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Here is my first sweater, made in early 2009 using a Sublime pattern from book no. 604 and Sublime's cashmere merino silk aran yarn. This project fulfilled my need for a pink winter garment (my favorite pink turtleneck had worn out a couple years previously) and something soft and elegant to nurture myself yet warm enough for a Chicago winter. Finished in about a month, Pinky (my name for her) made her debut in late February 2009. My happy experience creating her helped me overcome my childhood aversion to wool (resulting from too many unpleasant encounters with scratchy wool yarns in unappealing colors) and gave me some great joys: getting gauge easily, creating a garment that suits my body and fits well, and finally appreciating wool's virtue in holding its shape and size in wearing (unlike cotton, which, while lovely, always expands and makes itself so very hard to size properly). It also demonstrated to me how aptly named the Sublime brand of yarn is: knitting every stitch of this soft, pink yarn gave me pleasure and reinforced my belief in the power of simple luxury to lift our spirits. 

Pinky, Detail
This photo shows Pinky's little oval front ties and a bit of the neck shaping achieved via symmetrical decreases. The moss stitch used for the ties stands as the only exception to Pinky's overall stockinette stitch design, which creates a rolled effect at the hem and cuffs that further softens this highly feminine sweater. 

A 75% sale on Daytona, a 100% polyamid ribbon yarn from the Italian company di.ve, spurred me to buy several balls of no. 404, a mostly white ribbon yarn with shots of gray, gold, and copper. The yarn's soft colors and surprisingly soft feel inspired me to create this mesh top in summer 2009. After experimenting with sizes 9, 11, and 15 needles, it became clear this yarn would serve my purposes better on even bigger--size 17 needles. Knit as one piece from the bottom up, this top starts with a few rows of garter stitch, followed by stockinette up to the underarms; after transferring the first 1/4 and last 1/4 of the stitches to a long piece of yarn, knotting it to hold them, and then stitching up those two 1/4 panels to form the lower back, the stockinette was completed for the garment's front up to the neckline. Afterward, knitting continued on the back by picking up the two 1/4 panels and knitting them as one up to the back neckline. On both sides, decreases created shaping for the armholes and shoulders. As this photo shows, wearing this garment the first time caused it to stretch sideways, and that pulling increased the space between columns on the front near the underarms; despite these gaps, the garment looks fairly presentable as a casual summer top because the gaps fall at the sides, generally hidden by my arms, rather than in the middle of the front. Also, it is one of the most comfortable tops in my wardrobe, as its lacey fabric breathes well, the synthetic yarn knit on large needles makes for very soft loops and a very soft fabric, and the supple hand means it drapes well. 

Ribbon Yarn Top, Detail
This photo shows the yarn's almost feathery softness as well as the loopy texture and overall mesh effect created by using large needles. The yarn's shimmer reflects light and creates enough surface distraction that this seemingly see-through top actually provides enough coverage to allow it to be worn for everyday rather than just evening wear. 

This top came together quickly in June 2009 to answer my need for a little pink top for summer wear. Using a stitch pattern inspired by a drop stitch tank from a 2005 Filatura di Crosa book, it features Rowan's Calmer yarn in pink knit on size 9 needles. Rather than using the fairly see-through drop stitch pattern for the whole body, this design uses just two sections of drop stitch across the bodice in front (three section on the back), just above the base of the armhole. The lower body consists of hands of stockinette banded with regular breaks of garter stitch, and the garter stitch straps start wide at the neckline, narrow gradually, and then flare out again to provide lingerie coverage. As with my other cotton garments, this one expanded horizontally as well as vertically, but it's comfortable to wear and offered a quick, fun foray into design using a yarn that was new to me.

Little Pink Top, Detail
This photo shows the drop stitch pattern on the front bodice, garter stitch along the neckline, and garter stitch throughout the straps. 

Plymouth Yarn's Royal Bamboo yarn in pale yellow proved irresistible to me on a yarn store expedition in 2008. That autumn, a look through the Encyclopedia of Crochet inspired me to create a pattern for my yellow yarn based on that book's Shell of Shells pattern. The result was this simple top, crocheted in the round from the bottom up using an E hook and the classic shell pattern that combines five stitches in double crochet with a single stitch in single crochet. The lower section is more lacey from crocheting into the back loop only; after separating the garment in two at the armholes and starting to crochet back and forth rather than in the round, the texture became more dense (and the appearance more modest) by crocheting into both loops for every stitch. The shells formed a scalloped edge at the neckline, and two rows of single crochet around the armholes produced a more tailored, finished appearance. 

Bamboo Crochet Top, Detail
This photo shows the diagonal lace effect achieved by using a shell stitch pattern and crocheting into the back loop only for the in the round part of this top. 

This organic cotton ivory shell features a commercial pattern and an exquisitely soft organic cotton yarn, both courtesy of Sublime, an English company. Ivory, as she has been dubbed by me, started out in summer 2008 as a follow up to my first garment (show elsewhere in this gallery). Rather than adjusting an existing pattern to work with yarn on hand, my goal this time was to make an elegant little summer top "according to package directions" to gain experience with how a garment comes together when one uses the yarn and directions specified in a pattern. After several attempts, gauge was achieved and knitting began. The work went quickly, and soon it was time to complete the top by making the neckband, which was accomplished sometime after 2 a.m. in a frenzy of knitting one very late night. Without even stitching up the sides, however, it became painfully obvious on draping the top over my body in front of a mirror that it was HUGE. It sat for weeks until my heart was ready to rip it apart and re-ball the yarn. Several times that year, it called me to start again, only to come out still too big, despite whatever adjustments had been made. Finally, it occurred to me to just give it up for a few months. In March 2009, something in me felt recovered enough to try again, and this time my efforts produced the garment shown here. Ivory made her debut in early June 2009. On wearing the top, the cotton expanded a bit; adding two rows of single crochet edging at the armholes helped with lingerie coverage, although a few weeks later it was necessary to add two more rows to hold the curly stockinette edges of the bodice down to my complete satisfaction. Also at that time, it occurred to me to make little lingerie strap holders using the same yarn, an F hook, and some snaps. Now, Ivory fits like a dream and feels lusciously soft and luxurious to wear. 

Ivory, Detail 1
This photo shows Ivory's neckband, created with a circular needle two sizes smaller than the straights used for the body. 

Ivory, Detail 2
This photo shows the four rows of single crochet edging added around the armholes, which perfect the fit not only by adding a little more fabric widthwise but by helping smooth out the bodice edge so it lies flat.

My happy experience with Pinky (shown elsewhere in this gallery) encouraged me to try another cardigan sweater. In February 2009, a yarn shop visit introduced me to Cascade Yarns' Venezia Chunky, a thick yet luxe yarn made from 70% merino wool and 30% silk. After perusing possible patterns, the desire rose in me to try something with a more youthful and contemporary style than a traditional cardigan. The yarn shop owner suggested the popular Juliet pattern, which sports a fun look as well as a design calling for top-down knitting on a circular needle to eliminate the need to sew pieces together at the end. So here is my take on this well known pattern, now dubbed Aqua and featuring a few adjustments for fit (some extra rows in the top/sleeves to fit properly around the arms and 8 sets of the lace pattern to give a cropped length in back--although the front hangs a bit lower than cropped because of the style). Besides her rich color, Aqua boasts my first attempt with knitting lace, my first button loops, and my first crocheted buttons. Started just after 2009's summer solstice, she knitted up quickly and by late July was finished, awaiting cooler temperatures to make her public debut.