Author: Pam

New England native, Florida resident. Blogging about boating, beach-combing, gardening, camping, and knitting. Work for Zazzle as a designer since 2008.

The Field Sweater Knitting Notes and Outcome

My experience knitting the Field Sweater pattern was a good one and I am very happy with the finished project.

The Field Sweater knitting pattern has a beautiful textured yoke. The “grains” can be a bit daunting to knit, at first. A kind knitter has shared informational tutorials on her YouTube channel, and these helped me a lot. I wrote a whole page about beginning this sweater project and knitting the grains.

The Pattern

I found the pattern to be very easy to follow, but a few things were not as well explained as they could have been. The description of the M1L increase was different, but each row of the entire grain section was written out. I did find the grains easier to knit after watching the videos that were made by another knitter.

Changes

The only change made by me, was to knit a wider sleeve. Once the sleeve stitches were picked up, I decreased only enough to come to the 70 stitches that begin the top of the sleeve, for the size I knit.

I continued knitting, using a 16 inch circular needle, all the way to the cuff. For the row before the ribbing began, I decreased to the suggested number (50) for the cuff.

Sleeve Decrease Round

Just before the cuff ribbing, I did one round and decreased from 70 to 50 stitches. After much contemplation (and exasperation!)… I finally figured it out and did the round like this:

To decrease from 70 to 50 stitches all at once: *k1,k2tog,k1,k2tog,k1 – Repeat to end of row.

Hey, I have come across this page / site by Mimi Codd where she shares a calculator for this very thing! You can try it out HERE. In fact when I put the numbers in (70 stitches to decrease to 50) this is what I get: K5, k2tog, [k1, k2tog] until last 6 stitches, K6. This would have saved me loads of time. I’m linking it in my top of page menu under knitting.

right sleeve knit on Field sweater
Right sleeve finished
knitting Field pullover
Wearing the Field sweater
Field sweater – not yet washed and blocked
hand knit Field sweater textured yoke and ribbing
Love this comfy neckline

The sleeve ended up being loose, as I’d hoped, and was knit to the length suggested in the pattern. With a wider sleeve, it is possible to wear this over a top.

I did my bind off a little differently with a k1, p1tbl. Someone on Instagram had mentioned doing this as a bind off and I do like it.

Finished and Happy

Now, I have finished knitting this pretty pattern. The sweater fits me perfectly. It still needs a wash, but I’m already in love with it. It won’t be the last time I use this yarn.

Field sweater on hanger
Ready for a wash
wearing hand knit Field sweater holding black cat
Fontana snuggle
Field sweater on

More Knitting Ideas and Stories…

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Sweaters in the Works (WIPs)

Knitting sweaters and planning the next pattern. I always have more wool and ideas than time.

Sweaters knit using fingering weight yarn, or DK, generally take a while to finish. It’s a lot of little stitches to create a sweater for my size.

So, let’s start with my favorite WIP. The Field Sweater is pretty awesome. The yarn I chose is super soft and lovely and the fit is great. As of this post, it is not finished. I have the body left to knit. I changed the pattern for the sleeves to make them looser.

I love the neckline and love the fabric of the merino and mohair (both from Knitting for Olive). I can tell it will end up being a favorite.

Update: I have finished knitting Field – see the post here.

Field sweater knitting
Merino & Mohair
knitting Field pullover
Loose sleeve
right sleeve knit on Field sweater
One sleeve down

I’m also knitting the Autumn Alpine sweater and this one is giving me a hard time. I guess it’s time to quit using patterns by this designer. For me, it’s always trouble getting the size right, or there is something about the pattern I end up not liking.

Autumn Alpine sweater
Corrugated ribbing
knitting Autumn Alpine
Rib colors match flowers

I began with a smaller size as I had planned to make this for someone else. Then, I didn’t really like the colors so I expanded the body to make it fit me. That really isn’t going to work – I don’t think. The neck is tight, and could get better after a wash and blocking, but overall, this is not a sweater I really love.

To end the knit quickly, I plan to do short, or 3/4 sleeves. The colorwork was fun (one of the reasons I chose this pattern) but I need to steer clear of this designer. She is very popular, and I am not putting her down, just saying that (for me) I have difficulties. She has some wonderful patterns and great designs, they just don’t work for my preferred style and sizing.

Update: I have finished knitting Autumn Alpine.

Looking Ahead

It’s easy to get bored with knitting a pattern. When the knitting takes weeks, or months, to complete, the mind begins to think about all those other colors and yarns, stashed in the back bedroom, just waiting to be used.

Sleeves and bodies are especially tough when the knitting is simple round and round and round. When I’m in love with the project, I can stay strong and get the task finished. The sweater will be a wonderful accomplishment. But, when the tedious knitting will end up with a project that is not such a favorite, it’s tough to continue.

I do plan to finish both of these sweaters before beginning another. Yes! I can do it (and I did finish them before beginning Rebel).

Yarn Stashed for the Project Queue

The new yarn in my queue is just dying to become something wonderful. I have more Knitting For Olive merino and mohair in pretty green. (The company is based in Denmark, but the yarn can be found at other places. They do offer free shipping from Denmark on a first order.) I chose green mainly because I have almost nothing to wear that is green. Also, you don’t see so many green sweaters being knit. So, it’s a bit unique.

Knitting for olive Yarn

Knitting for Olive yarn in green
Pea Shoots and Dusty Artichoke colors

The merino is “Pea Shoots” and the mohair is “Dusty Artichoke” and they will be held together to knit the Rebel Cardigan (link goes to the Ravelry page), by Ankestrick.

I tried a new online yarn shop to buy the mohair. The Starlight Knitting Society had a good price, and free shipping (although I don’t think it’s always free), so I chose my six skeins and had the yarn in no time. In fact, I had ordered one extra, which they ended up not having. I was contacted, and refunded, and all was good. It was a good price for this yarn, and with free shipping, I was very happy.

Harrisville Designs Highland

These Highland cones almost didn’t get to me. I had also ordered a book from Harrisville Designs, which ended up being out of stock. The order was placed around Christmas, so I figured it would take time. As weeks went by, I decided to check on the order and sure enough, the yarn was never shipped! It was all good, as customer service got it out right away.

Highland wool on cones
Highland cones in color Suede

The yarn is Highland wool, on a cone, in color “Suede”. I seem to have a thing for neutrals, on the brown-gray side! I had to put in a search for the cones on the site (they don’t seem to pop up otherwise) and was happy to find lots of color choices.

Cones contain approx. 450 yards x 3 = 1350 yards of worsted weight yarn. Cones (as of this writing) are $25.50 each and Harrisville Designs offers Free Shipping over $75… so that was wonderful as well!

What will I knit with my Suede cones? I’m considering the Clotilde Cardigan for this yarn. I may change my mind by the time I am free from WIPs…!! I had also thought about using my Alafosslopi for the Clotilde. So, we’ll see.

Purl soho’s Good Wool

Good Wool is from Purl Soho. These skeins are very squishy soft and I can’t wait to use them for something. The wool is undyed and this color is called “Hickory Nut”. Yup, it’s light brown! Haha… I will end up with a lot of neutral sweaters I think.

good wool by purl soho
Good wool

Keep reading my knitting stories…

A Collection of Knitting Books Worth Having

Knitting books you may like to add to your collection.

I have collected a few books about knitting and thought I’d share my knitting book reviews here. (Please know that some links go to the Amazon site, where I am an affiliate. If you end up purchasing through the link, I will get a small royalty which in no way affects the cost to you.)

Do you enjoy knitting Fair Isle, colorwork, and stranded? If so, there is a fun book of charts you must consider buying.

Alice Starmore’s Charts for Color Knitting contains more charts than (I suspect) you could use in a lifetime. I’ve only used a couple of the bigger charts, and a few of the “border” charts. This is a wonderful book for Fair Isle and colorwork knitters who like to choose their own patterns.

Buy the Alice Starmore Book on Amazon (paid link)

The author also goes into depth on how to create your own colorwork sweater. This is over my head at this point in my knitting journey, but would be very helpful for those who would like to design knitwear.

Alice Starmore’s charts for knitting book

I purchased a used copy of the book, in November 2021, and it is in very good condition. Check at Amazon for used books to save money. I’ve had very good luck buying used books of all kinds.

Both colorwork sweater designs below were taken from the book.

Staka colorwork vest in Lopi yarn
Plotulopi Pullover
flower colorwork at bottom of body
V-Neck Cumulus

The Vogue Knitting Book, Revised and Updated Version

The Vogue Knitting book covers all types of thing related to knitting (with some pages about crocheting). From choosing needles and yarn, to finishing projects, and designing your own knitwear. There is a whole section on designing sweaters with knitting design worksheets to copy and use. There are more pages of knitter’s graph paper in the back of the book which can be copied as many times as needed.

I like most things about this book, and bought a used copy to save money. Cons for me are the dark colors used for a few of the sample images in the book. It is more difficult to see the samples. Also the images about how to work stitches can be hard to follow. I’d rather look it up on YouTube. For that reason, I often forget to use this book, but it is full answers to just about every single knitting question you may have.

Vogue Knitting book
My new Vogue Knitting book
Buy the Vogue Knitting book at Amazon (paid link)

The Mosaic Knitting Book

If you have never tried mosaic knitting, you really should. It is very simple to accomplish these colorwork patterns and is done on flat knitting projects.

Here in Florida we had a hurricane hit shortly after I purchased this book. I spent a few days without electricity. I used that down time to knit mosaics from this book!

Just think about a time without access to online things, or electricity to charge the computer and phone. I love to have books around for these reasons. The day may never come in your lifetime, but what if it does?

Mosaic knitting book
Buy the Mosaic Knitting Book at Amazon (paid link)
ball of yarn divider

A Brioche Knitting Book

I admit right off that I can’t knit brioche. Every year or so I give it a try, and fail. The last 1/4 of the book is all patterns! If you already like knitting brioche, this book may be worth purchasing just for the patterns. If, like me, you still need to get the hang of the basics, a video is probably more helpful.

Brioche knitting book.
Buy the Knitting Brioche Book at Amazon (paid link)
balls of yarn graphic

Do you have some favorite knitting books? I’d love to hear about them. I wish I had some of my grandmother’s knitting stuff. I don’t know where it went when she died, but probably to one of her daughters. Do you have patterns, needles or other items that were passed down through the family?

Recent pages about knitting…

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Crescent-shaped Shawls to Knit

One of the first things I knit was a shawl. A shawl can be a very easy project and might be perfect for a beginner knitter to make.

Shawls can be knit in various ways to make a variety of shapes. Most are triangular, rectangular, or crescent shaped. They can be knit from the top down, end to end, or a combination.

Crescent, or Half Moon Shawl Patterns

Because I live in the sub-tropics, I never wear any type of shawl. They can be fun to knit though. My favorite shape is the crescent. A crescent shawl can also be called a “half moon” or “half pi” or “pi shawl”.

Occasionally I come across a nice crescent shawl that I might want to knit one day. A smaller size shawl can often be knit using one (decent size) skein of yarn. That makes them cheap to knit, as opposed to a sweater project. It also gives a beginner knitter some practice on easier stitches, as well as practice reading a pattern.

I have not yet knit any of these patterns, but they are in my list of faves. Choose a wool yarn of some type and use the shawl like a scarf. All links go to the designers Ravelry page where the pattern is sold.

  • Interisland Shawl, by Donna Smith. Knit in fingering weight yarn, this one has a lace edge that is knit first. Very pretty. Yardage: 437-470 yds / 400 – 430 m
  • Dutch Tulips, by Alina Appasova is listed as “crescent” but it is kinda triangular too. I like it, so I am including it here. This one is done in various stitches including slipped stitches. Sounds interesting. 2 colors, 800 yards?
  • The Lone Skein Shawl, by Joji Locatelli, needs 440 yards (402m) so takes one large skein. It is crescent, but asymmetrical (one side is longer).
  • Slumber Shawl, by West Knits, has been a long time favorite. It is listed as a triangle, but is basically rounded with a wavy edge. It is listed in Stephen West’s Beginner Friendly Patterns.

Shawls I Have Knit – Mostly NOT Crescents

The Spindrift Shawl, by Helen Stewart – link is to her pattern page at Ravelry – was a free pattern (and still is if you sign up for the workshop) and the first shawl I made. It happened to be crescent shaped.

When I began knitting I went for yarn colors that seemed fun to use. Now I am more discerning about yarn type, and colors that I would actually wear! The shape is more important too.

All of the shawls pictured here (except for Vine Pops) were very simple to knit. Vine Pops was a MKAL (mystery knit-along) and I can’t even believe I stuck it out and finished. I was new to knitting, and the shawl had lots of lace. I’ve since decided that I do not like KALs.

Spindrift shawl and Meadow Moon sweater
Spindrift pattern (see link above)
Hidden Gems shawl knitting
Hidden Gems
no fuss shade loving shawl
No-fuss Shade Loving Shawl
Moon sisters shawl knitting
Moon Sisters
Knitting Bay's Edge shawl
Bay’s Edge pattern
MKAL finished shawl
MKAL – had no name – ended up Vine Pops
Dewdrops shawl
Dewdrops pattern
knitting sun-kissed shawl
Sun Kissed shawl
colorful scrappy bias shawl
Scrappy Bias shawl

The block of photos above shows all my finished shawls. I have worn exactly NONE of them!

All, except for Spindrift, are angular. When I was ready to take a trip to New Hampshire, I wanted a little wrap for my neck, and knitted the Railings pattern by Janina Kallio. It was a little crescent-shaped shawl and I added some mohair. Using mohair was a mistake, because the fuzz near my face was not good. But, I did wear it during my trip and it provided nice warmth, as intended. It’s a sweet little shawl pattern.

Knitting the Railings crescent shawl
Railings crescent shaped scarf tied around my neck
Railings crescent scarf in gray showing the pattern

Maybe I need to write a page about knitting little travel scarves.

ball of yarn divider
Keep reading all the knitting stories…