Or as someone on Ravelry called it, the Stop and Start Over Stopover. Color changes, yarn shortages, gauge issues, not paying attention and having to rip back –the Stopover is a gorgeous simple-to-knit sweater that I managed to mess up a few times.
I have never participated in a Knit-A-Long. I never even had the urge to participate in one. But Kay and Ann at Mason Dixon Knitting caught me at a weak moment. After tossing a couple of old, ratty pullovers in my fall declutter-a-thon, I wanted a new one to wear around the house, which we keep pretty chilly as a rule. I was browsing my stash and pondering possibilities when Kirsten at Through the Loops posted a picture of hers and then the BangOutASweater movement got started. Why not?
I have to say, it was really fun. I am a fast knitter, and could have done this in less than a week if I had not had quite so much on my plate. Part of the fun was handling a project just for fun, not work. There was no secret stash of the Lett Lopi, the Yarnery (where I teach) doesn’t carry it, so I had to track it down, choose from the colors available and get started.
And, like all other knitters, I had the fun of following Mary Jane Mucklestone’s excellent Stopover pattern. There was no calculation, writing down, trying to figure out how to explain what I just did, just reading the instructions and following them.
Well, sort of. All along I did dumb things. First of all, I didn’t get a safety skein. I always get a safety skein, but I just didn’t. Then I went on my merry way, adding length to the body and the arms with never a thought for tomorrow. Or tomorrow’s yarn. (I’m tall and long waisted, so I added 3 inches to the body and almost 2 inches to the sleeves.) I found a place online that had my main color, Lapis Blue, and ordered a couple to reduce the feeling of panic. On the day the yarn was due to arrive, an email arrived instead, saying the yarn was back ordered. Grrrrrr. On a whim, I called Lila and Claudine’s, a yarn shop that is sort of on the way to the barn. They weren’t listed on Istex as a stockist, but you never know. This shop is Tardis yarn shop – much bigger on the inside.
Eureka! Safety skein found. Now I could throw caution to the winds, adding a few short rows, leaving long ends, just going crazy! That was Saturday and after ripping out the initial color rounds several times (I blame bad lighting) I got things going and finished it Sunday morning.
My ‘pop’ color, however, wasn’t popping. The talented colorist Jani at Starcroft said the pop should be an unexpected color. The rust was unexpected. Unexpectedly dull. More digging and I tried out a double strand of Nash Island Fog in Lobster Bake. Perfect! I duplicate stitched it right over the rust, which helped it pop even more. Lobstah pop!
Ta dah! I have no idea how it will wear, if it will be too warm, too itchy, too blue, but I think I like it.
This was a very quick selfie at 7 degrees F.
Wonderful! not too blue! definitely not too warm at 7 degrees! I am just weavingi in ends on mine. My knitting always has a long stitch row gauge-so I can see my circles are longer than yours tho maybe some good geometric blocking will remedy that.
Oh that colour is beautiful! Clever of you to duplicate stitch.
Not so much clever as lazy! I didn’t want to rip out, especially with this hairy yarn.
Gorgeous! That lobster is so perfect!
I really like it! I love that yarn, too, but experience has finally taught me that it just makes me miserable to knit it — I wonder why my eyes are constantly watering and I’m sneezing all the time… I am banging out a sock, myself!
I haven’t found the sneezing, thank goodness. Felt a bit itchy initially but then settled down. Definitely need a shirt under it, though.
On Thu, Feb 11, 2016 at 7:57 AM, Yarnerinas wrote:
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The duplicate stitch was a brilliant idea! Enjoy the cozy warmth – a great time to finish that sweater. 🙂
Duplicate stitch for the win! I love your Lobstah Pop. I am finished with my knitting, except for the color pops, and awaiting my pop color swap yarn in the mail. I’ll audition the colors, and pick one and duplicate stitch!
This was a quick fun knit because it wasn’t work knitting. So nice to have someone else tell me what to do.
Your Stopover is fabulous. I recognize it from the pix on today’s Mason-Dixon blog post: it was my favorite coloring of the whole bunch (which is saying something). Your colors make the yoke design look like a necklace of peacock feathers – splendid!
I really like it, and the pop sure pops!
Sadly I’m with Mary, knitting the Lopi doesn’t agree with me.
Wear it always, it is grand. Grand, I tell you.
I’ve worn it several times already, and since tomorrow is going to be -7, I predict another wearing! Thanks for the kind words.
It’s wonderful – and the pop is perfect! And yes, Lila and Claudine’s is full of surprises 😀
Ooh, pretty! Would you like some warm weather? you can have some of ours. It was 94 F here yesterday.
Hello – enjoying your blog and your comments on Jean’s Knitting in Edinburgh. A roundabout way of morning reading after I get upstairs relying on my walkers. I have 2 walking frames – one upstairs and one downstairs. Life is gradually getting better. I’m even knitting – in pink.