I finished knitting the Simple Stripes pullover on Christmas Day. Here is my review and photos.
Yup, I was knitting on Christmas Day. I live with my son and he is a firefighter so he works. That means I had the whole day to myself. Of course I did some knitting.
The Simple Stripes pullover was nearly done, and my goal was to get it off the needles.
Two days later I took it outside and got some photos. We are having beautiful weather here in central Florida. Not cold enough for a sweater (except maybe in early morning). And I’ve found that the camper ladder is the perfect location for a photo.
Simple StripesAdded my own things
After having some counting problems on the sleeves (oh brother), I got the cuffs finished. For some reason I decreased too much, then had to add back about 5 stitches. I almost ripped it back, but decided not too. It’s Christmas – why annoy myself? Haha….
The sweater pattern was simple enough, and it’s a good choice for using up stash yarn. The knitting can be a bit tedious because we are using fingering weight yarn. And I know now that I don’t like doing colorwork on sleeves!
I managed to do a cat playing on one of the sleeves, but did nothing on sleeve #2. There is more colorwork at the bottom of the body (my own mod) and a corrugated rib at the bottom. This is all my own idea. The pattern has a sewn hem. I didn’t make the wisest choices, but this will be a throw on to wear around the campfire. I am not concerned with small things.
I will say this, the fabric is not as soft as the Highland wool sweater I just knit. For Simple Stripes I used Uradale yarn (it’s very thin), Jamison and Smith wool, and a little Rauma. I was trying to use up the Uradale, but I still have a lot left over.
The Harrisville Designs highland and shetland is softer (after washing) in my opinion.
I’ve become very partial to Harrisville Designs wool. They sell yarn in cones, which are cheap! Once the yarn is washed, it blooms beautifully and the garment is so lovely.
Simple Stripes is a pattern I would recommend for anyone who wants to knit a simple sweater that will use up bits of leftover yarn.
I have finished knitting Jennifer Steingass’s Solvi sweater pattern and here is my review.
Jennifer Steingass is the designer of the Solvi sweater which is a pullover. I began knitting this pattern on October first. Now it is mid-April and I have finished the project.
The delay in finishing was due to many things, but mostly because I doubted a good outcome. Do you ever start knitting a pattern with much excitement only to loose that excitement somewhere along the way? If you have done enough knitting, I suspect you will say “yes”.
I love the yarn. I chose “Peacock” blue in Harrisville Design’s Shetland. What a beautiful fingering weight yarn, and in a great color. For the long colorwork yoke, I dug into my stash of fingering weight wool. I tried to keep a more muted color scheme going with colors that flowed into each other. I’m happy with the colors.
What caused me to pause this knitting project (many times) was the large look of the yoke. It seemed very wide, and the depth was an inch over the schematic size. I considered ripping it all out, but what a pain in the neck! So I put it aside and worked on other things.
Finally, I picked it up and got to knitting. I would finish and see how it was.
I was right. It ended up large.
I like an oversized sweater, but this one is too much. I could easily have knit one size smaller and been happy with the fit! (I knit size D – or the 4th size.)
The sweater has a very wide neckline that flows into a wide, colorwork yoke. I like the pattern of feathers that comes down the front, but the whole thing is just too wide. This is my fault for choosing the larger size. There is nothing wrong with the pattern. Just be aware of the width of this sweater. My gauge was good, but I was between sizes and chose larger. It was my mistake.
I used the same size main needle for all the colorwork as well. I was considering going up a needle size because colorwork tends to be a little tighter. I’m so glad I did not do that!
Mods I Made
Because the yoke was getting too long I had to leave out a bit of the feathers pattern. This project has been put aside quite a bit, so I can’t remember exactly what I changed.
If I knit a larger size sweater, I often go down a size for the sleeves. I did that for this one. I followed size 3 (C) stitch counts so the sleeves would be more narrow. I also knit them longer. For the cuffs, I did not do the last row of tightening up, and instead did a tubular bind-off with a sewing needle.
For this pattern, I finished the body first. I used a new skein of yarn for each sleeve. I had three little balls of yarn leftover, which you can see in my first photo above.
I will absolutely be wearing this sweater next winter. It will work best as a layer over a turtleneck on the coldest days.
I usually have good luck knitting Jennifer Steingass patterns. Her Ravelry pattern page is Knit.Love.Wool. and the link goes there. The previous sweaters of hers, that I have knit, have fit me pretty well. Her patterns are well-written and easy to follow. Most are colorwork patterns with stranded work done on yokes and sometimes sleeves.
Meadow MoonGoldenfern
Now, I am moving away from colorwork yokes. Stranded knitting is my favorite thing, but an all-over Fair Isle is a lot more fun.
Learning new things keeps the brain engaged and vitalized. Knitting can involve lots of learning opportunities. I suspect that this hobby is greatly helping my brain health.
My family has a recent history of dementia. For this reason, I especially pay attention to my brain’s health. In the beginning of my knitting journey, I didn’t know I’d encounter a continuous learning curve. What a wonderful surprise!
Staying healthy while aging can be a job all in itself. Becoming stagnant, and doing only what is familiar, can be detrimental to health. Illness, aches and pains can certainly sideline many to the armchair in front of the television. (Hey, I do watch TV a lot, but I’m knitting while I watch. And, I sit after I do my gardening, blogging and working. A little bit of lazy is okay. At my age, I have earned it.)
Health and Hobbies
Genes play a big part in our mind health. Some of us are simply born to be inquisitive and adventurous. Others prefer to be alone and sedentary. Studies have shown that, in general, we need to keep our brains active. Keep those synapses firing and making good connections for the thought process. I knit because I enjoy it, but I am always thinking that it is also good for my brain health.
How I Began Knitting
The knitting bug bit me when I lived in New Hampshire. With long, boring winters, and so many farms and creative people everywhere, how could I not begin to knit?
My projects consisted of weird scarves full of practice stitches, and funny looking hats. But it was all fun, and I was hooked on trying all the stitches. I took knitting lessons from an older woman in the back room of her farmhouse. She taught me to knit simple hats. This was in 2006.
Now, I still enjoy knitting hats, but I have branched out and learned how to knit colorwork and cables.
Then, I moved on to knitting sweaters. This meant learning a bunch of new things about necklines, cuffs, sleeves, and yokes. The variety really interests me.
Blueberry Vodka LemonadeRandom colorwork pullover
If you are a knitter, or want to be, the field is full of opportunities to expand knowledge. After a few years of constant knitting, I still have difficulty with certain stitches. I can ignore these challenges for now. Alternatively, I can try them whenever I feel ready for a challenge.
On my short list for learning is: Brioche and Steeking
Knitting in a Hot Climate
Now I live in Florida, and I am not too happy about it, but I make the best of it. Just because it is mostly sweltering, and ungodly humid, I have not stopped knitting. In fact, I knit all the time … with wool! I love wool. Yarn shops around here don’t even sell wool, I don’t think. Go figure!
Almost every project you read about on this blog happened in the last few years while I lived in Florida. I had given up the idea of knitting when I first moved south. Eventually I decided that I needed to continue. I still had a lot to learn – about everything! From yarn types, swatching, pattern reading, chart reading, shopping for yarn, and blogging about this hobby, there is never a dull moment. Oh, and of course, taking time to knit my projects and photograph them. Skittle and Fontana are a big help.
SkittleFontana
Get Off The Wrong Path
I absolutely believe the single largest problem with society is the food we eat. Without the correct fuel (food and drink), we lack initiative and energy. We become lethargic and get sick. We can’t help but decline without goodness going in. On top of that, the medical community insists that we – especially older adults – need medication. They make us believe we can’t make it through our golden years without it!
I began paying close attention to these things when my mother, at the age of 66 was diagnosed with Alzheimers. My sister recently died after having another form of dementia, and she is younger than I am. I simply refuse to let my brain break down. These things are not random.
Have Hobbies, Plural
I totally appreciate the time I have for myself. My hobbies are important to me and they keep me going. They do not cost me a lot of money, which is good because I don’t have much. I knit and I garden. I also enjoy cooking healthy food, and studying about herbal medicines.
Hobby definition: An activity done regularly in one’s leisure time for pleasure.
I raised children for over 40 years. My kids were widely spaced in age and I put them first (as good parents do) for many years. I now work from home and no longer get up to an alarm clock. Having leisure time for myself is wonderful. I can sleep in if I want to. Every day I appreciate that I made it to this time in my life, just so I can relax.
It was a very tough journey. I’m certainly not living the wonderful retired life I envisioned and worked for. But, I am able to do things now that I never had time for. I am at peace, and daily enjoy the little good things.
Besides knitting, I have become interested in growing my own food. I have a blog that has been turned into a “Gardening in Florida” site. I write mostly to remind myself of what I’ve grown and how it’s going. Growing vegetables in Zone 9B (East central Florida) is very different from growing in Zone 5B (southern New Hampshire) . I have a lot to learn about gardening – once again.
My small backyard garden space – Winter 2024
Blogging is a great hobby too. I’ve had to learn technology for my online business, and that has been a good thing! Besides working online, I run three blogs and regularly update them all. When we go boating, I update that blog with pictures from the water. After a camping trip, I write about that.
The point is, keep going. Don’t give up. Always question the way the world is working. Find something to do that makes you happy, but don’t stop there. Most of all, keep your brain thinking and in good working order. We can’t do anything without it.
A quick wish for the holidays and update on my knitting.
Today is Christmas Eve 2024, and the post is just a quick one. I’ll share what I’ve been doing today (cooking and knitting), and send wishes for Happy Holidays.
First, an update on my latest knitting project. The Birthday61 sweater, is moving along slowly. I knew it would be a long haul, but I am enjoying it. I’ve already begun on my second skein of yarn, and I’m still knitting the yoke. A little bit of knitting is happening today.
Progress on Birthday61
Food is mostly made for tomorrow’s small feast. Christmas Day is spent with my son. It is just the two of us, so we don’t go nuts. He has the day off, so he will make a ham. Probably cooked on one of his grills. I also made potatoes au gratin to be baked tomorrow. The vegetable will be my baked Seminole pumpkin. It’s all cooked and ready to eat. This was the only pumpkin I got from all my garden this summer. It tastes a lot like winter (butternut) squash.
Baking my garden pumpkin
Today at my home in Central Florida the weather is gloomy and cool. My cats have been sleeping indoors, which is unusual for Skittle. She likes to be outside, but she likes it warm!
Sleepy cats – Fontana and Skittle
We have lights up outside, but nothing for decorations inside! I’m just not in the mood to add more stuff to the house. My little fake tree is still in the shed, along with the few other holiday things I still have.
Whatever you are doing today and tomorrow, I hope it is enjoyable and peaceful. I miss the excitement of children, but I’m also happy for the low key way I celebrate.
I don’t write about Christmas these days, but have a few very old posts related to the holidays.
New England's Narrow Road 