The curse is broken :o)

I'm don't believe in curses.  Really, I don't.  Except when it comes to finishing garments.  I have a bad track record regarding garments!  I like the idea of them & the idea of knitting them.  I even enjoy knitting them when I actually knit them.  I just never seem to finish them.  I lose steam.  And it's not for lack of preparedness.  I do my homework - I research on Ravelry, I pick the right yarn, and I even (generally) gauge swatch.  I just have trouble finish knitting them once the "newness" of the project wears off.  So, when I decided that the May-June knit along would be a vest/cardigan - I was scared.  downright scared that I wouldn't finish the garment that I would be asking others to join me in knitting. 

Well, I'm proud to say that I did finish the vest/cardigan and it fits!  The curse is broken (if you believe in those sorts of things).  I'm pretty sure one of the main reasons I finished knitting this is because of all the support of the other knitters who joined me in this KAL.  I owe them all a big THANK YOU!  And, of course, I didn't want to let anyone down by not finishing.

Okay, on to the details.  The pattern is Aon and is part of the Weekend #296 pattern booklet.  There is no specific designer attributed to this pattern or the book for that matter, the designer is listed as "Berroco Design Team".  I knit the 36" (bust) size using Weekend yarn in color #5907 Mouse.  Needles?  Well, if you happened to read this post, you know that I have a little gauge problem and needed to go up in needle sizes.  I knit mine using US 6 for the ribbing and a US 8 for the body.  Specifically, I used my Addi Turbo needles for this project.

All three pieces done!!!

Modifications?  Besides using larger needles, I made the ribbing at the sides 1.5" instead of 1".  The originally ribbing put the buttonhole in at 1/2" or halfway through the (originally) amount of ribbing.  I kept this ratio for putting in my buttonhole.  

Side seam!!!

I even seamed!  Oh, did I not mention that this was knit in three pieces that needed to be seamed?  I have never seamed in my life!  In fact, you might say I've actively avoided seaming.  As it turns out, seaming isn't all that bad.  I actually enjoyed it, but I think that's because I really enjoy finishing techniques.  I used mattress stitch to seam my vest.  There is a great video of this technique here - shoulder seam/mattress stitch.  

This was my first time knitting with Berroco Weekend.  The yarn is an acrylic & cotton blend.  The only negative about this yarn is that it can be splitty.  I also ended up rewinding my yarn cakes into yarn balls because it did not hold up as a center pull cake.  However, that is expected considering the content: 75% acrylic & 25% cotton.  It's a great yarn for this type of garment and especially for the climate where I live (Houston). 

Spud!

Look who's knitting Spud!  It's me!  This is Spud from the book Spud & Chloe at the Farm by Susan B. Anderson.  Actually, I think of Susan B. Anderson as the queen of knitted toys.  My mom has even flow across the country under the guise of visiting my sister so that she could take a class on knitted toys by Susan B. Anderson.  Okay, she was really visiting my sister and it just so happened that Susan was teaching a class that same weekend!  All that is to say, if you get a chance to take a class by Susan B. Anderson, then I suggest you take that class - she's a great teacher.  

Back to Spud.  Spud is the next KAL in the summer knit along series we are doing at Park Avenue Yarns.  I got the idea for this KAL from a fellow friend/knitter and have been looking forward to starting this KAL for sometime.  The last time I knit a toy was when I first started knitting and I haven't knit one since.  I'm not sure why because knitting toys are a lot of fun!  The next best thing about toys? They don't require a lot of yarn!

For Spud you need the following: 3 skeins of Spud & Chloe Sweater in colors Ice Cream #7500, Toast #7506, & Firecracker #7509.  Spud is knit using US size 4 double pointed needles.  Since I didn't have size 4 dpns, I consulted my mom as to what length dpns I needed.  She said that Susan B. Anderson (um, apparently I just can't write Susan and need to write her full name) uses 6 inch dpns for all her toy knitting.  I ended up getting a pair of US size 4 6" Karbonz dpns.  Why the Karbonz?  I thought that having a sharp point would be good for knitting the toy, though I'm not really finding it all that necessary for this particular toy.  However, I can now say that I've tried all forms of the Karbonz needles - circular, single point, & double pointed needles.  I can't remember if I've given a review of a Karbonz needles, but if not, then I will work on writing one :o)

P.S. Susan B. Anderson doesn't only design toys!  She has lots of other wonderful designs.  You can check out all of her designs on her Ravelry designer page here: Susan B. Anderson Designs. She also has a great blog.