New England's Narrow Road

Swatching Colorwork Knitting in the Round is Yukky

It’s a bit embarrassing to show this swatch of colorwork because I messed up big time. But I don’t plan to do this again.

A while ago I watched a video about swatching colorwork knitting in the round using this method, so I thought I’d try it.

When swatching for a sweater, I always make my swatches flat, or sometimes I will begin knitting a sleeve to measure the gauge. But, if the gauge is off, the sleeve has to be knit over again.

Sometimes people will carry the yarn around the back of the swatch and begin knitting again. See an explanation of this at the Quince & Co. blog post and watch the video below made by Webs. A long, circular needle is used to knit the swatch and the project is slid back to the other side of the needle when finished. Straight needles will not work.

This is how I made my swatch, except that I did not carry the yarn, but cut my yarn at the end of each row. I did my swatch this way after watching a YouTube video and decided I would try it.

I’ll never do that again…!

The swatch curled up on me terribly (which is bound to happen, but was annoying) and I didn’t know how to keep borders on the edges while knitting the pattern. My second colorwork section in my swatch is horribly messed up, not that it matters because this is a swatch, but I couldn’t wait to bind off. Then, I had all these loose ends which I tied up using 2 strands each. It took forever.

The swatch will be a good reference for needle size 3 Fair Isle in the round, but it wasn’t fun to make. It’s much better to carry the yarn around the back – just make sure the strands are long and won’t pull on the front – because no ends need to be dealt with! Just wash and dry leaving those strands in the back. Will this be okay? I don’t know.

All Knits and No Purls Mimics “in the round” Knitting

The reason for knitting this way is that every row is a knit row – no purling – and that mimics “in the round” knitting. This is supposed to give you a more accurate gauge measurement. It wastes a lot of yarn though, and it’s knit in a way that you can’t unravel and use the yarn after.

See more in another video (below) with colorwork swatching in the round. However, there is no advice on how to end this. Cut the strands? Or don’t cut the strands? If they are cut, then you have ends to deal with. If I wash it first, can I then cut the ends and be safe? Maybe that would work with wooly yarn, but won’t for all types.

I’m not saying that swatching in the round is not a good idea, but just know what you are in for when you do it. Keep the swatch as a reference and be sure to label it with yarn type used and needle size.

Free Knitting Patterns I Have Used and Liked

As a beginner knitter I was always searching for free patterns to try. I was afraid I wouldn’t understand a pattern if I bought it because those were for people who knew what they were doing!

Fortunately some clever people do write up patterns and share them for free. Some of these people are designers who also sell patterns. Free patterns can also be poorly written, so be careful there. Read through a pattern before beginning and see if it makes sense. Or go to Ravelry and see what other pattern users have to say. If the free pattern gets bad reviews it may be best to move on and find another.

free knitting mitten pattern — The World’s Simplest Mittens

Knitting Three Sweaters

At the beginning of 2021 I decided I would make this a sweater knitting year. Right now I have three sweaters on the needles, after having a few “fail” moments to narrow down the patterns.

All three sweaters are pullovers and two have colorwork yokes.

Sweater #1: The Hand-spun Yarn Sweater

Because I really wanted to knit a colorwork yoke with wool, I chose the Meadow Moon pullover pattern by Jennifer Steingass. It is knit top-down with stranded colorwork at the yoke and cuffs.

I’m using dark blue Rauma Finull yarn as the main color along with a hand-spun yarn, purchased from Wound Up Fiber Arts, for the colorwork. The hand-spun yarn is variegated in brown, tan, blue and maroon colors.

I have finished the yoke and separated for the sleeves with lots of stockinette to come. *Update: As of November, I have finished the other two sweaters (see photos below) but this one I am still slogging along with the round and round knitting. It’s great for long car rides or tv watching, but will take me a while to finish.

Sweater #2: The Double Yarn Sweater

I’ve had a huge skein of light green yarn sitting around driving me nuts because I didn’t know what to do with it. The Miss Babs yarn was an impulse buy, or maybe it was on sale, who can remember? But it’s a pretty light green and I wanted to combine it with mohair.

After knitting a swatch combining it with dark green mohair, I moved on to try a very light green mohair and loved it. So, although I wanted to knit something to use up the Miss Babs yarn, I now have a bunch of dark green mohair sitting around that needs to be combined with something…! Can’t seem to overcome the yarn stash blues.

I chose the free pattern called Calliope by Espace Tricot. The pattern is simple, with raglan shaping and it’s a top-down sweater.

*UPDATE: Finished after three months and the sweater is quite large. I think it’s the washable yarn. The fabric is very soft and comfy, but the body is very wide and I have to roll up the sleeves!

Sweater #3: Heading Into New Territory

Last but certainly not least, I am knitting an Icelandic sweater using Lettlopi wool. I saw someone on Instagram knitting with this yarn and thought it looked interesting. I found it for sale in Iceland and bought the skeins needed to knit Farfuglar from the Lopi 40 book. The name means “Migrating Birds”. My colors are opposite from the pattern shown, but using the same colors – air blue and white.

I’ve never used Lettlopi yarn, but I have fallen in love. This pattern book is awesome, but not really for the inexperienced sweater knitter. Instructions are basic. I think I will manage, but I’ve already learned a new rib stitch and decrease called KRPR, which is a right-slanting decrease. I had to look that one up.

This is a bottom up sweater, which is not my favorite, but I look forward to getting to the pretty yoke pattern.

UPDATE: Finished Farfuglar (link to my Ravelry page with notes) the end of October – a one month knit. This was my favorite project of the three sweaters so I worked on it the most! All I would change is the body ribbing at the bottom which tends to curl up. Maybe make it longer, or knit a bit differently. It fits me perfectly!

Yoke close up bird pattern Farfuglar sweater

Last Words

These three sweater patterns are easy enough that I can switch off between them as I feel like. The Meadow Moon yoke is done for now so I’ll be knitting straight stockinette for a while until I get to the sleeve cuffs where new colorwork is needed.

Calliope knitting is also simple with a long rib being knit at the bottom of the sleeve. I will have one more sleeve to go.

Farfuglar (which means Migrating Birds) has a lot of stockinette to accomplish before I begin the other sleeve and then get to the fun yoke pattern.

I’ve never knit more than one sweater at a time, and I’m not a super experienced sweater knitter, but this is fun. I will not get bored and I like having the choice when it comes time to knit.

Now, which one will I finish first? Answer – Farfuglar! Can’t wait to knit more projects with Lettlopi wool.

knitting three sweaters — Three Sweaters – October 2021

Discovering The Goodness of Icelandic Lettlopi Wool

The last thing you may expect a Florida gal to do is order wool from Iceland to knit a sweater! But that is just what I did a couple of weeks ago. I have now fallen in love with this wonderful Lopi wool.

Lettlopi wool skeins in white and blue — White and Air Blue Lettlopi yarn from Iceland

While living here in the jungle heat, I dream of being in a normal climate where seasons change and people wear sweaters, hats and mittens. My cold weather wardrobe is being knit with the hope that one day I will live in New Hampshire again.

I’ve come to love beautiful wool and appreciate knowing where my yarn comes from. Unlike many knitters, I never get to sit in front of a winter fireplace, happily knitting something I know I will need to stay warm. My knitting is mostly done in air-conditioned rooms with ceiling fans running. Fall doesn’t mean anything really to Floridians. Days do get cooler, but compared to the heat of summer, that means little really. Winter means some cold, damp mornings – we even get ice in the birdbaths occasionally – but snow never falls and temps usually warm up by mid-day.

It’s a boring place unless we get out on the water.

Florida neighborhood oak trees flat street — Live Oaks make a “tunnel” effect over the road where I walk in the morning.

Instagram For Knitters

I became interested in the Lopi yarns after seeing photos posted by knitters on Instagram. If you knit, you should set up an Instagram account (this link goes to my Insta account) and follow other people who knit. I’ve discovered new knitting patterns and sales on yarn (and patterns) from the site as well. I don’t do much on Instagram myself, except share a photo now and then, but I love to see what designers and yarn sellers have to offer.

Buying My Lettlopi Yarn

This has been my year for knitting sweaters. I have three pullovers on my needles at the present time- Calliope (finished!), Meadow Moon and Farfuglar (finished and knit with Lettlopi!).

Someone shared a photo, on Instagram, of a new sweater design using Lettlopi wool, and it was beautiful. I looked into the yarn further and ended up ordering from the Icelandic Store. I’d chosen a sweater pattern by Jennifer Steingass which used this yarn. The pattern, called Treelight, ended up being a pain in the neck to get started because of gauge. I gave up on it and found one in my new book, which I had ordered along with the yarn. The book, Lopi 40, is full of beautiful patterns and I have begun knitting “Farfuglar” meaning “Migrating birds”. (I finished this sweater in November and love it.)

Lopi 40 book of knitting patterns — Lopi 40 Book

Farfulglar sweater in blue and white Lettlopi yarn — Lopi 40 Book

A lot of Lopi yarn colors are out of stock, but I wanted light blue and white which were both available. I bought ten skeins of Air Blue and five skeins of white. I had to pay shipping, but the yarn itself was so cheap, compared to US stores, that I believe I got a good deal. The shipping process took over a week, but I was in no hurry.

Plotulopi Yarn

Another wool yarn that gets good reviews is Plotulopi. It is described as “unspun plates of Icelandic wool”. It is equal to a worsted weight and comes in lengths of 328 yards. At the Icelandic store each plate is about $5.. .which is a deal compared to ordering from US stores!

So my yarn plates have arrived, along with more Lettlopi, even though color selection in the Lettlopi was slim. The Icelandic Store is on the ball, and this shipment arrived very fast.

I have begun knitting a pair of mittens using the Wine Red Plotulopi. This yarn is unspun and that means it will pull apart very easily. I wondered how it would work while knitting colorwork! I did okay, except when I had to tug on an end that was hanging, and the red yarn came apart! I used a crochet hook to catch the short end piece and wove it in. It means being careful when knitting with this yarn.

So this yarn is a little weird, but it’s cheap, and I love the colors! They make up for all the missing Lettlopi shades that are out of stock.

Plotulopi wool yarn plates — Plotulopi plates of yarn

plates of plotulopi wool yarn — Plotulopi plates of yarn

Alafosslopi is The Bulky Yarn

By looking through the book, I discovered the heavier weight Alafosslopi yarn. It is a bulky yarn and is used to knit some wonderful sweaters that would be very warm. I have a pattern chosen to use this new bulky yarn, but many of those colors are also out of stock at this time. Since I had limited colors to choose from, I settled for Ecru Heather and ordered a box full of yarn.

This time the yarn was delivered much quicker, but I had to pay more for shipping. There was no choice and this may have to do with the size of the shipment, but I got the order very fast. AND… they kindly included a chocolate candy bar with my order! I have begun knitting the Carbeth Cardigan using this pretty yarn.

Alafosslopi yarn in ecru heather color — A little candy surprise in with my Alafosslopi yarn delivery!

Buying Lopi Yarn Online

Some places have the yarn to order in the US but the cost is about $5 more each skein! I’ll need about 13 skeins for the sweater I want to make. Webs yarn offers big discounts for bulk orders but at the present time, colors are scarce. For this reason I ordered directly from Iceland. The skeins are cheaper, much cheaper, but there is shipping to pay. Still, for me, it was worth it.

The Icelandic Store has very quick shipping. I also have ordered from the Nordic Store but haven’t had the best luck. They had a big sale going on and I placed an order only to find out a few days later that many of the yarn colors I ordered were out of stock. I was a little ticked off that nothing that showed as available was really available. So my preference is to order from the Icelandic Store.

I hope that more yarn is being created and we’ll have more color selections soon. Until then, I have plenty of nice yarn to play with.