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Friday, January 27, 2012

FO Friday -- Blocking Rocks Edition

Man, I LOVE it when I finish a sweater.  I love it even more when it fits and doesn't turn out kind of wonky.  And I gotta say, I had some concerns.  Here's how Lorna Suzanne looked when the knitting was done and the ends are woven.  It's pretty much the definition of wonky:

Yikes.  But I gave it a little swim in the sink, carefully squished some water out and then used approximately eleventy billion pins to wrangle it into submission.  Like so...



Seriously folks, I'm a girl in need of a set of blocking wires.

**This is the part where I show you the "after" bit, with the buttons all sewn on and the sweater looking fabulous on me... except for the part where it's totally still wet.  Sad panda. 

I contemplated going after it with the hair dryer so you guys could see, but that seemed a bit rash.  Instead, you get this picture with buttons carefully balanced amongst the pins, where if you squint, you'll be able to tell sort of how it might look say, tomorrow...

I promise I'll come back this weekend and update the pics on this entry with something more satisfying.  Sorry! **

Okay, so it took me until Sunday evening, but here are pics of the sweater in its full glory!


Pardon the squintiness, I was looking directly into the sun, and in a mad rush since Mr. Right and I were headed out to the trail to try out our brand new backpacks (more on them later!).

Here's a slightly closer shot...


That shows off the lace better.  I love this thing, and it's just a smidge bigger than I expected.  The only thing I wish was a smidge different was the neckline. It's a bit lower than I'd like.   If I had it to do again, I'd keep working the front for another inch or two before starting the decreases.  But as it is, I love it quite a bit, and am planning to wear it to work tomorrow. 

And one final shot of the back:


Pretty decent fit, I think. 

The yarn wasn't quite the color I wanted, but I think it worked out okay in the end.  It's Valley Yarns Northampton, which is dirt cheap and not bad to work with.  I used just over 4 skeins and so have enough left over for a pair of fingerless mitts or some such.  Not a bad deal at all.

As for the pattern, it was awesome to knit and the designer was incredibly patient with all my silly questions.  I read somewhere that she named the sweater after her mom, which I thought was an incredibly cool idea.  So cool that I totally copied her.  On my project page, this is actually called Janet Lavonne, who just happened to be the world's coolest grandma (despite her rather appalling fashion sense). 

She tried until she was blue in the face to teach me how to knit, then finally gave up and taught me how to crochet instead.  That didn't take either, but I think she'd be pretty pleased (not to mention jaw-droppingly surprised) to find that I'd actually knitted a whole (wearable, even!) sweater and named it after her. 

Next up in the ol' sweater queue is Narragansett, which totally line-jumped Idlewood when I found that amazing Shepherd's Wool that I picked up at the Loopy Ewe.  I'll start swatching as soon as I finish my Mousie (more on him Wednesday)!

For now, I'm going to go pester Mr. Right into taking me out to dinner to celebrate sweet sweater-y (almost) success.  And then I'm going to go check out everyone else's FO successes at Tami's and Fiber Arts Friday.  Can't think of a better way to start the weekend.  Cheers!

24 comments:

  1. It looks great, and I can't wait to see the updated photos later ;) Congrats on making a non-wonky garment!

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  2. Blocking = Magic. I love to see the pre-blocked and post-blocked photos. It turned out great.

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  3. eleventy billion - LOL too funny! Lookin' good though.

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  4. I bet your grandmother was very fashion-forward in her day. :-)

    I think your sweater looks terrific. I bet it will be wonderful when you take it out of the block.

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  5. Blocking is MAGICAL! The sweater looks great. I don't think I'd worry it with a blow dryer, but let it go another day or two!

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  6. I love the sweater transformation from wonky to fabulous! And your story about your grandmother is super sweet. I'm quite certain that she would be so proud!

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  7. The sweater looks fabulous. Great before and after blocking example! I look forward to seeing pics of you wearing it. And I love your story and photo about your grandmother. She would be proud.

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  8. What a great way to pay homage to your mom, the sweater is wonderful! (Glad you had enough pins!!!)

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  9. Love it! Blocking is magical but I hate how long stuff takes to dry. ;)

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  10. So pretty! Nice touch with the name too, that's such a sweet sentiment. Oh, and blocking amazes me every.single.time. Can't wait to see the modelled pics :)

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  11. Your sweater looks lovely! Isn't it fun to see your knitting bloom after a little soak and stretch?

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  12. I love love love before and after blocking photos. I'll be checking back some model shots. Have a great weekend - I hope you get to celebrate!

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  13. Looking forward to the 'dry' photos! I think it's going to be fabulous!

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  14. It looks like its going to look great when it's finished. I can't wait to see it.

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  15. Looks comfy even at the wonky stage! Congrats!

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  16. I think that you will be pleasantly surprised after the blocking. Great job!

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  17. Hey hunny,
    It looks pretty good already. Cant wait to see it being modelled.
    It must be SOOOO satisfying to finish something you can wear yourself. I havent managed that yet (apart from about 15 scarves!)
    Congratulations. Hope the meal was fab!
    oh, and I gave up on my ripples and froggged the lot :(
    x

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  18. Hi! Your sweater has come out fabulous. What made me laught were the very first lines of your story - how many times I have finished it and in 5 minutes handed it over to my sister :D. Not that she hates it, it´s vice versa!

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  19. Yay! I love it! Fantastic job. The fit looks great and the lace is lovely. Well done you!!

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  20. I love your sweater and it looks so great on you too! Great work!!

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  21. Ooooo, BEAUTIFUL sweater! I love the color and the lace. Congratulations on the finish!!

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  22. It looks SO beautiful! Love the color, the lace detail and the fit. Great job!

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  23. It was so much fun chatting with you on this. I think everyone should name their Lorna Suzannes after the moms in their lives. Cheers!

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