Last year, in 2024, I completed three sweater patterns that I absolutely love.
During 2024 there were a few hand knits that have become my favorites. I knit four sweater patterns and a couple of hats. The hats are not worth mentioning. Three of the sweaters turned out to be favorite knits of mine. The links go to my pattern review blog pages.
Calliope 2
The Calliope pullover is so nice. This was my second time using this pattern. I love the gold color and the yarn makes a really nice fabric. It was my first time using Sunday Morning yarn by Sonder Yarn Co. and I ended up loving the result. I did make some pattern changes on the sleeves and hem.
Cool camping dayCalliope
Rebel Cardigan
This cardigan pattern by Ankestrick is definitely a favorite. I finished knitting the beautiful sweater in August. Once the weather turned cool in November (a few days at least) I pulled it out. I’ve been wearing it all winter. The Rebel Cardigan is very cozy and warm.
The Field Sweater
When it came to the Field sweater, I loved the look, but was unsure I could accomplish it. This was probably the most difficult pattern I have knit so far. The whole yoke was made up of special stitches that took a lot of time to complete. It turned out so lovely and it is a sweater I am proud of. The fit is perfect.
Field sweater
New Techniques and New Yarns
In 2024 I knit two sweaters that used double yarns. I held mohair with merino for the Rebel cardigan and Field sweater. I also learned some new techniques and met some challenges. Each of these sweaters took a while to finish.
I did knit one other sweater called the Autumn Alpine. I am not super happy with it. The neckline wasn’t good, and I tried to fix it, without much luck. I ended up doing short sleeves just to be finished. I’ve never worn it.
Autumn Alpine
Sweaters begun in 2024
The sweaters I have on my needles now, that were begun in 2024, are as follows. The links to my Ravelry pages for each. These sweaters should be finished in 2025.
Birthday61 – Size 1 needle, half-fisherman’s rib. A long project.
How did your knitting go in 2024? Have you made anything special, or learned any new knitting techniques? Maybe you have knit these same sweater patterns. I’d love to hear about what you made.
Beginning to knit the deal loop beanie pattern in heavy wool.
After knitting sweaters for a while, I decided to try a smaller project. The Dual Loop Beanie, by Other Loops, looked like a nice hat. (Pattern link below.) I purchased the pattern and began the project. Yup, one more knitting project on the needles!
Here it is all finished, but still needing a soak. Read on and make one of your own.
Dual Loop Beanie knit using Plotulopi wool
The Pattern
The pattern is easy to follow. One thing to be aware of is you will always be following the 2×2 rib for the top part. One line in the directions says, “knit to two stitches before the next marker” but it should be knit and purl.
Also, a thumbs down for this pattern is the fact that the needle size is listed ONLY in mm and size / length is ONLY in cm. For those of us in the US we have to convert. It’s not a big deal, but most patterns do list both.
The beginning directions are for a tubular cast on. If you don’t know how to do it, then you must look it up (I have a video link below). There are no directions or links in the pattern. There are no other cast on options listed either. But, if you feel more comfortable using a long tail, or other cast on, go for it!
I am not a fan of doing the tubular cast on. Many ribbed hats use it to make the edge rounded. And, it does look nice. The cast on is not difficult, BUT keeping the stitches straight gives me a headache. To solve this problem, I used a straight needle this time. A wooden straight needle would be perfect, but I only had my grandmother’s old steel needles. They worked fine.
If possible, do the tubular cast on onto a long, straight needle. Doing this will help keep the stitches from twisting around like they do on a circular needle.
If you are wondering why I would cast on for a hat using a straight needle, here’s the answer. The tubular cast on is worked in back and forth rows called the “set up” rows. Once those are done, then the round is joined.
The pattern begins with, “cast on using a tubular cast on in rib stitch”. My help for this came from Stephen West’s video. I followed his cast on directions. Also his first set up row directions (he knits through the back loop on the first row). At his suggestion, I used one needle size smaller (size 3US) for this part of the project.
After finishing the cast on and set up rows, I slipped all of the stitches onto a size 4 circular needle (the main size). Then, I made the join by simply continuing in pattern. I will have to close up that gap when I weave in the ends. *I had no trouble closing the gap and it looks perfect.
Any type of Cast On will work. It may not look as good as the tubular, but don’t let that stop you from knitting the hat.
Stitches transferred to circular needle size 4.
Now I am working using the main yarn, which is Plotulopi unspun held double. I’m pulling a strand from each of two cakes. But to cast on and begin with set up rows, I used dark green-brown Alafosslopi. It is sturdier and I needed something to make that cast on as easy as possible. Both yarns came from my stash.
I do NOT recommend using Plotulopi for a hat. I love the way it came out but there was a lot of yarn breaking during this knit.
Because I couldn’t fit more stitches on the straight needle, I cast on for the small size hat. This yarn is thick and the hat size is perfect.
The Dual Loop Beanie is pretty much a basic hat pattern. Once I was beyond the cast on, it’s round and round knits and purls. The decreases for the top are well written out and I’m looking forward to the end result.
Just beginning the decrease rounds on my Dual Loop beanie. Isn’t that yarn pretty!
The beanie is nearly ready to wear. Just needs a soak and then drying out. I had a lot of trouble with this yarn at the top. Unspun yarn like this Plotulopi can’t stand any stress or it comes apart like cotton candy. Fortunately it can be spit-spliced easily. If you prefer a very tall point at the top – add more rows. I followed the directions and mine is not all that tall.
Here in central Florida we are certainly not suffering with horrid freezing temperatures like most of the county. We have had a cold, gloomy January. For the past week or so temps have been in the 40’s and 50’s for highs, with wind chills lower. I can hear you… “Oh poor baby” “Those Florida wussies” I know, I know… I’m not whining, just saying it is unusual. And it has given me lots of opportunities to wear my hand knits, so I’m happy. It snowed in the Panhandle, and I hope next time the snow comes here. I love snow.
I’ve begun knitting the Birthday61 sweater pattern in half-fisherman’s rib. Here is my review with advice and tips for beginning this knitting project.
The Birthday61 sweater is a one-color pullover that is knit in half-fisherman’s rib. The yarn suggestion is fine fingering. My swatch is done and I have begun the project.
I sometimes get questions from readers related to a pattern. So I want to supply as much information now as possible NOW when the pattern is fresh in my mind. Five years from now (or even 5 months), I will have forgotten what I did.
First I want to emphasize that Ankestrick has a forum at Ravelry that is especially for help knitting her patterns. That is where you should ask pattern questions! Begin on this page (sign into Ravelry to view) and search for your pattern alphabetically. Every pattern, by Ankestrick, is listed, so find the one you are working on, and ask the question there. I had a question about knitting the swatch, and I received a fast reply.
I am writing this blog post to help you knit this project. However, by the time you read this, I may have completed this sweater long ago. I will most likely not remember how to answer your question. Use the Ravelry forum for best results.
Also, Anke has a list of Special Techniques for her patterns. I watched her video for casting on and followed it without much of a problem. Although, the knits and purls tend to curl up and look bad, I managed to get through it.
Beginning the Pattern, the Cast On
I did Anke’s cast-on and row 1, which is the set up row, using a size 0 needle. (See her techniques link above.)
On Row 2, I switched to my main size 1 needle (16″ circular). I’m not sure this is necessary, and the designer does not suggest it. But the cast-on is like the Italian tubular where a smaller needle is used first. *Also, be sure that join looks good. It will be prominent in the middle front of the sweater neck.
Yoke markers and short rows could be confusing for some knitters. The directions are excellent. The designer provides a diagram for the placement of the stitch markers. This is very helpful for knitting the short rows.
To help keep things straight, I used various colored stitch markers. The colors designate a different section. The front (pink) and back (black) and sleeves (green-blue) – will get the increases. All of those sections are separated by a raglan section which will not be increased.
The color coding helped me a lot to visualize which part of the sweater I was knitting. Be sure the BOR marker is easy to see – make it different (I used a seahorse).
Marker placement – BEFORE the yarn break for Birthday61
To begin with, the beginning of the round is in the front. Then, later we move it to the back.
Dealing With Knitting Mistakes
I picked up the project to get a new picture for this post and found a BIG FAT MISTAKE! It was staring me in the face, and is very obvious. It is a few rows back and I will not be trying to fix it. It is in a raglan section and I knit the whole section incorrectly. But I occasionally have small mistakes to fix.
New BOR at backOh boy…
I can’t believe I already have a mistake, but it won’t be the last. I only hope that my goofs won’t be too noticeable once the sweater is complete.
Missed the Increase? Here’s what to do.
This brings me to another issue I had. How do I fix, or rip back, a half-fisherman’s rib stitch? It’s tricky. It is helpful to use a tiny crochet hook. When you un-knit the stitch, it will leave 2 strands on your needle. One must be pulled through under the other and put back onto the left needle.
Pay attention to the increase rows. It is easy to forget to make an increase, and then you must rip back to add the increase, or ignore it and add the increase later. I had to do this for a sleeve. Added 2 stitches later.
This happens to me when I am on an increase round and I forget to do the increase at the beginning, or end, of the section. I’ve already begun a new section when I remember I should have made the increase. I will only rip back a few stitches at most. If I am far ahead, I simply make up the increase later.
1. Ripping back Fisherman’s Rib – I’m not sure why she has 3 strands to deal with except that it’s not “half” fisherman’s rib. She is knitting the same rib on both sides of her work. We are knitting into the loop below on every other round for this sweater, which is called half fisherman’s rib. To fix a stitch we still have to pull a stitch under the other one.
2. Here is a video about fixing a mistake in half fisherman’s rib when the mistake is many rows back. It’s a little intimidating to me. Some of you may find it helpful.
*Be sure to count your stitches in each front, back and sleeve section and make sure they match up to the pattern. This helps point out missed increases.
Where I’m at on this Project Today
After many hours of knitting, I am still finishing the yoke. I have not separated for the sleeves yet. I’m measuring lengths to be sure the yoke does not get too long. For my size, the yoke length should be 9 inches and I’m nearly there.
Progress on Birthday61
And then this…
It is mid January and I have separated the body and sleeves. I added waste yarn the same way I always do – with two strands. It went fine.
I’ll have to add a few increases as I begin the body because my counts were off. The yoke was getting long and I skipped a few rounds before the separation. I have 115 for back and front. It should be 123 for my size. I need to add 8 stitches to each – front and back. I’m not worried about the missing 2 stitches for each sleeve.
Sleeves and body separated
I am loving the yarn. The light color makes knitting easy.
I have the yarn and will soon begin knitting the Birthday61 sweater pattern by Ankestrick. The yarn from Loop has arrived and it very nice. First time using this brand and ordering from this online shop.
I should not be starting a new knitting project. I’ve been in a bit of a knitting funk lately. This has caused me to jump from one project to another without finishing any of them! That is a bad habit to get into.
This new sweater pattern is by a designer I am familiar with – Ankestrick. She wrote the pattern for the Rebel Cardigan, which I have knit and successfully finished. The Birthday61 sweater is a textured pullover. It is knit in all one color using a fingering weight yarn. The pattern is the half-fisherman’s rib. Needle size is very small, between 0-1.5US size, depending on gauge.
Buying Yarn
The designer knit her sweater using Biches & Bûches cashmere and lambswool yarn. I bet it’s gorgeous. The yarn is quite expensive and hard to find in the US. So, I looked at the Biches & Bûches lambswool – no cashmere. It is the same weight and costs less. Also, it is easier to find.
Ravelry has a feature where a yarn page links to shops that sell the yarn. I use it a lot. It does not list every place the yarn is sold, but enough to give me an idea of pricing.
If others have an opinion on the yarn, they can leave comments.
To see what types of yarn have already been used for a project, go to the Birthday61 projects page and click the “yarn ideas” link at the top. When I do that for Birthday61, I see that Biches & Bûches La Petite Lambswool has been used for six of these sweaters already. I ended up ordering seven skeins from Loop Yarn. They offer free shipping for orders over $95. I chose color Beige.
I’ve read that Biches & Bûches is changing their skeins from hanks (that have to be wound) to skeins that don’t. When ordering, it seems you could get either type. On the Loop site they showed hanks on the ordering page. Here is what I got … & YAY – no winding required! I’m so happy.
I’ve already been knitting a sample of the Birthday61 sweater pattern. Mainly, I wanted to see if I could do it. Check out my page here. I’m not convinced that I will not mess this up. A light colored yarn is going to show all the goofs, but it will also be easier to see the stitches as I knit.
The Swatch on Needle Size 1 US (2.25mm)
Initially I had hoped that my sample piece would serve as a swatch, but the new Biches & Bûches yarn is thinner than the Rauma. I needed to knit a swatch. Swatch stitch amounts (for a 4×4 size – before and after blocking) are given but I wasn’t sure how to knit the swatch in the half-fisherman’s rib.
I ended up knitting a flat piece (using size US1 / 2.25mm needle) following directions for this on page 2. The wrong side is knit and the right side is done in the kbl, purl. I left 3 border stitches on each side of each row. I began and ended the swatch with 4 knit rows.
Before I got the swatch finished I could tell it would end up being too tall / long.
My gauge is really off on rounds. Width / stitch number in 4 inches is very close, but I should have 8 more rows. What this means to me is that my sweater will end up very long. I’ll have to watch the length as I knit.
This swatch should be 64 rounds that equal 4 inches. If I knit 64 rounds I get something like 6 inches. Knitters also say that this type of stitch stretches downward with washing.
I began to wonder if I knit the swatch incorrectly. So I asked on the Ankestrick designs forum at Ravelry (this is the place to ask pattern questions). I got a quick reply and found I had knit it correctly. So maybe I need a smaller needle. I ripped out this swatch and began again with the smaller needle.
Front
Back
However, my swatch with size 0 needles did not change much. My plan is to cast on with size 0 and switch to size 1 for the sweater. I am hoping that the cast on edge will look okay.
New England's Narrow Road 