Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Done Like Dinner



It's done!
Everything But The Kitchen Sink Sweater from Yarnplay by Lisa Shobhana Mason
Knit with 33 different worsted/aran weight yarns on 5mm needles
Gauge: 18 st = 4" on 5mm



This was a really fun sweater to knit. It went more slowly than other sweaters I've done because of all the colour changes, but totally worth the work. I love this sweater! I already have plans to knit a second one in browns and fall reds and oranges.

I knit the body in the round to the armpits, and then finished the front/back on straight needles. The pattern instructions say to knit the sleeves on DPN's, but I knit them flat. The kitchen sink effect is created by switching yarns on a whim every row or two or three. I ranged from one row to five of one yarn and followed only my own intuition as I went along. That was the fun part. I really enjoyed the process of choosing yarns and widths of rows as I went along.

All of the yarns I used were wool or mostly wool, so I spliced them together as I worked (spit splice) and finished with only the cast-on tails and final tails to weave in.



I think that to be truly kitchen sink, the whole thing should be random, but I matched my front to my back and my two sleeves to each other. It worked better for me that way.





As for the thirty-three different yarns...I was thinking of holding a contest to see who could guess the most of them. But then I realized that I would have to receive and "mark" the entries, and that was not too appealing.


You need a lot of different shades and textures of yarn to make the effect work well. The pattern suggests at least 18 colours/textures. I used from ten to about fifty or sixty yards (at most) of the following yarns. All of them were in my stash except for three of them (I bought the two Gedifra living colours and the Cascade 220 skein specifically for the sweater). I would say that at least two thirds of these yarns were from leftovers or one-of balls in my collection. I have a lot of one-of balls for mixed projects and to try out yarns to see what I like. The rest were raided from projects that I know I have more than enough yarn to cover.

So here they are if you are interested: Thirty-Three yarns in my sweater (see if you can find them in the photos)

1. Noro Kureyon 154
2. Noro Kureyon 170
3. elann.com Highland Wool in: Eggplant
4. Celadon
5. Peridot
6. Deep Blue Sea
7. Lotus Blossom
8. Patons Classic Wool (merino) in: Leaf Green
9. Worn Denim
10. New Denim
11. Dusky Blue
12. Peacock
13. Navy Blue
14. Brown Sheep Company Worsted in: Amethyst
15. Fuchsia
16. Turquoise
17. Mr Joe Blanket in Fern Green (two strands together)
18. Cascade 220: Turquoise marl
19. Gedifra Living in: Teal
20. Cedar Green
21. Unknown (Schachenmayr??) yarn in my stash in: deep blue
22. Purple
23. Berroco Ultra Alpaca in: Blueberry
24. Lilac
25. Himilaya wool/recycled silk blend in deep blue
26. Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Astrahkan in Cedar
27. Katia Mexico in Green/Blue/Turquoise blend
28. elann.com Sierra Aran in Fiddlehead Green
29. King Extra Merino (light blue marl)
30. Fleece Artist Kid Silk Aran in Cosmic Dawn
31. Valley Yarns Charisma in Navy blend
32. Malabrigo Worsted in Geranio
33. Valley Yarns Amherst in Sweet Pea

This was my first time knitting with Brown Sheep Company Worsted, Cascade 220 and Valley Yarns Amherst. I have to say that I really like all three of these yarns. The Amherst is a real honey of a merino. It's from Webs' Valley Yarns line, and it is a lovely yarn. It was also my first time with the Fleece Artist Kidsilk Aran. That yarn really glows with life.

18 comments:

lisa said...

oh! it rocks!

smariek said...

That looks tripendicular!

SooZ said...

Jayne, my tote comes to mind when you say this:

"...is created by switching yarns on a whim every row or two or three....and followed only my own intuition as I went along. That was the fun part."

Thats what I enjoyed about my Paternayan tote! I can see why you had so much fun with your sweater. You have a great eye for color!

Suzie

LisaW. said...

Go Jayne Go! Whooo it's done and it's wonderful! I love it. Thanks for showing and telling and giving the specs on the yarns! I don't know if I would ever try it with my hit/miss sense of color...but you just got it spot on! happy dance for stripey goodness right here! whooooo!!!

Anonymous said...

Now *that* is a very cool sweater! It looks GREAT, Jayne!!

Christine said...

Jayne, I just got some of Web's Amethyst myself, and I agree, it's a lovely yarn. I only ordered 3 skeins, so I'm making a scarf for my sister with it. If I can part with it when I'm finished, anyway.

Love the sweater. Like Sooz said, you have a great eye for color!

Anonymous said...

Jayne, I just love this sweater! It is such a personalized piece, that I really think it shows off who you are. The colors are entirely ME, yet I can feel the satisfaction that you must get out of it, as the color choices are so individual. Thanks for the details. Yarnies like us love when it's included. Every time I had a question, I read a little more, and there was the answer. And the icing on the cake, is that now I know I will buy some Valley Yarns Amherst! I was wondering about that yarn!

Lisa said...

Jayne! It turned out great, it is very pretty. I can't imagine how many ends you had to weave in.

jayne said...

Ooooohhh..a FEAST of comments. What a lovely way to start the day.

Thanks for all the generous comments!

Trish, I was thinking about you when I looked over the photographs. The colours reminded me so much of the Fleece Artist Socks, and I remembered you saying those were your colours. Maybe you'll have to try one. I think the effect would work great in a hat or pillow or lap blankie, or whatever.

The Amherst is very nice. It's got that soft buttery feeling that merino yarn should have, and it has that springy, spongy roundness in the spin that merinos like Karabella and Dolly Maxi have. I bought three balls to make a hat that was in their free patterns, and to try the yarn. I would like to make a whole sweater in this stuff.

jayne said...

Oh...and PS: Lisa (the third Lisa): No Ends to weave. I spit-spliced 'em all.

Fields of Heather said...

Jayne-I love it! Your sweater came out great, nice fit too! I'm starting the first sleeve on mine, and really am having a good time making it. I'm a big opponent of plain stockinette stitch, but switching colors and textures really kills the boredom.

I like Lisa's Poppy pattern too, so that may be next...

Joan said...

Glad to hear about the WEBS Amherst. Have a GC there needing to be spent.

Sweater is amazing, how'd you handle all those stripes..yikes! Are you wearing it touching your skin BTW? If so, great wool tolerance!

You have definitely earned the moniker Jayne QOS.

jayne said...

Thanks, fields of heather, I like the Poppy sweater too. I saw there was a KAL for that one.

Thanks, Vamanta! No, I do not wear it right next to my skin. Most of the yarns are pretty nice, but this is a wear-over-a-tee-shirt sweater. I do have pretty good wool tolerance, but usually only wear the really decadent ones right next. I like layers, and I especially like the inside layer to be a soft cotton tee.

Laurie said...

I love your sweater! I'll have to add it to my "projects to knit" list. It reminds me of a favorite sweater I had 30 years ago in blues with a cowl neck. I wore it out until it had holes in it and always wanted another one just like it.

Quick question: what is spit-slicing? I'm always looking for ways to keep from weaving in ends!

Laurie in TN

Tanya said...

The sweater looks fabulous! This one I am considering making as I just got Yarnplay, it is nice to see it turn out as well as the picture in the book. What did you do about all of the ends? Did you weave them all in? The thought of it horrifies me!

jayne said...

Spit splicing is when you take two yarns that you want to join together, spit on them, and felt them. It becomes one strand, and no ends.

It works if you're joining a wool content yarn to another wool content yarn (they both have to have felting potential).

You separate out some of the strands on the end of each for an inch or two, and thin them out a bit. Spit in your hand, overlap the two yarns, get them all nice and wet, and then rub them briskly together in your palms or on your jeans (I do a bit of both). It's heat, wet, and friction that makes them felt together. Then away....you go. No ends to weave, and everyone is happy!

Glenna C said...

That is one gorgeous sweater!
I have been ogling the EBTKS pattern ever since I got the Yarnplay book (which I got to do the Poppy sweater, naturally ;) ), and now I am really struggling with whether to do the EBTKS first! Your pictures are gorgeous.

Bev in TN said...

AWESOME! That is one great use of leftovers (or maybe you purchased the yarn specifically? Now you know I didn't actually READ the post so much as I just drooled over the colors ;-)