Forecast knitalong

My Forecast

2008-07-20T09:24:00.000-07:00

It is finally done! I am so pleased with it. I blogged about it more here

Good luck to anyone still going.

it's done!

2008-03-26T08:46:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what happened-- lots of other knitting distractions, I guess-- but after 5 months, my Forecast is done. More or less. It's a little short, so I am planning to add as much as a can to the bottom hem.
I'm nearly out of yarn (Cascade 220, so I can't do much. Anyway, I'm thrilled with how it turned out. More photos and description on my blog.

After 2 Years: Finished

2008-02-07T17:14:00.000-08:00

After two years (nearly to the week), I've finished my Forecast!

Specs:

Started: 11th February 2006 for the Knitting Olympics (remember those?)
Finished: 7th February 2008
Pattern: Forecast, by Stefanie Japel (Knitty, Winter 2005)
Yarn: Peace Fleece Worsted in Samantha-Katya Pink (this is my favourite yarn colour, ever. Read the story here.)
Needles: Size 8 and 9 Denise
Modifications: I worked 3-stitch bobbles instead of 5- and worked the sleeve ribbing from the elbows. Out of concern the armholes were a little too small, I crocheted a wee underarm gusset during seaming. I sewed the arms until about an inch remained, then I crocheted around the remaining opening and sewed it closed. I'm not convinced it was necessary, but there's the perfect amount of room in the pits.

This sweater involved a multitude of firsts for me. I had never cabled before (and haven't since, actually, though I plan to in a scarf I'm making for the man). I had never knitted bobbles before (and am now convinced bobble knitters are insane. Knitted bobbles flout the laws of all that is good about knitting. I'm tempted to make a t-shirt that says: Bobble knitters, crocheting will change your life). I'd never made a cardigan before, nor had I (consequently) ever knitted buttonholes. Again, crocheters have it made with buttonholes, though knitted ones flout no laws. Mine came out fine, but a little loose. I hear this is a drawback to the backward loop cast on. I'll likely sew the holes a bit to make them tighter. Lots of firsts.

The sweater fits pretty much perfectly. I prefer my sleeves a bit longer; the next time I wash it I might try to stretch them a bit in blocking. The collar is huge. This is a good lesson: Even if the pattern calls for starting with the collar, I will knit it last. I'm no longer intimidated by picking up stitches (the button bands beat that out of me, at long last), so this will be no problem. Yes, I feel myself growing as a knitter, becoming more comfortable modifying patterns (my knitting self and crocheting self at times seem like two different people). I can't say I anticipate I'll wear this sweater too much; a looser-fitting cardigan is more my thing. But I love this sweater mostly for having made it at all. Oh, yes. It is love.

Peace, man.

[x-posted on my blog]

Finished!

2007-12-10T09:04:00.000-08:00

It only took a YEAR...but I found out I was pregnant, so I put it away, since I wasn't sure what would happen to my figure...especially in the bust dept. Luckily, I was able to pick up where I left off without too much trouble. I opted for a 3-stitch boble, starting ribbibg at the elbows,and adding some length to the body. The yarn is some Lion Brand Wool-Ease with little flecks of color--my mom gave it to me, and I don't think they make it anymore. I'd like to make this again in a yarn that breathes a little more--I get pretty hot wearing this sweater!

Since that picture doesn't show much detail, here's a shot of the back--my favorite part!
Good luck to everyone else working on this project!

Long Time!

2007-11-29T15:52:00.000-08:00

It has been a very long time since I posted or indeed started my forecast. Now and then I return to it and make a little progress.

But I must admit to having more than one project on the go and this makes it a tad interesting on the finishing front...

inching along

2007-11-17T07:08:00.001-08:00

Since it's the holiday season, and I'm making this for myself (ie low priority) this project has taken the back burner. I am making some progress however, and I thought I'd share some photos. I'm nearly done with the body, which I'm making a little longer than the pattern requires. Just a few more inches of ribbing!
I've tried it on and though it seems really stretchy I'm afraid that it'll be too small. I think I'll have to make the button band extra wide so the fronts will close. Has anyone else done this? I don't want the bands to take over the sweater, but it does need to be functional.

the beginnings of a Forecast

2007-10-19T14:54:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I'm a little late to the game, but I just discovered Forecast and I've just started knitting it. I'm planning on using the usual alterations (ending the cables at the elbow, 3 stitch bobbles) and I'm aiming for a 34" chest. The yarn I'm using is Cascade 220 Heathers. It's the first time I've used it and so far I'm liking it. (I'm really liking the color.)

Here's a photo of how it's going:

2007-10-02T00:36:00.000-07:00

Torso Time!

2007-10-01T00:22:00.000-07:00

Well I can check that off my list of to-do's!

Slowly but surely

2007-09-27T17:52:00.001-07:00

Progress! I have been able to knit a few rows here, cable a few there, and as a result have gotten another inch or so onto my sweater! I actually have made it to the waistband portion of Forecast! I've switched to my size 8's to give it a more fitted look--overall I'm pleased with the way it's coming out. Hooray!

Merry Christmas, Mom!

2007-09-27T17:18:00.000-07:00

Last winter my mom requested that I knit her a sweater just like my own. By the time I got around to getting the right yarn, it was too warm to wear a Forecast. So I took my time knitting it. I tried, for a time, to be monogamous to this one project, but summertime came and the lure of knitting with something other than worsted wool was too much for me. Finally, though, I've completed my mom's sweater, just in time to celebrate the beginning of fall and sweater weather again! Actually, I finished Mom's Forecast a few weeks back, but my camera broke. Luckily, I live with a professional photographer who was able to fit a photoshoot of the sweater into his day today.

2007-09-26T20:02:00.000-07:00

We've got arms!Even though I love the original pattern, I've made several adaptations to the original design. Many of the changes were after seeing the finished product on Pinku. The pictures and descriptions from that blog inspired me to start knitting this sweater at 2:30 in the morning last week Monday. Please tell me I'm not the only one this happens to...

The biggest alteration I've made is that I'm doing a 9 stitch braided panel instead of the original bobble cable pattern. It's not that I don't like bobbles...it's just that...okay, I just don't like bobbles. This sweater is being knit out of Nashua Handknits in Evergreen which is a fantastic Wool/Alpaca blend. Because it's a chunky weight yarn, my gauge for this sweater was considerably larger than the pattern. This hasn't been a problem, its just required some extra trying on throughout stages. Once I finish the body portion of this sweater, I'm going to begin the ribbing on the sleeves much higher up. I'm hoping that this will give the sweater a puffy-sleeved look at the top similar to the Elizabeth Bennet cardigan in Stefanie Japel's book Fitted Knits.

2007-06-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased enough with the rear view.... However, looking at it from the front, I'm getting the impression.....
it's a bit snug. And not in a good way. I know blocking will help, and I haven't added the button bands yet, but I still feel like it might pull between buttons. My question is this: Should I entertain the idea of adding a couple of rows to the button bands for x-tra width? Did anyone try this? Thanks for your ideas!
Mel
www.girleatssoup.blogspot.com

White forecast done!

2007-06-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

It was actually already 2 weeks ago I finished it, let's just say I'm fast in knitting but slow in taking pictures;)

It's a very fun project and a joy to knit, the yarn was great and the design even better. I modified the pattern by knitting the garter stitch rather than purling. Overall I'm happy with the project, though I'm not very satisfied with the button bands, but I'm too lazy to change it. Some more pictures and comments on my blog :)

Burgundy Forecast

2007-06-02T13:28:00.000-07:00

well, there is still one little problem to be fixed, and until then I can only really wear the sweater unbuttoned, but it looks good open I think!
how's a dorky, I'll-probably-regret-making-this-face-later pic for you all? :P the product of frustration from having far too few moments of photogenicness...which is not a word.

what a great first sweater for me. a little daunting at first, but a I kept moving along my confidence really built up and now I don't feel scared about trying anything. hooray for Forecast! hooray for Stephanie Japel! and hooray for Cascade 220, the only wool I've tried so far that doesn't itch...

a super-serious photo and a back shot at my blog. have fun knitting!

Stephanie

Almost Over

2007-05-25T13:48:00.001-07:00

I know I could probably wait and post this as a "final" post with pictures of it blocked and being modeled by moi, but I just finished it last night and before I get it all wet and stretched out I just had to show it off!

I had so much school work to get done a few weeks ago and had to put Forecast on hold, so this first week of my Summer home I decided to make up for lost time. Originally I was going to buy the buttons today, but looking through my mom's button box(she is a sewer/quilter) I found eight buttons that were just perfect. who needs ten buttons, anyway?

a really bad picture of the back view and a good closeup of the buttons have been posted at my blog. hopefully I will have pics of me wearing it in the near future!

ta da!

2007-05-25T09:38:00.010-07:00

Just in time to catch the last cool days of spring...

(click photo to make it a little bigger)
This ended up as one dense sweater. But I love it! My yarn was a heavy worsted wool from a farmer's market. It's bulkier, stiffer, and more rustic-feeling than the Cascade 220.

I departed from the pattern in a number of ways. Minor modifications included knitting every row instead of purling, switching to a horseshoe cable, and adjusting for gauge, size, etc. The more significant modification is that I did a short-row button band that only buttons up the bottom half of the sweater. I go into a bit more detail on my blog, but basically the pattern's strategy of making large decreases below the bust wasn't necessary for someone with a less curvy figure, like me. Since I didn't feel like reknitting the body, I started experimenting with an asymmetrical button band. And this is what I ended up with!

My main concern with the finished sweater is that my collar ended up very, very weird. I have no idea why it angles out instead of in. It was hard to see how it was going to lay until I'd already finished a good part of the yoke, and I was hopeful that I could block it to lay at a different angle. No such luck. At some point I plan to cut it off and replace it.

It's been very helpful to read about all of your experiences with this sweater. Thanks!

Button problem

2007-05-17T10:28:00.000-07:00

Knitting is done. Just one band to go. Which brings me to a problem.... buttons. Should I go with matching white ones (which I still have to find) or should I go with these not yet finished polymer clay ones.
I'm tempted. I made them last night, they still need to be polished from my fingerprints and covered with some gloss varnish.
Hmm... do polymer clay buttons break easily? Opinions please, ladies...

I finished!

2007-05-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

I sewed on the last of the buttons earlier this evening and now I'm done!

More photos and details are over on my blog.

I've really enjoyed seeing what everyone's done/been doing with their Forecasts -- thanks for all of your tips and inspiration! I'm sure this won't be the only time I'll knit this pattern (although I might wait to knit it again until the weather is more favorable for wool sweaters!)

Hello Forecasters!

2007-05-13T06:50:00.000-07:00

I know I'm a little late to the party, but my knitting skills weren't ready to take on this project until recently. I'm Mel and I live in L.A. This KAL has been so incredibly helpful! I read every entry before casting on and answered many questions for myself. I am in love with this pattern and it's been a breeze. The only mistake I made was in not knowing how to read a chart and not realizing that the WS rows were included. I thought all the rows were RS! My sweater would have been down to my knees......luckily, I figured out my error early on.

I'm using Cascasde 220 in Lime Heather. Man, do I love this yarn.

Do I need to be concerned that it looks a little small? I'm taking into account that several inches are crunched up under my arms on the needles and assuming that those added to additional inches of the button band will take care of the gap. It feels good under the arms.I'm not sure if anyone is still reading this blog, but if you are out there, come say hello!

www.girleatssoup.blogspot.com

2007-05-09T04:51:00.000-07:00

Hi, My name is Ingrid, I'm Estonian but currently living in Italy. Three days ago I started forecast (eventhough it's summer here) and have reached this far. You can see that I'm really enjoying the pattern :) Since there are no schematics included in the pattern my work is more difficult (about measuring and sizing), but I'm getting there.
I've made some alterations to the pattern to make it more comfy to work on.

I am knitting the garter stitch with knit rows instead of purls (it required some attention on the second row, but makes the process much faster)
I don't turn my work when knititng the bobbles, I simply pass the 5 stitches back to left needle, knit them and then pull 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th stitch over the last knit one. Again it makes the knitting way faster.

I have a question though... ho long does the ribbed part have to be/is? Since I substitued the yarn (unknown producer, 100% merino, softest merino I've gotten my hands on during last few years, bought from local market) the pattern instructions don't help me by saying "repeat 10 times" for the gauge is only given for garter.

First Forecast, and First Sweater Ever!

2007-04-30T15:41:00.000-07:00

So exciting for me! I started last Saturday. Forecast went pretty fast at first, but the double-pointed needles slow me down a bit. in this picture I've done a little work on one sleeve after finishing the body, but now I'm already almost done with that sleeve.

Like most people, I'm doing 3-stitch bobbles. I'm starting the ribbing on the arm sooner, but after the elbow instead of before. I also omitted the reverse stockinette bands at the bottom of the sweater and its sleeves, and hopefully I can make the sleeves extra-long :)

This is in Cascade 220 #8415/Burgundy. I love the color and the texture! the pattern has also been really easy to understand so far, for someone like me who has never knitted a sweater before.

I have a blog although there's really only one more picture of the sweater on there, close-up, and a little more of me blabbing on about it all.

thanks for adding me to this KAL!

Finished Forecast!

2007-04-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

Here is my finished Forecast. I really enjoyed making it, and I'm so glad to have had the opportunity to read about everyone's knitting journeys and the great modifications you came up with (several of which I used).

I used about 8.5 balls of Knitpicks Wool of the Andes "Arctic Pool Heather."

Modifications: I knit the pattern as written except for the following changes: (1) I wanted to make approx. a 34 inch bust. My gauge was a little off, so I ended up using the instructions for the smallest size; (2) I lengthened the ribbed portion of the lower border on the body and switched from a US 5 to a US 6 needle halfway through to give the effect of a hip increase; (3) I started the lower border on the sleeves just below the elbow and made the sleeves a tad longer; (4) I made 3 stitch bobbles instead of 5 stitch bobbles.

For more pictures, and a bit more commentary, you can visit my new blog.

Unsettled Weather in the Forecast

2007-04-21T13:15:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I'm new this this knitalong, having just signed up after starting my Forecast last Friday night.

I am using Cascade 220 in a lovely blue shade my LYS called Marine. I decided to modify the pattern a bit and do a 9-stitch braid cable instead of the cable and bobbles as written.

I was knitting along and making great progress when I noticed a horrible mistake while at my stitch 'n bitch group the other night:

I had mis-crossed cable all the way at the beginning of the sweater. Can you see it? Here's a close-up:

I didn't want to have to frog and start over, so I performed a bit of surgery on the errant cable itself (you can read all about it here). Now all is as it should be and I am ready to move on to the sleeves.

take two

2007-04-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

Hi Forecasters! This is my second time casting on for Forecast. Last year I made this version for myself, and it's gotten plenty of wear through the freezing New York winter. Around Christmas time, I visited family and friends in Portland, Oregon, and my mom requested a Forecast of her very own. At first, she asked for a chocolate brown Forecast, but after some discussion, we settled on something with a little more color (although I do love chocolate brown). I bought a bunch of the above pictured Shetland Aran from elann, and now I'm finally ready to roll! The yarn color is more accurate in the picture below. It's very beautiful in person- kind of a warm brick color with flecks of deep purple, sun yellow, brown and orange. Now, my mom is built a bit differently from me, but I'll still be knitting according to the size small instructions and following the mods I made on my own Forecast, plus a few other changes. Mom wore mine comfortably, but has a shorter torso than me and slightly broader shoulders, so I'll account for those differences as I knit. I hope to be finished with her Mom's Forecast by the time I head to Portland again late in May.... I'll keep you posted!

Forecast is Good

2007-03-21T07:25:00.001-07:00

It's done. Finally! It came out pretty darn cute if I must say so myself. I was worried it would not be okay. I shall wear it today. Proudly.
to review:
I used Araucania Nature wool in I forget what color, us needle sizes 7 and 5, did the five stitcth bobble, and decreased the sleeve just before I got to the cuff. I also had to reinforce the button hole with crochet because the buttons I chose were too small.
you can check out other progress posts here

2007-03-09T19:26:00.000-08:00

Forecast premiére at the Art Gallery

2007-02-21T12:42:00.000-08:00

This Sunday was the premiére for my Forecast in public. Family headed off for Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden, to meet up with some friends at the yearly art exhibition Vårsalongen at Liljevalch Konsthall and for some lunch afterwards at Blå Porten. The cardi received many compliments from the friends.

Saturday evening I had finished the last bits and pieces ... and uh, how boring that was. I had feared that the button and buttonhole bands would be causing problems, which they also did. Now I'm not completely satisfied with these, but they aren't so bad that I would care to reknit them. They are a little loose at a few places, though you can hardly see it. Only fix I did in the end was to to tighten up the buttonholes.

Overall I'm really happy with this cardi, and it will definitely be worne a lot! It is the perfect day-trip-cardi especially to draugthty museums and chilly cafées, as it's really comfy and warming. I used approximately 4.5 skeins á 100g Rowanspun Aran in the colour Heath. Find more pictures at my blog mamatherapy.

pine green forecast

2007-02-21T10:04:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Just joining in now, after a great bout of cabin fever pushed me to start a sweater (slightly extended version of the saga on my blog).

I'm mostly finished with the yoke, but as it's still scrunched up on the circular needle, it can't fit around my own shoulders for a photos. My dog (husky/yellow lab mix to give you a sense of scale) reluctantly stepped in to model:

I'm using a slighty coarse worsted wool that I bought from a farmers' market here in Vermont, in a dark pine green. Here are my early tinkerings with the pattern:
-I needed to go up to a size 8 needle to avoid a stiff fabric.
-I've swapped a horseshoe cable for the bobbled cable.
-I'm knitting every row instead of purling (has anyone else done this? I haven't read about it, but it's much faster for me!)

It's been incredibly helpful to read through all the earlier posts. Glad to be here!

another one finished

2007-02-12T10:53:00.000-08:00

I just have to sew in the ends from sewing on the buttons and then block it. the shape looks really funny, but i promise it looks much cuter on. i just didn't even want to try, as this sweater is very fitted and my belly would probably pop the buttons right now. though when i block it, i'm going to try to make it just a tad bigger all around. here's a close up of the buttons that i spent like and hour and a half picking out at the store:

yarn used: rowan cork (discontinued) in "glow," bought off ebay

needle size & gauge: actually got pattern guage on size 7's

pattern modifications: the biggest change i made was probably making the armholes smaller. i did this by increasing fewer stitch in the arm sections during the yoke increases at the beginning of the pattern. though i love it in theory, and it looks great on some, including stephanie herself, big puffy sleeves and big armholes such as this do nothing to flatter my self-consciously linebacker shoulders. i also made the whole body a bit longer, by doing more rows of the 2 x 2 ribbing at the bottom. i also added some shaping in the middle of the ribbing for a few rows. nothing drastic, i maybe increased 8 stitches. i wanted the ribbing section to not be quite as tight, especially considering that by making it longer it would extend over my hips, so i figured a little more room would be a good thing. i didn't do the popular mod of starting the arm ribbing at the elbows but just tried to make the ribbing on the arm and the bodice the same height. all in all, a simple, and fun knit. wish i could afford her new book.

Forecast complete

2007-02-10T08:23:00.000-08:00

I completed Forecast on Tuesday this week. Time to knit the sweater took about 2 weeks. It is the fastest sweater I've ever knitted. I used Cascade 220 and size 8 & 6 needles. I blocked it kind of aggressively to make it a little more roomy. Also I used 5 buttons, rather than the 10 recommended by the pattern. I prefer to wear it unbuttoned. It is just a little too warm for me to wear a wool sweater buttoned up (I do live in a relatively mild climate) The weather forecast is for a bit of rain this weekend so I should be able to get some wear out of the sweater :)

Abby

tangy!

2007-02-09T12:23:00.000-08:00

it's done! yay!

(yes, i am trying to pose just like stephanie japel. there are dpns holding my hair up too.)

yarn: cascade 220 in orange
needles: clovers, size 8 and 6 circs and dpns
mods: ribbing begins after elbow(and very long sleeves), slightly longer ribbing in the body and 3-stitch bobbles

this pattern was so much fun to knit and i'm now addicted to top down raglans. they are truly the best for people who are afraid of seaming.

the orange color is something i'm still getting used to wearing but i feel more and more brave everytime i wear it. i've gone in public with it, but i haven't gone to school with it on yet. that's the next phase.

there are more pictures on my blog!

i'm lazy

2007-02-07T13:08:00.000-08:00

but i'm blaming it on being pregnant. i've had my forecast finished for months now, but haven't woven in the ends from sewing on buttons. will have to block it too, but i'm posting in hopes of remembering to actually take pics and post them here. all in all, it was a lovely, easy project. i made some calculated mods (the common ones of lengthening rip, plus i made my armholes smaller) at the beginning and love that the pattern allows you to customize the size, etc. as you go.

Oops! Didn't read carefully

2007-02-01T13:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I started knitting the sleeves using double pointed needles. After a couple of rounds I noticed my gauge was really off. (see picture below) I instantly thought because I change from knitting with circular needles to double pointed that it caused my gauge to change.

So I went to my local knit shop to buy the next size bigger double pointed needles (US9). At the knit shop, the owner as she was admiring my sweater pointed out to me that I was doing wrong. She showed me that I had reverse stockinette going on in the sleeve and that is why my gauge was so off. (remember the sweater is suppose to have the garter stitch bumps on both the inside and outside) When you convert a flat pattern to knitting in the round you are suppose to change the wrong side stitches from knits to purls and also the purls to knits. It even reminds you to do this in the Forecast pattern if you switch to knitting with double pointed needles! I had only followed this advice for the 9 stitches making up the cable section. Oh well... So I frogged it and started the sleeves again. Below you can see my gauge with the sleeve now matches the rest of the sweater. Didn't need to change needle size. Just follow the directions more carefully :) The picture above shows the true color of the sweater the best (less glare).

Abby

Burgundy Red Forecast Newbie

2007-01-29T15:23:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I'm new to the KAL. I just started knitting the sweater on this past Wednesday. I got quite a bit of knitting done on it over the weekend because it was raining the whole time. The yarn I'm using is Cascade 220 in color #8884, a sort of burgundy red. Needles are US size 8 and 6. I enjoy reading about everyone's alterations to the patterns. I'm planning to do the arm alterations.

Picture above is the back. Picture below is the front.

I'm now glad to be on the Lower Body section with the K2 P2 rib. I was getting a little tired of the bobbles. Now with this little break from them, I know I'll be ready for them again when I get to the sleeves.

For the sleeves I'm also planning on using double pointed needles to knit in the round. Less seaming I have to do the better :)

Abby

Frog green forecast

2007-01-24T10:33:00.000-08:00

I have had a few ups and downs with Forecast since starting two weeks ago - firstly, I started knitting on 3.75mm circulars, thinking the difference in gauge wouldn't be too significant. The neck has turned out perfectly so I'm very happy with it. I knitted a few repeats of the yoke using the recommended 4.5mm needles, but after checking gauge, it was definitely turning out too small so I switched to 5mm needles. Even then, my gauge was STILL off so I have been knitting the medium size. I also found, like some other people, that if I had divided the sleeves where the pattern suggests I would have cut off the circulation in my arms so I knit quite a few extra rows (without increasing) before dividing.

Then, after knitting a few repeats of the body it was still a bit small so I decided to increase 2 stitches either side of the front for the next 3 'right side' rows. I was on my way to work so for some insane reason I decided to invent an increase method! Not only was it really awkward and difficult to do, it also disrupted the nice garter stitch pattern but I carried on knitting (another 2 repeats) before admitting to myself it looked terrible and frogging back. I have about 1 and a half repeats left before switching to ribbing.

forecast finished

2007-01-24T02:31:00.000-08:00

It's been defying photography, but it's done. Complete with 294 bobbles and 196 cable crosses. And I love it!

Started: 20 April 2006

Finished: 19 January 2007

Yarn: 6 and a bit 100g balls of Rowanspun aran in Heath from Cucumberpatch.

Needles: 5mm and 4.5mm circulars.

Modifications: Not that many really. I did 5 stitch bobbles and the short cuffs as written. I missed out some of the raglan increases on the sleeve side to make the arms less enormous and then decreased again from 64 to 40 stitches before doing the cuffs. I extended the ribbing at the bottom. I did try adding short rows to the bust, but soon ripped it out again because it looked silly and wasn't needed because the garter stitch part is stretchy enough.

Cross-posted on Pigwotknits.

2007-01-22T14:59:00.000-08:00

My Favourite

I'm so pleased with my second Forecast I had to post it here. I don't have much time to post details, so if you're remotely interested, pop over to my blog, The Knitting Princess and the Pea. I really like all the variations of Forecast and will probably knit a third sometime. What a completely fab pattern this is!

Halfway there

2007-01-19T13:51:00.000-08:00

Hi, I'm Lisa, new to this knitalong. I'm using Patons merino in Peacock and like many opted for the modified smaller bobble and longer ribbing. Another inch or so on the body ribbing then I can move onto the sleeves.

Two steps back

2007-01-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

I had a minor set back today. I was done with the stockinette on the bottom as well as one side of the button band when I realized I didn't like the fit of the sweater. The ribbing part was too short. So I ripped back to the ribbing and will add about 2 inches. Oh well, I guess it is worth it. I have seen so many cute versions of this sweater on this blog that I just want to make sure mine measures up.
From here

Back to here

forecast chart

2007-01-09T02:27:00.000-08:00

I've just started my forecast in Cascade 220 (highland green I think). I cast on yesterday and have finished the neck band and am about to start the yoke. I'm a bit paranoid about doing the chart wrong so wanted to ask for some help! Are the blank squares 'knit'? and are the purl rows charted or not? Can someone clarify this? thanks!

Finito!

2007-01-08T08:58:00.000-08:00

Forecast is d-o-n-e done!

This was a pretty easy, quick knit. I made all the popular modifications on this one (3 st bobbles, ribbing at the elbows, etc.).

I used just under 4 skeins of Cascade 220 tweed. My only gripes are that the yarn bled all over my hands while knitting it, and it's started to pill already. But, I love the fit!

More details at my blog.

First knitalong

2007-01-06T19:54:00.000-08:00

This is my first knitalong and I have to say that if it hadn't been for the blog I would not have realized how many mistakes I made.

First of all I read the chart upside down like others have and I got the spacing wrong by reading the chart as all right side rows but then I did something else which was accidentally start reading the chart as right side rows and wrong side rows after having done two repeats of the pattern so then I had to establish that as the pattern, two repeats with strechted out spacing and two rows with the right spacing. It still looks cute though and I like how the bobbles ( I did the five bobble)look like monkey faces. I am using Araucania Nature Wool color #28 on #5 and #7 addis needles. I also spaced on the sizing but I think I ended up making the medium size widthwisw but the large length. I really just made it as long as i thought looked good.

This picture shows the color a little better. I haven't quite decided what to do with the sleeves. I see some poeple are having trouble withthem. I think I might try them how it is written in the pattern Stephanie wrote. since the gauge is a little smaller than the pattern calls for I think the sleeves may come out okay. For more pictures and details check here.
ps is anyone else unable to get onto the glampyre blog?

Walnut Forecast

2007-01-05T21:11:00.000-08:00

Finally here she is…in cascade 220, walnut heather.

p.s. yet to be tried on. Too scared! And I am pregnant. Oh and visit my blog some time...

Another Newbie

2006-12-29T21:19:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I am so pleased to have joined this KAL. I fell in love with Forecast after seeing Alice’s completed project. Guess what I got for Christmas??? I then googled and found this KAL and read all your posts which came in very handy esp. the tips.

Like others there are modifications I will be making (and others I have made accidentally but can live with) such as bobble size, sleeve ribbing and length. Who knows what other happy mistakes I will be making.

As I have been a tad lazy and have not taken any photos of my Forecast WIP I cannot share at this point in time but I promise to do so soon.

Done!

2006-12-22T16:15:00.000-08:00

Well, what can I say? I love it. It's warm and unique and flattering (I know, a little humility goes a long way). Seriously though, this was such a super-satisfying project...for many reasons...the yarn (Cascade 220 - a favorite, I hear) was great to work with, with good yardage ~ I made the whole thing with about 3 & 1/4 hanks. It's a super fast knit, keeps you engaged & best of all, it actually looks good & fits well.

As for the specs, I used size 8 & 10's Addi Turbos...I did the ever-famous alterations outlined here by Pinku. I also decreased by a few inches at the wrists (right before the 3 reverse st st rings) for a slimmer fit. The buttons are from, none other then Exclusive Buttons (you all know they're my favorite!).

Let's see...what else...ooh yeah! The pilling...eek, don't like the Cascade 220 pilling thing they've got going on, but I'll live with it - since it's the only real down side to this sweater. What? What's that you say? Ooh, why do my bobbles & cables look f'd up? OOh that! Uuhm...yeah, evidently, I don't know how to read charts...right...more on that here & how I almost e-mailed Stephanie to "correct her" (ouch! that would have been a painful conversation to have). Here's another picture...

Okay, I'm off to finish my Christmas shopping...er...I mean, start my Christmas shopping...

X-Posted at my blog (it's basically the same post, but feel free to stop by & say hi if you want!).

Sheepish update

2006-12-12T21:17:00.000-08:00

Pun intended. Thought I'd say hello since it's been, oh, several months since I last knit on my Forecast. I hope to finish it soon in time to start the Enid cardigan (with a knit-along group) from the winter issue of Interweave Knits. Now that I've separated the sleeves the knitting is going much faster. To be honest, I can't wait to get to the ribbing, this cable is fussy to work and making my hands hurt. To add insult to soreness, the wrong side looks a lot better, as I mentioned awhile ago. I'm going to trust that a good blocking will sort it out on the right side.

I can't wait to see how these buttons will look--I think they're poi-fect.

Next post will be a finished Forecast, promise.

CR

Forecast newbie

2006-12-01T07:32:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. This is my first post to this KAL. I started Forecast about a week and a half ago. I'm now at the seemingless endless yoke. Only a few rows to go before I get to the underarm join, but boy do these rows take a long time!! Has everyone found that the pattern is accurate with this shaping, or have others added extra rows to the yoke?

Here's a shot of my progress. Sorry for the brightness of this - daylight is hard to come by!

I'm using the called-for Cascade 220 tweed in a dark purple. I love the color, but my bamboo circulars are turning purple and my fingers were purple after a long knitting session on Wednesday night. I guess this sucker's gonna need a good wet blocking.

I'm doing the popular mods to this one - 3 stitch bobble, and I plan to start the ribbing at the elbow. I'll post progress here, but also over at my blog. I'm glad to have joined the fun!

A sleeve.

2006-11-16T23:43:00.000-08:00

Now you see it...

Now you don't.

Frogged. Two night's work, gone while I listen to the breakfast news. It was a good inch too baggy, and after much um-ing and er-ing I decided if it's worth doing, it's worth making it fit.

Still. Very annoying

7 days and my fingers ache

2006-11-15T10:40:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys! I'm new here...Thanks Christina, for allowing me to join the fun!

Enough of that, and now, on to my progress with Forecast! Here she is after a couple of days:

and after 7:

Why is it going so fast, you ask? Because I'm an IDIOT and I'm knitting the cable chart incorrectly. Maaan, even with help from Julia, I'm STILL doing it wrong. Can you tell? Not enough bobbles. Not enough cabeling. I even thought to myself "why do people keep complaining about the bobbles, theyre not that bad" and "this cable pattern repeat should be a little shorter, I'm should email Stefanie and let her know". Hello!! Red Flag!!

But you know what? Ooh well. I apply the same rule that I applied to my wedding day "no one else is going to realize that it was supposed to be there". Except you guys, of course, so do me a favor and "ssshhh". Our little secret, k?

X-posted here.

Forecast, Day 10

2006-11-14T16:14:00.000-08:00

Hi, I'm Kelly...I'm new here! Let me just tell you that I was super excited to see this knitalong--I found it on Craftster when I was looking for picture of the lovely Forecast...where I found the so-more-creative-than-me ideas for how to work the pattern into something that will suit my style.

Then it got even better. I got to drool over completed (beautiful!) projects AND someone linked to a blog that explained BEAUTIFULLY how to make the no-turn bobble! OH THE JOY! Several repeats through, I found myself thinking that there MUST be a better and less annoying way to make a bobble. Thank you so much to both the mentioner and the creator of the instructions! SOOO very helpful!

10 days in...I've been pretty faithful to this project, and up until now, I've really only been making small projects appropriate for my attention span...save for one sad and unworn basic sweater.

My apologies for the lack of light...it's a dark blue yarn with fun colored flecks. My mom had it, it's wool-ease. Hey, it was free, and I like the little bits of color! You probably can't tell, but I'm just a couple of inches away from starting the ribbing on the bottom of the sweater body. I wanted to get some sort of picture up tonight and hopefully get a better one up soon! You probably also can't see some wonkiness in the collar...not sure how that's going to turn out, but I'm willing to wait and see...

Thanks for letting me play along!!

Another Finished Forecast

2006-11-09T15:27:00.000-08:00

7 months in the making...I am done!

More pictures and details on my blog: http://girlwhoknits.blogspirit.com

Thanks for all the help and support of this KAL. It has been fun to see everyone's progress.

south of the border

2006-10-30T08:20:00.000-08:00

well, kind of south of the border. i started it, rather. the waist "shaping" has turned out rather nice & seems to be hitting me in the right places.

i am loving this pattern. can't foresee any problems that will make this baby unwearable. a nice contrast to my just-finished argyle vest :(

one more mod i'll be doing...i'm making the whole body a bit longer, by doing more rows of the 2 x 2 ribbing. however, since this will be hitting me past my waist and into my hips, i'm going to add some "real" waste shaping from here for a few rows. nothing drastic, maybe 8 stitches. i just think i have wide shoulders & would prefer this sweater to not be super super tight at the waist & hips but be a bit more curvy.

2006-10-29T04:22:00.000-08:00

Finished!

I finished Forecast on Thursday and I'm very pleased with it, though I probably should have made it longer and started the ribbing higher up on the body, so it didn't "cut me in half".

I haven't much time right now, so for more details, hop over to my blog.

Good luck to all who are knitting this - I really enjoyed it.

tangerine

2006-10-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

This is my first post on this KAL but I started forecast over a week ago. I'm LOVING this pattern to bits and things are going pretty smoothly.

The yarn is cascade 220 and the color is burnt orange but I don't know where the label is right now. I went up to size 6 and 8 needles and I'm making the medium size sweater. I'm also going to do Winnie's alterations. I can't wait until it's cold enough to wear it!

2006-10-24T06:43:00.000-07:00

Progress

Sorry about the dark photo - it's so gloomy here that a good photo is impossible. As you can see, I've finished the body and I'm two-thirds of the way through the first sleeve. I'm really enjoying this knit, and the fact that it's so easy to make modifications to the original pattern. On the sleeves I've started the ribbing above the elbow and I hope it works out okay. I've put some lifelines in so I can rip out any modifications without going back to the beginning. As I'm knitting the sleeve ribbing on 3.5mm needles, it's taking longer to knit than any of the rest of it (I knitted the body on 5mm and the body ribbing on 4mm). I'll post a more comprehensive account when I show the finished garment (if I can squeeze into it - it's on the small side). I already know I'll knit another!

I'm in Love

2006-10-22T07:17:00.000-07:00

...with my Forecast. See? She even helps out with the yardwork, which is more than I can say for my (two year old) son... Come check out this post on my blog to see the whole story of our day together. Thanks to all of you for inspiration and tips!

PS- I suppose if I had to add one tip to the pot, it would be to buy your buttons in person. I did, and I'm so glad, because the buttons I picked out first, shiny silver ones from Spain, were beautiful but would have completely eclipsed this sweater. Keep in mind that you'll be sewing TEN of these puppies on, and choose something that you can handle in that number. I went with something darker, more burnished, so that the sweater could speak for herself.
-JulieFrick

fall forecast...

2006-10-18T10:55:00.000-07:00

at least when i dismiss my fear of not finding any buttons that would really work on this when it's done, i've had a change in heart over the color of my forecast.

instead of looking like a yellow that someone with orange cheeto stained hands touched all over, the color now makes me think of some of the gold leaves around our neighborhood:

you can't quite tell from the pic above, but there is the tiniest hint of green mixed in there with the gold & orange in the yarn, just like that leaf.

i've divided sleeves and body & have a few inches of body done.

so far, my mods have worked out well. i first modified based on my row gauge being off. though it ended up being much closer to the pattern gauge, and i just realized i swatched in stockinette, not garter. doh! the other modification i've done so far is making the armholes/sleeves a bit smaller by skipping a couple arm increases. now i'll just keep knitting & trying on until i want to start the border.

this is my first top-down knit, and though i agree with elizabeth zimmerman that it sucks to knit all the exciting shoulder shaping first & then have to knit just straight body, i can see how it really helps one end up with the right fit & design.

Done and dusted

2006-10-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

Finally, it's done and dusted - and just in time for the family birthday weekend away.

Mum **loved** her Forecast, and the fit was fabulous. I think the pattern flatters a narrower shoulder and smaller chest than my own - both of which Mum has, which is how I figured it out.

Neither of us could get over how soft the Cleckheaton Country 8-ply was. It's a relatively inexpensive yarn (most wool-based yarns are expensive here, in spite of all the sheep), but a very soft one for 100% wool.

In my excitement, however, I completely forgot to take any photos, d'oh!

2006-10-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

Tentative Beginnings

Hi! I'm Alice from The Knitting Princess and the Pea and this is my first time on a KAL. I've already found it useful, as I couldn't for the life of me figure out whether the cable pattern was right and wrong-side rows or what, and I found some useful info here, so thanks! I've only ever managed to knit one garment that fits properly, so it remains to be seen what size this one turns out to be. My tension is so tight I've already gone up to 4 and 5mm needles, instead of 3.5 and 4.5mm. I think it still may be snug. Still, the pattern is very easy (considering I've never knitted cables or bobbles before, or ever used a chart). I found it simple to remember the pattern after the first repeat and it doesn't really need much concentration to get it right, although I can't take my eyes off it when doing bobbles or cables, so no watching TV! Anyway, I'm enjoying this so far.

The yarn is the Cascade 220 recommended. It's one of the heathers shades and I've included a real close-up of the colours - aren't they lovely? Varied but subtle. And the texture of the yarn is fabulous.

Okay, it just remains to be seen whether I can manage to get the sleeves at the right stage and make it fit properly and then there's all the picking-up-stitches in a tidy manner! But one step at a time.

CABLE CHART
For anyone else attempting this and confused about the cable chart, it shows right and wrong-side rows, beginning with a right-side row (row 17). On all the right-side rows the plain squares on the chart are knitted and on the wrong-side rows all the stitches are purled, right across the chart and the whole length of the row. It doesn't matter which way you read the chart, left to right or vice-versa, as long as you are consistent on the actual cable row. I started the chart from the bottom.

slow Forecast

2006-10-09T04:44:00.000-07:00

slow Forecast, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

Forecast is FINALLY past the armholes and into the body. It should be a little quicker from here on in, especially now I'm using Cmeknit's no-turn bobble technique. It's quicker (although I still have to turn my work once because I'm knitting the bobbles from the wrong side after switching from purled garter stitch to knit garter stitch) and seems to produce a neater bobble.

I wondered if anyone had any tips on adding short row bust shaping to Forecast? I think I'm going to need it, but I've never done short rows in garter stitch. Has anyone else tried it with this pattern?

intro

2006-10-02T19:53:00.000-07:00

hi all. good to see there's still a few of you around. i just cast on my forecast. i'm knitting it in rowan cork in the color "gleam" i got at a steal on ebay. i haven't decided if the color is like a yummy ripe peach or like yellow that someone touched all over with orange cheeto stained hands. but i think i'll like the finished product.

Still waiting for buttons...

2006-09-28T18:10:00.000-07:00

Hellooo! I'm here and my Forecast is finished and beautiful however I had to special order my buttons (I had my heart set on something very specific) and they still haven't arrived! I'm planning on posting a FO picture soon though! I do love the sweater--I think it's beautiful!

More is More

2006-09-26T15:19:00.000-07:00

As I just posted on my blog, I am in love with Cascade 220 if for no other reason than the yardage! I got this far before having to join a new skein- almost to the underarm! Fabulous. I'm so happy with the way it looks so far that I'm trying to come up with a way to modify it enough so that I can make two for myself. It's such a distinctive knit that I think two of the same sweater would be overkill. Ideas?

Progress

2006-09-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit ashamed that this is my first photo of my mother's Forecast... I guess my excuse is that my initial progress was so quick, I didn't want to stop knitting for long enough to take a photo!

As you can kind of see from the photo, I'm well on my way to finishing this. The endless ribbing with the tiny needles bugs me a bit, but Mum's birthday is fast approaching and spurring me on.

Although you can't really see it, this is a lovely dark navy wool - Cleckheaton Country 8-ply, and surprisingly soft for a run-of-the-mill Australian wool.

The only parts I truly hate are the beginnings of the sleeves, since they're too firm to just use my circular needle, and require me to use lots of needles (which I find messy and annoying); and the picking up of the stitches for the button bands, just because I hate picking up stitches.

I'm sure my progress would be better if I could do these parts first somehow, and the rest of the knitting afterwards!

2006-09-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

Whilst awaiting the yarn for the next Zimmermania project in the queue, it seemed I ought to be tying up some loose ends. This included my long-languishing Forecast, whose extended vacay was undeserved. So I picked her up last night and made a good deal of progress - including the last bobble-cable motif on down through what you see of the ribbing.

(sorry for the poor photo - I'm losing daylight here!)

So there you go. Long stalled progress!

Sunny Skies Ahead?

2006-09-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

Hey there! This is mostly a post to introduce myself and ask a couple of questions. First of all, just to prove I'm serious, here's the beginning of what I hope will be a very clear Forecast. I am loving this pattern and the yarn. It's amazing how much sweater you can get out of one hank of Cascade 220! Today I saw this great photo tutorial about doing bobbles without turning your work, and I think that'll speed things up considerably.
I'm doing the 36.5" size with the only modification so far being 3-stitch bobbles and going up one needle size. Of course, going up a needle size, even though I seem to be getting gauge, makes me nervous. I really want this thing to fit well, and not be baggy in the least. I read that many of you are doing a size "between" the first and second. Any hints on how to do that?
So glad to be here! If you've got a minute, you can come check out my blog, Fricknits, to get to know me. I'll be stopping by yours, too!

So close!

2006-09-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

But the last bit of sleeves are just going so so SO SLOW!
Also, I'm very worried about the size. I think it's going to be a bit too small across my chest. Has anyone had to add extra rows onto the button band??
I do like how it looks so far and have decided that this will be my holiday sweater this year. So I better be invited to lots and lots of parties! Because I do think that if I can make this fit it's going to look GREAT!

Love it, love it, love it!

2006-08-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

Jay! I've finished the body now and I love to knit this one! I have a project I sort of have to finish, but this one is much more fun! So, the sleeves and the buttonbands are left, but I already know that this will be a winner, and make me one too wearing it!

I'm baaaaack

2006-08-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

My second Forecast is for my mother, who saw and admired mine so much that she enquired as to knitting time and difficulty in a tentative manner. I saw this as a hint that she'd like her own - quite rightly, as it turned out.

So I'm back, and already enjoying the pattern even more than last time. It helps that Mum is also smaller than me, so it's an even quicker knit. And after two lovely but time-consuming 4-ply-on-3mm-needle knits, I'm ready for swift progress.

New Participant: VivaPia

2006-08-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!
Summer's coming to it's end here in Sweden, so I've started to knit autumn-wear: Forecast! I'm using 2-threaded wool and alpaca. I've reached the lower body so far and am hoping for a rapid progress! :D

And I'm Done!

2006-08-07T19:13:00.000-07:00

YAY! Please excuse my goofy looking photo. This only took about two weeks and I loved the whole no seaming thing. I found some buttons which I think match pretty damn well. I think I'm gonna be wearing this a lot. It still needs a good blocking as it's rolling in places and I wouldn't mind getting a little extra length in the body and arms. More info on my blog www.knittinganarchy.blogspot.com

We have arm

2006-08-02T17:45:00.000-07:00

Here's another progress shot. I'm getting close now, only one more arm and the button bands to go. I've gotta start looking for some buttons. To answer dlittlegarden's question the colourway for the yarn is #7613 which is a red wine colour. It's a bit darker than in the photos. I have to admit I was a little unimpressed with the colour and the random flecks of blue, green, yellow and white in the tweed but now that it's almost finished I'm really liking the colour. The tweed blends really well. Hopefully next post I'll be finished.

Just started

2006-07-26T17:22:00.000-07:00

Hey there! I just cast on a few days ago with the cascade 220 tweed the pattern suggests. The yarn is lovely, so soft and springy for 100% wool. I've decided to make a size inbetween the small and the medium, as have other fellow KAL-ers done. I've found it to knit up pretty quick but I've hit a bit of a wall the last day or two because I've had to experiment around where you create the armholes so as I don't cut off circulation to my arms. Did anyone else have to increase their rows before they created the arms and if so by how much? I think I'm going to have to add about 3 pattern repeats! It sounds like a lot but then again I am a tight knitter so my rows may be off. Here are some progress shots...
anneke

Forecast Pie!

2006-07-24T22:10:00.000-07:00

I'm almost to the armhole division in this picture, but I kept knitting before I posted this and I'm past it now!
This knit is really moving along especially now that I learned to knit backwards and don't have to flip the whole schebang over for the bobbles.
I'm really looking forward to getting some great work on this project this weekend...
Have a great weekend everyone!

Just getting started

2006-07-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

Hi!

I've been following this knitalong ever since it started -- I fell in love with Forecast the first time I saw it, and really wanted to knit it, but haven't been able to find exactly the right yarn... until now. I was at a yarn sale yesterday and there it was: The Yarn.
It's a Swedish yarn (I live in Uppsala, Sweden) called Bom-ull (supposedly a very witty name, since the yarn is 50% cotton, 50% wool, Swedish bomull means 'cotton' and ull means 'wool') and the color is a beautiful dark blue with, if anything, a hint of green. It's a little splitty but otherwise okay to knit with.

I started swatching right away:

(The color is all wrong in this picture; I think it has something to do with the flash, or lack of flash.)

The gauge seems to be pretty okay. I seem to be getting 18 sts/4", but I'm in between sizes M and L, so I'm making a size L.

As you can see, I tried a lot of different bobbles. I'm thinking of going with the 3-stitch one, but it still seems kind of... bobbly. Has anyone tried knitting a 2-stitch bobble?

After swatching, I couldn't wait to get started on the real thing. Here's my meager progress so far:

(I'm in no hurry to finish this as I probably won't be able to wear it until next year anyway, but I hope this knitalong will speed me up a little, at least.)

Happy knitting everyone,
Fi

Finally!

2006-06-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

Finally, I've gotten my act together sufficiently to take some photos of my finished Forecast. She's been done for almost 2 months now!

Here she is, in her ublocked state:

I am inordinately proud of the buttons we found - quite a good match colour-wise, which is a challenge when you live in a place where handcrafts are a dying art.

I really enjoyed all aspects of this pattern other than picking up the armhole stitches, which I always detest. I'm sure it would have been better on dpns, but since I haven't tried them out yet, I used a circular (knitting the sleeves flat, y'see), and it was difficult for the first 10 rows or so.

Since I cant get a nice photo of the front of my Forecast, here's the back.

The colour isn't so good in this photo - it's more plummy, less reddish. Quite a beautiful yarn really (Jo Sharp DK in "aubergine"), and lovely to work with.

Somewhat unfortunately, the cardigan itself is not super-flattering to my shape, as it emphasises my generous bosom and shoulders more than is necessary. I still wear it a lot though - I love the colour, and it is really, really warm, which has come in handy for our recent cold snap!

I enjoyed this pattern a lot, but particularly enjoyed the KAL aspect. Watching other people knit their Forecasts has kept me motivated, and given me the confidence to modify this pattern as I've needed to. (It's also given me the confidence to modify other patterns, which is even better.)

In fact, I liked this so much, I'm quite keen to make one of these again - maybe as a birthday present for my mother...

2006-06-27T19:59:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!
This is my first knit-along!
I've so loved reading about your sweaters and watching everyone's progress that I decided to join-up when I cast-on even though I haven't blogged in months. This is my progress from last night, as well as my 3 and 5 stitch bobble swatch.
I've decided on the original 5-stitch bobble and I'm knitting with Cascade 220 in a creamy ivory shade poetically called No. 8010. I love the play of textures already, though I'm a bit worried about my increases. Is there a way to do a purl m1 that I don't know about or can't find in my admittedly brief reference book? I'm currently doing a regular knit m1.
I can't wait to get further into this great pattern!
Cheers,
Vickery

friggin' FINALLY

2006-06-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

I've finally finished my Forecast (except for sewing on the buttons)! Just in time to move to muggy New York City. It finished blocking last night, and I was able to bring it out to knitting night at Sundara's. Now I just need to sew on the buttons. Only, I bought those woven leather buttons, and if I ever want to hand wash/reblock this sweater, I'll need to remove them. It was suggested that I attach the buttons with metal shanks on the wrongside of the button band. Anyone out there who knows how to do this? I'd love to hear your advice.

Done!!

2006-05-29T14:33:00.000-07:00

Holy crap, guys, I'm done! I'm so happy with the way my Forecast turned out. The fit is snug (but I like it that way), the buttons I picked turned out great and the yarn got nice and soft after I washed it. I'll definitely be wearing this once fall comes back around (but not before then - I broke a sweat today just wearing it for the pictures!)

More pictures at my blog and my Flickr photostream!

Squirmy Cables

2006-05-17T12:15:00.000-07:00

Hello! I'm very glad to join this knit-along!! I'm interested to see how the colors and other variations change the character of Japel's design. I love the spectrum I've seen here: the pallet of greens, sunny yellow, blues of all shades. I'm working with a blue-green New England Highland wool, a rather coarse and irregular yarn, which I can't seem to photograph with any fidelity. I misread the cable pattern upside-down and with fewer repeats. I'm not so sure that this was a happy accident, as the cable has an uncomfortably squirmy look, but I haven't the heart to frog at this stage. I hope I don't regret this! In any event, I look forward to reading about other people's Forecasts!

Almost at the finish line

2006-05-09T15:13:00.000-07:00

The knitting is done, the buttons have been bought (and what a mission that was, let me tell you!), and now the seaming,sweing on buttons, and blocking are at hand.

I really, really hate the whole seaming thing. I know, it's only two sleeves, and it's my fault since I was too chicken to knit them in the round. But I still hate the seaming.

I'm not a big fan of blocking, either. The results are always worth the effort, but the smell of wet wool and the stress of trying to get the garment in the correct shape make a mess of me.

My Forecast definitely needs a bit of blocking, because it is quite... sproingy. And I guess a few days of a woolly-smelling apartment is a small price to pay for what will hopefully be a lovely warm garment. The weather has turned quite cold, so it will certainly be good timing!

If it weren't for frogging...

2006-05-01T05:47:00.000-07:00

I'd be half-done by now! See this photo? My poor Forecast is only double that now, because I knit, ripped, knit, ripped, knit, ripped...oh, you get the idea. I settled on a 5-over-4 stockinette cable and a seed stitch body (instead of purled garter). Given current history with this sweater, all that may change by the next time I post! At least I've got the repeats memorized now: the bonus part of reknitting it so many times.

Upper body done

2006-04-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

So this is what I have completed so far...

I decided to increase the length of the upper body and added two extra cable repeats. I am also going to knit the ribbing a little longer too--I guess until I am happy with the length. It is kind of depressing to knit this sweater right now since I know it will be too hot to wear it when I am done and my color is SO fall. But I love knitting it and so I am going to keep going. The texture of the sweater just makes this so fun to watch grow. I am also enjoying knitting from the top down so I can try it on. I love me some Forecast. The only thing I am a little nervous about is it fitting in the bust area. I haven't yet been able to pull it together because of the circular needle stuck in the bottom so while I know I can put it on and that it seems to fit well in the back and armholes, I am holding my breath for it to button.

Must. Get. Back. To It.

2006-04-27T09:31:00.000-07:00

It's been weeks since I've touched my Forecast, and about as long since I've even visited this blog. Bad, bad knitter. I've been preoccupied with knitting socks (my first) and crocheting dolls (my vice).

Now that Shannon's announced she's knitting her version so we can match when we go on our book tour, I'm feeling the pressure to finish. What if I've lost my place? Must let go of the fear.

Must finish my Forecast.

So it begins...

2006-04-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

I should say "begins again," because I've ripped it out a few times already!

But first, my introduction. Hello! I'm Shannon, aka Knitgrrl. I've been promising myself a Forecast ever since I saw it, because I love Stefanie, love her patterns, and well... Kim knit one and I wanted a matching sweater for our book tour in the fall! I can only hope I look half as sassy as she does in hers.

I chose charcoal Cascade 220 because I didn't want to distract too much from all the lovely details, and because I've got a ton on hand at the moment (I'm nothing if not highly proactive in stash-reducing). I do love the brighter colored Forecasts, such as the original one and this yellow one Jenna's doing. I am changing up the cable pattern, eliminating the bobbles in favor of using the double-texture cable (page 70 in Barbara Walker's third Treasury). I like the combo knit/purl on the cable itself, looks like it'll fit in nicely.

And if not, I guess I'll just rip it out again!

p.s. that mustard colored yarn at the top edge? provisional cast on...I've got some applied i-cord ideas brewing!

a finished forecast

2006-04-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

So here she is in all her Cascade 220 glory. As you can tell, my cables are just a wee bit different. See, I read the cable chart wrong and didn't realize until a few repeats in. But I kinda liked that it was less busy and pushed forward.

More pics and commentary over at m'blog.

Could it be a sleeve?

2006-04-22T18:37:00.000-07:00

Yes! It's a sleeve! I gave it a treat for being so finished, even though it hadn't got it's ends woven in before I took the picture. The other sleeve will have to wait. I just can't handle a big bulky sweater in the weather we're having (hot, sunny, gorgeous).

Everyone has been knitting their Forecasts in green, brown or blue tones; it's so great to finally see a different color - yellow! I love that yellow Beaverslide Jenna's using! Love it love it love it! It makes me (almost) want to knit another Forecast in yellow.

A very sunny Forecast

2006-04-19T05:22:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I'm Jenna (aka Cinemaknits) and I love this knitalong already - seeing everyone's yarn and cable variations has been inspirational.

I started Forecast last week, and after a knitting break this weekend I'm back in business:
I'm using Beaverslide's worsted weight in Prairie Coneflower. It's BRIGHT, yes, but I like my knits bold. The yarn is a joy to work with, and I'll definitely be using it again - their range of colors is pretty phenomenal. In this picture I was about ready to divide for the sleeves. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I had to do a few extra rows before dividing to get a comfortable fit. Now I'm plugging away on the body, which I'll probably lengthen.

Detail on my cables/bobbles:
I'm using a three-stitch bobble, and while they're still sticking out a lot I don't mind. I LOVE how textured Forecast is!

Anyway, I look forward to seeing everyone's progress (and what you decide to do for buttons - right now I'm at a loss.) Knit on!

Stalled

2006-04-18T14:54:00.000-07:00

On Friday I was halfway finished with my second sleeve when the yarn ran out.

I knew it would, so I'd scheduled a trip to the shop to buy more. (The shop has limited hours that aren't also standard working hours, so scheduling a trip is important.)

They'd sent all the wool in the right colour to the Christchurch branch, so I have to wait till next Saturday (if I'm lucky) to continue. And I thought the Easter break would be a perfect time to finish it all up.

2006-04-15T11:25:00.000-07:00

Hello all. As I mentioned in my intro post, I am currently knitting three sweaters for work, two of which are original designs and due on May 1st The yarn for one is unspeakably tiny and just arrived from the mill a couple of days ago. Starting Forecast was foolhardy and somewhat defiant, but I think it's also necessary for my sanity...

This is the cable pattern I'm using in place of the horseshoe/bobble combo. I love twisted stitches and their high relief, and I thought this cable looked like the tangled courtship of Lizzy Bennet and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy...

The cable is doing some funny things. Look at the zigzag it creates along the button band edge. I actually really like it. I'm thinking there would be a way to make a button band that would straighten this edge, but I don't know if I'll bother. The buttons I'm hoping to get for this are these JHB icicles, the brown ones.

This is a closeup of the cable so far. It will definitely need blocking as it skews to the left, but I think doing more repeats might balance it as well.

I find myself liking the wrong side almost better than the right. Right now the sweater is pretty much reversible, I'd lose the little ridge under the collar if I wore it wrong side out, but I think I'll end up liking the right side in the end.

Wrong side out:

Yes, that is a heck of a lot of markers, I've marked every increase point and my cable bits. It helps when watching absorbing movies, and when you're as spacy a knitter as I am.

Time to work on the required sweaters...sigh.

Cirilia

So sad

2006-04-14T18:07:00.000-07:00

I'm several inches in...only 6 rows from the "divide for shoulders/body" section, and I'm concerned. I decided against bobbles, hoping that the cables would be enough, but now I'm having second thoughts. Please make me feel better!! I don't want to rip this out, but I don't want to be disappointed everytime I look at it, either. Is it enough? Do I need bobbles? Even just 3-stitch bobbles? Crap. :(

2006-04-14T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, my name is Cirilia. I work at Webs in Northampton, Massachusetts and I cast on for Forecast despite having several work knitting deadlines looming and an unfinished belated birthday Aran for the boyfriend (holy alliteration, Batman).

I have been watching the 1995 (BBC mini-series) version of Pride and Prejudice and I have an immese desire to recreate this look:

Classic Elite Skye Tweed is on sale at Webs and I have set aside the perfect orange. Bonus, this fits into Project Spectrum! I'm planning to use most of Winnie's modifications which seem good for a long torsoed girl, and most likely a different cable insert. I like the bobbles, but I had a really good time hitting the Barbara Walkers to see what would fit into a 9 stitch panel! All I can say is, I'm pretty stoked. I feel like a Jane Austen fan shouldn't use words like "stoked", but whatever, I do what I want!

I am teaching a top-down sweater class right now and I hope I can have this done by the last class meeting so the students can see one of the amazing looks you can get with top-down knitting. Stefanie Japel is our generation's Elizabeth Zimmerman/Barbara Walker caliber knitting dynamo, in my opinion.

Progress pics soon,

Cirilia

the pits!

2006-04-12T17:46:00.000-07:00

Folks, I need some advice. I've been knitting the smallest size of the Forecast, and it seems to fit nicely so far, except for the arm pits. I already frogged my first attempt at the section that divides the sleeves and body because when I tried on the sweater, it dug into my arm pits. I reknit the pattern, adding 4 rows, and increasing by 16 stitches. I thought this would be enough to give my arms some room, but no. It's still digging in a little. Should a frog again and knit more rows before the sleeve/body divide, or what?

Sadness....

sleeve fudging

2006-04-12T04:55:00.000-07:00

I'm only about 20 rows in, so I can't tell how well it's working, but this is how I'm planning to reduce the sleeve circumference. The XL size has 65 stitches in the sleeve at the point where you divide sleeves and body. At 4 st to the inch, this is about 16". I want more like 14", which is the arm size of the next size down (57 stiches). So I need 8 stitches fewer in each arm section. Each increase row as written increases the size of the sleeve by 2 stitches, so I need to miss out the increases on the sleeve side of the raglan line 4 times. (That is, the increases after the first marker, before the second marker, after the third marker and before the fourth marker). I'm distributing the rows with fewer increases evenly down the yoke, about one every 16 rows.

I think it'll work.

I went and did it

2006-04-11T20:31:00.000-07:00

Just wanted you forecast buddies to know I created a blog of my own and I'd be happy to take input on blogging basics. (pretty please) I have no clue whatsoever on how to add those cute clickable link buttons or even to add my favorite blogs to the sideline. Go see it!

Forecast beginning

2006-04-11T04:03:00.000-07:00

Hi people! I started Forecast last night because I was craving cables and bobbles and interesting things to knit. So far, I like it. I'm using Rowanspun aran in Heath and while it's a little more subtle than some of my usual colour choices, I think it's suitably sophisticated for this pattern. Like most people, I went for a three-stitch bobble. I toyed with the idea of substituting knit for purl becuase the thought of all that purling was a little frightening, but actually on the right-side rows because you keep doing bits of cable, it doesn't feel like much more purling than for stocking stitch.

I couldn't get a M1 by knitting (or purling) into the bar between stitches to work without a hole, so I'm doing a purl into front and back. I'm also going to try doing fewer increases on the sleeve side of the raglan line because I usually find that sleeve tops made that way are far too big and this cardigan needs to be more fitted. Does that make sense? I think it's something to do with a different ratio of bust size to arm circumference for large bust sizes (I'm making the XL size.)

I do like the bobbles. They make the cables even more interesting.

Bekki

One-armed bandit

2006-04-10T21:45:00.000-07:00

One arm down and only one left to go! Yippee!!

As much as I've enjoyed this pattern for what it's taught me - cabling, bobbling, and how to purl more quickly - I absolutely loathe the ribbing. It takes forever and is somehow extremely unsatisfying.

The original pattern does have the big advantage of minimising the ribbing.

So I'm thrilled to have finished one of the sleeves, at least.

The other thing I've really noticed about the mods is that they definitely require more wool. I'd already over-bought by ball, but find myself about a ball and a half short of what I'll need to finish up. As long as I don't do more than half a sleeve before Saturday (the first possible time to get to the yarn shop) I'll officially only have one project on the needles.

Yeah, I don't see that happening either.

Forecast: FUN

2006-04-10T18:49:00.000-07:00

I just cast on for my lovely Forecast sweater this weekend. I love, love, love the collar! After I'd gotten through the first bobble row I realized that I had read the cable chart wrong. This even after reading how others had done the same. I guess I had to see it to *see* it. So I frogged those rows and started over just above the collar. By the time I'd gotten that far I'd already learned the pattern so my second start has been really fun since the pattern is memorized making the knitting much more fun and a whole lot less confusing. I did my bobbles a little different because I didn't like how they were looking. They are Kfbf, turn, p3, turn, k2tog, k1, pass first st over. I like how they look this way.

One question on the Make 1's. I'm working the make 1's purlwise. Is that the right way? I'm a kinda new knitter (couple years) so I don't know a whole bunch about different types of stitches.

By way of introduction, my name is Jennifer and I don't have a blog. I'm kinda shy about sharing myself with strangers although I read at least 15 knitting blogs daily. I learned to knit a long time ago but just started really going crazy for it last winter. I started with scarves, moved to hats, then socks. Now I've decided to try a sweater. I thought the top down all in one piece with very little seaming would be a good start.

Oh, yeah, the yarn is Cascade 220 in a bright heathered turquoise.

2006-04-09T21:35:00.000-07:00

ok, so i broke the rules.

i know you're not supposed to go button-shopping until you've got a FO to reward yourself with, but somehow i found myself at windsor button this weekend. i managed to engage the behind-the-counter button-plucking duties of a patient staffer who pretty much has the arduous job of helping customers select from a (give-or-take) MAZILLION types of button items. it's a little crazy.

anyway, i'm so happy with these. they're a warm olive, and with a little wood-grain-esque variation in them. can't tell if they're wood or plastic, but they're very sophisticated, and bring out the green in the sweater. the fern, if you will.

i'm at the ribbing section of sleeve one. the hard and rock place of sleeves -- seaming or in-the-round. both have their ups and downs... i'm lucky i have short arms! :)