Pullover Preview

Remember that test knit I talked about for a sec a while back? Well here’s a little process recap now that it’s wrapped up and the Penta Pillar Pullover is now published on James’ website and Ravelry.

Just finished the back of this cute thing. I’ve never knit a modular sweater before and it’s honestly so enjoyable ..but the stockinette curl on every edge is kinda breaking me.

This curl worm specifically.

I went with a 4 color patchwork, I wanted to use up a bit of lowly old stash single and double skeins. In hindsight I think it would’ve been easier with just one yarn, maybe with a long color repeat or even a solid, speckled or tonal color, because they way each modular pillar is worked off the previous pillar it really limits the ends, but add in changing yarns to make a checkerboard / patchwork and it quickly added up to a ton of ends to weave in.

I skipped the sleeves, seamed half the length of the side and just went straight to ribbing for a deep opening drop shoulder tee / vest look.

Self portrait / sink view.

It’s good, so good, I love it.

The seams are soft and pliable and I kept the ribbing extra stretchy by working a backwards yarn over before the knits and a regular yarn over before the purls when binding off, not a new trick, but I’ve found that I’m terrible at keeping things loose and always end up with a tight edge. If that’s you too, an explanation of this kind of stretchy bind off can be found here.

Realizing that my checkerboard squares are rectangles, I guess I could’ve worked a few more rows between color switches, going to remember that for next time. I also really like those squiggly vertical joins, they look kinda like decorative braid or piping.

Top down sweaters with built in necklines, cuffs and hems might always be my preference, but this style of modular knitting was a lot of fun and a really enjoyable, uncomplicated learning experience for a completely different style of sweater construction than I was used to.

A visual reminder of what a ton of ends to weave in looks like, the upside is there is a nice seam to dissappear them into.


Pattern: Penta Pillar Pullover by James N Watts.

Yarn: Solids are assorted Misty Alapaca worsted and speckled is Madelinetosh DK in the colorway The Radness.

Think adorable scarecrow + patchwork dad sweater. Let’s sit outside and talk about fruit trees.

♡

Febs

On a side street eating February ice cream cones in the rain, mine a crunch coat, yours a butterscotch dip.

Not going to lie we eat as much ice cream in winter as we do in summer, what’s unusual is we’ve been having spring like days in the 50s most of February, when we still should be frozen knee deep in snow.

This is all I’m really doing right now- something simple, linen stitch, no pattern.

Three shawl afternoon – the other two are the Romney Kerchief left and the Minai Shawl bottom right.

This color is extremely popular with me.

School Pictures (cat version)

Mae Mae a year in and she is still adjusting in one of the most important ways, learning to love Alexa. It’s been rough for these two, all Lex wants is to pet, snuggle and kiss this little grumpy kitty and mae isn’t having any of it. We’ve tried so many things to help them be friends, like having Lex be the treat giver, the soft food server, the playmate (mae will take treats, eat and play with her, but in the next breath is grumbling and hissing). We are currently using a Feliway diffuser, it works by emulating the natural pheromones released by a mother cat to help calm her kittens, it comforts and reassures scaredy cats reducing their stress response. We have it by her favorite hangout, so she can go get a hit if she starts having big feelings. Fingers crossed.

What’s worse is she is obsessed with Jason and I, purring at the sight of him, gazing up lovingly as he walks by, weaving through his legs as he stands in the kitchen, scrambling to her favorite tower as he leans in the entryway just so she can get in close and get held, or she’s following me around the house, then screaming “hello” when she can’t find me, climbing into my arms like a rubbery baby, getting up in my face shushing me with her paw (gross) if my voice gets loud, and when it’s time for bed, tucking herself in between us. I mean yeah, she gives attitude to everyone at times, she’s a tortie, you can definitely tell she misses being a wild girl. Current nicknames include: big girl, little bitch lasagna (kiki was the original bitch lasagna), beelzebub but drop the bub and say baby – beelzebaby. Oh and snake lady.

♡

delayed start

January happened, but did it tho? It’s now February so let’s begin.

I have to go through this space every few months just to reacquaint myself, organizing in here is part irregular shapes tetris and part reckoning what I have, with what will actually get used.

In a completely unlike me move, I finally opened my precious Beam Paints Good Dreams Gouache Set, it’s the cutest birch wood cookie palette ever!

Underappreciated little things corner.

Over the weekend we did it again, we sorted all afternoon, I found the real missing box of patterns (the one with the apron patterns I talked about in this post). I donated a dress form I had since my early 20s, it was one of my first big adult sewing purchases and hadn’t been out of storage in 20+ years. It was a weird moment for me, realizing whatever emotional tie it held was finally gone, because every other time we’ve sifted down the artroom stuff, it was never a question, it stayed and this time, it was one of the first things I knew I was ready to let go of. It makes me smile at the thought of another fat maker flipping out at the thrift store when they come across it!

More crochet hooks, why not, these are a (now retired) special edition clear glitter hook that I bought back in 2022.

I don’t often buy full sets and even when I want to I manage to not.. somehow I have two L’s and no N ..lol, sighs.

I’m such a chump for anything glittery.

My life at the moment is artificially pink. I jumped in on a test knit (it’s been years) and the morning was spent winding yarn and listening to my spotify daylist titled soft cinnamon twee.

..I had to look up twee..

twee • \TWEE\ • adjective. : (chiefly British) affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute, sentimental or quaint. 

..I guess that’s pretty accurate.. 💕

Accidental milk inspired colors – vanilla, strawberry and coffee. Yes, my coffee is mostly milk, well heavy cream to be exact and I know I’ve added enough when it reaches that exact beige color, it’s almost a science.

So that’s the yarn, that’s the test, it’s my first time doing modular knitting and I’m making it work with stash. I wasn’t a sweater knittter when I began knitting and buying yarn, so I have a lot of singles and doubles to use up, and modular knitting seems perfect for that.