t mind it, but I can only do a few rows (like 10) before my fingers get fumbly. And some lace patterns just suck.
Durrow looks great, but the cashmere? Oh no!! I hope Lala can fix it… 🙁
Lala’s sweater looks great! I am finishing a sweater from that very shade of Lamb’s Pride tonight. I love, love the color, hope I can carry it off as well as she does 🙂
Oh that crazy Clara! One must love and nuture the cashmere. Don’t hunt the cashmere down like a stray sheep. Crazy girl dog.
Lala looks good in that green, so she is now officially the color picker in the house. Nice work there missy.
So sorry to hear about the yarn! My cat Mamoko has an insatiable appetite for actually eating yarn–thus finished scarves, sweaters, etc, must be stored out of his reach and in plastic containers otherwise he’ll chomp big bites out of them! Bad kitty!!! I have also pulled out over 6.5 feet of Noro Silk Garden yarn from his mouth/stomach that he had managed to swallow down. Unfortunately, it stank like cat saliva and was wetter than a soaked sponge and so I immediately tossed it in the trash.
LaLa looks fabulous in the sweater. You’ve done a fantastic job 🙂
I love that color. It does look nice on her. I’m not sure it’s a color I could pull off, but it’s beautiful. And, you did a great job in your mods of the pattern. I knit that sweater for my husband, and you’re right about the neck being wide.
Sorry about the cashmere. I don’t have animals, but my three kids can do some heavy damage to a ball of yarn.
And, what right does anyone have to tell you how to spend your money? Most people aren’t as frugal as they should be. I even make a real effort to be frugal, but it doesn’t always work. What business is it of someone else’s how you spend the money you earn?
Yup, it’s the yarn. I have a Siamese who considers Mohair “kitty crack”. It’s the only thing she will go after. I knit a beautiful lace scarf, kept it away from her the whole time. The first time I wore it, she gave a yowl and grabbed it – tearing a 50 cent-sized hole in the middle! Sigh. No more Mohair!
Nice sweater! It looks tres chic on Lala.
And honey, the cashmere! I would have cried too. I know how much you loved it.
I bet Lala can save it. IT just takes time and patience.
Isn’t it wonderful to go to that much trouble for such a beautiful sweater and have the recipient love it as much as Lala (obviously) does? It looks wonderful on her and the color is great. I wouldn’t consider that color to be wild. It’s very pretty. I love the cables. They are beautifully done and look mahvelous on her!
Awful about the cashmere. Sure hope your wife can salvage it.
As for the lace, have you ever looked at Anne Hanson’s lace patterns? http://www.knitspot.com. I’m starting with what she calls her “man lace”. Just interesting enough for the knitter but not too lacey for the man. I’m currently knitting her free one on knitty. I’m starting my lace knitting with something other than lace weight, too. I figure one complicated thing at a time. Doing it this way lets you get used to the act of knitting lace without the pain of lace weight. Give it a whirl and see what you think. I’m doing the knitty pattern as a scarf so just doing two repeats of the pattern.
Here’s hoping you’re not caughing up snails. I HATE that part of a sinus infection!
Clara still loves you. Those eyes – You can TELL…”thank you for saving me, mommy!” Remember??? 😉
i am so so so sorry! and bah to the pleeb who have you negative vibes…what a load of crapoli. if i made even two bucks an hour? i would still have yarn…so there. sweater is a beauty by the way!
the color of the durrow is awesome! Lala looks great.
As for the cashmere, my best to Lala. I’ve spetn days of my life untangling yarn, but it’s always really rewarding when you get that perfect ball back.
Maybe you could get one of those pomander looking yarn holders, the ones that are metal balls and then even if Clara takes yen for cashmere all she’ll get to do is roll the metal ball around.
Rachel you know I cannot figure out what it is about dogs and yarn, I thought it was cats. Brody is home alone today (Bentley getting her teeth cleaned) I am sitting here wondering what I left out and will Brody get it. He might want some revenge on being left all alone. If he is good I am taking him along to pick her up….road trip with two huge dogs in truck with no ac and we are in the middle of a tropical storm thingy here……..FUN TIMES.
Is it orange you like or just lace weight? Or Cashmere? I may have something laying around………
Hi, First time commenter here.
Love the sweater!
I would be happy to untangle, wash (gently) and re-wind your cashmere for you. I too amd very patient with such things. I taught myself to tat, and even worse un-tat!! Any one who cares as much for their four-legged family members as you do deserves to have their cashmere saved!!
Beth
(me too lazy to read other comments)
If I was closer I would offer to help with the untangling. I’ve been told that I am very patient with it. But really, it’s because Bogey has done it to me a number of times. You’d think I would learn to not leave my knitting unattended.
The sweater is awesome!
The green of Lala’s sweater makes the cable a lot more plastic than in the pattern picture. She looks great in it. I can imagine that she loves the sweater!
The Durrow looks fantastic and great on Lala. Sorry about the cashmere. My two terriers (double trouble!)have done that once but did two jumpers at the same time. I came home hungover and fragile from a night out to just a tangle of wool all over the floor and they had eaten the bits of the jumper that were finished…grrrr!
That sweater is beautiful, and it is gorgeous on Lala, it so suits her in every way.
I am so sorry to hear about your yarn trouble, I think spouses are good for untangling hopelessly tangled yarn. My hubby does the same thing for me when I’ve had enough of the snarls!
I’m just going to cram all of my comments here at once, congrats also on making it so far in the book competition. That is awesome, good luck with it after it gets edited properly!!
The Durrow sweater in that color is magnificent! I love the overall simplicity, with the elegant cables on the sleeves. The color really shows it off, and Lala looks spectacular in it! Is she itchy in it? I love Brown Sheep yarn, but I am not sure how close I want it to my skin.
I love green and I just might have to knit that sweater. It looks fabulous (Lala, too)! But the cashmere, OH NO! I hope Lala or someone gets it untangled.
Look at that smile on Lala’s face!!!
I just love it!!
Why is no one commenting on my fauxhawk/mullet? Are they blind?
WOW – the sleeves and colour are just amazing! As for the dog… I take it’s still breathing – just!
I’m so sorry about the cashmere. I guess Clara likes sheep but dislikes goats honing in on her flock!
That Durrow is beautiful, as is Lala. The color and fit are perfect for her!
I share your dream of being a lace knitter. I can cable like it’s no one’s business. Entrelac doesn’t scare me. I can fair-isle. I can do lace patterns in socks, but when I try to knit a lace shawl I turn into a complete idiot. It’s like basic math fails me: I can’t knit 32 stitches in the correct order over and over again. Gah. A friend and I once had a lace smackdown KAL, and the lace won. 🙁
That’s still no excuse to maul the angora, Clara. That was Mommy’s!
My bad, cashmere. Still!
Oh, bad Clara! Bad dog! No border collie for you!
Durrow looks fab, and Lala looks fab in it.
My dog once ate a camera. He, has, however, always stayed away from the yarn (a good thing for both our sakes). It is a good thing Clara is so darned cute.
And Lara and the Durrow? Both seriously hot.
My dog once ate a camera. He, has, however, always stayed away from the yarn (a good thing for both our sakes). It is a good thing Clara is so darned cute.
And Lara and the Durrow? Both seriously hot.
That sweater is gorgeous–love the color and the fit. Congratulations.
And I’m very sorry about your yarn. I have a wool-obsessed cat, and he has caused me a lot of heartache since we adopted him. Sigh. I hope Lala can save it.
That’s so sad. My kitty has done similar things to my merino laceweight, which I haven’t tried to fix completely yet. Each time something happens my hubby sits with me and helps me rescue the skeins of yarn back to a usable place.