Monday, September 28, 2009

the call of fall

so the weather here in sunny california isn't exactly fall-like, but there is nothing but cozy autumnal knits on my mind.


is there anything better than a finished project that you can actually wear and like? the february lady sweater (which i loving call my "finally, a lady sweater") is finished, buttons sewn, and blocked. there is not much that i can say about the sweater that others haven't already. it's a simple knit, which makes it easy to pick up and knit whenever you've a free moment; it's a lovely raglan design so there is no finishing work on the sleeves; and it's been knit so many times, there are a multitude of tips available and tons of inspiration regarding yarn substitutions.

my fls required only 3.5 skeins of dream in color classy "cocoa kiss". knit at gauge on size 9 needles, there are 22 repeats in the body and 17 in the sleeves. now that it's done, i would have knit one more repeat in the sleeves; however, i did wet block the sweater, stretching the sleeves that extra inch. the large, wonky buttons are plastic, and a completely different color than that of the yarn, but complementary. and here it is, modeled:


if i'm not the last person on the planet to knit this, and you, dear reader, are thinking of casting on your own fls, you might find these links helpful: the buttonhole tutorial listed in the pattern is a great one; for the eyelet increase in the yoke, go to this great calculator (though lots of great looking february lady sweaters don't even have the eyelet row); and of course, the ravelry pattern page is a great place to start.

and because the fls is officially finished, chevron love mittens is replacing it on the works-in-progress list. (i have a rule of three. three projects are always on the wip list. one is always a sock, one is a no-brainer project, and one is an involved project.) i can't wait to have the mittens ready for winter wear with my new charcoal pea coat.

chevron love mittens (natural neutrals kit)

18 comments:

Renee said...

Lovely!!

You're not the last person to knit this, it's still in my queue...

Fabulous mitts, loving the chevron.

At Home Mommy Knits said...

Love the sweater! It looks fantastic on you :)

Anonymous said...

It's lovely - might have just jumped a notch in my queue too.

Kristyn Knits said...

your FLS looks terrific!! I'm just starting the lace pattern, so thanks for the tips!
and those mitts?? how beautiful are they?

Liz said...

Your lady sweater looks fantastic on you! Great job! It's always tricky to get a good fit and find a flattering design but you nailed it.

The chevron love mittens are on my list of things to knit... can't wait. I just can't decide on a color combo...

CelticCastOn said...

Your FLS looks beautiful, such a great fit!
I too still have it on my to knit list, someday I'll get around to it.

Thea said...

Gorgeous FLS - and your mitts will match....

Hilary said...

The weather not being fall-like...you can say that again! I was in Turlock over the weekend and I swear it was 110 with 99% humidity (ok, that is a *slight* exaggeration...but it was HOT). It seems to have cooled off today, though, so hopefully you'll get to wear your fabulous Lady Sweater soon! Great color, PERFECT buttons, and it fits you beautifully. Awesome job!

stitching under oaks said...

You'll wear your fls all the time! It looks great on you! Nicely done...and those mittens are just gorgeous! I like your rule of three wip list.

Jodi said...

Super cute FLS! I love the color -- very versatile. The buttons are a great contrast, especially since they're nice and big.

t does wool said...

why it's lovely Melana...and you certainly are not the last person...I haven't even let it cross my mind...well,it has,but I didn't knit it ;))

a friend to knit with said...

oh, melana! i ADORE those mittens... i have not seen them.... and in your colors! ahhh!!!!! and with a grey coat! ahhh!!!!

and your fls looks fantastic. nice work, you.

Jane said...

You know already that I LOVE this! Add me to the list of having it in my queue, I even printed out the directions. Soon, I hope to start! Have a good weekend!

Alison said...

It's still in my queue too... and I actually do still plan to knit it, though I may be an empty nester by then...

kim said...

The FLS looks great on you. All of my favorites have been in the charcoal tones. Cute mittens too!

IrishGirlieKnits said...

THat is just gorgeous on you!!! I love it!!

And the mittens...so adorable!

tiennie said...

Love both projects! The FLS looks so good on you!

Grace said...

Oh my gosh, yours is exquisite! Now that my kids' Martinmas sweaters are complete, it's time for me to get back onto my FLS.

Beautiful!!