Letters
Bang Out a Sweater: The Circle of Life
Dear Ann:
It has been three weeks since we waved an imaginary green flag to mark the official cast-on of Stopover sweaters for our Bang Out a Sweater Knitalong. Sweaters have been cast-on by the score, tubes joined up into sleeves and body, yokes knit on, and necks bound off. Hardy souls among us have steeked their Stopovers into cardigans.
Many Stopovers have been finished, and many remain to be finished. That’s OK. Knitting is supposed to be fun; we do it for focused relaxation, for the pleasure of making stuff, and to amuse and clothe our loved ones. The finished Stopovers are so beautiful, and their makers look so pleased, that they will no doubt inspire any lagging bangers to finish their sweaters in due time. (And I will be checking the Instagram hashtag for new ones, for sure.)
Some finishers have reported the hours spent on their Stopover, but most have not. The best I can reckon is that 20 hours was a very speedy Stopover, 25 hours was average, and 30 was a gentle stroll through Stopover. Life, of course, made those 20-30 hours pass in wildly varying numbers of days. Some Stopovers truly were completed in a couple of days or a long weekend, while others sat around waiting for a knitter to break free from other obligations. But no one complained about Stopover’s speediness being oversold. It’s a fast knit. Call The Lancet: we have established this as scientific fact.
Banger Omnibus
Before the official game clock for Bang Out a Sweater winds down, I’ve collected some links to help anybody who is knitting a Stopover, either now or in the future.
Bang Out a Sweater Knitalong: A Quick Stopover. The post that launched Bang Out a Sweater, containing all the gory details.
Yarn Strategies to Bang Out a Sweater. The battle of the lopis: while Icelandic wool is strongly encouraged for Stopover, should it be Léttlopi or Plötulopi?
Consider the Cardigan. An alternative Stopover for the anti-pullover set, which requires scissors and the assistance of a kindly Icelander named Ragga Eiríksdóttir.
It Came From Reykjavik. Ann’s yarn finally arrives from Iceland, and she shares tips on knitting with the strange not-yarn called Plötulopi.
A Sturdy Lopi Edge. Ann lets us in on Hélène Magnusson’s tip for reinforcing a Plötulopi edge.
Bang Bang on the Door . How to handle the three-tube situation, in which the sleeves and body must be joined up before knitting the yoke.
Armpit Edition. A tutorial on using the three-needle bind off, instead of grafting, to join inside of sleeves to body at the underarm.
The Kitchener Defense. Ann makes the case for sucking it up and following the pattern with regard to joining up the underarm area.
And finally, the most helpful link of all: the robust Ravelry forum on Bang Out a Sweater. A person might not think there could be 1700 comments on the ins and outs of a single sweater pattern, but that person would not be a knitter. People are just getting warmed up over there.To get details on shades, modifications, and such, the Ravelry project page is a good place to start. Many thanks to all who joined in the conversation and lent their fellow knitters courage, advice, or a few yards of yarn for those bright dots of color in the yoke.
The Highlight Reel
Niece Kristin, being millennial, has been enlisted to construct some fun doohickies to share the finished Stopover love. Here, wallow in the loveliness and joy:
This collage is sort of like looking out at the Grand Canyon. If you want to get up in the grill of individual sweaters and virtually breathe in the Lopi, try the Flipagram:
While it was not possible to capture every image on these newfangled formats, we did our best. For more visual documentation of the variety of great knitting that has occurred, check out the #BangOutaSweater hashtag on Instagram, which currently has over 1100 images. For images of finished sweaters only, the #BangFinisher hashtag, also on Instagram, has over 150 of them. (The Ravelry forum is also rich in Stopover imagery.)
Back in January, you and I plotted this knitalong with the simple thought that Stopover is a beautiful, wearable sweater. There were no other contenders; Stopover had captured our imagination. In the post-holiday gloom of January, it seemed like it would be a grand lark to start and finish a sweater in a week or so, in time to enjoy it in late winter and early spring. We had no idea how many people would stop, drop and knit a Stopover. The response has been a wonderful midwinter surprise, so absorbing and fun.
All credit and glory goes to Mary Jane Mucklestone for designing an ingenious variation on the classic lopapeysa. Stopover is a flattering, comfortable garment and it has introduced many knitters to the joys of Icelandic wool. Prediction: many Stopover knitters will go on to make traditional lopapeysas, and they will love knitting and wearing them. Then we will all go to Iceland together, become huge Sigur Rós fans, and eat skyr with cream and berries on top. I believe all of this will happen.
Heartfelt thanks to all who participated, whether by knitting a Stopover or just following along and putting in their two cents. We will definitely be doing something like this again.
Love,
Kay
Loved every minute of this stopover adventure. Thanks so much to all!
I love everything about this post. Fitting, since I have so enjoyed every bit of this KAL. I’m so looking forward to the next one. And the group field trip to Iceland!
(Birthday plans for today- wallow in a full day of Stopover banging- and probably finishing! Life is good.)
With so many projects on the needles, and my daughter’s wedding coming up, I was determined not to get sucked into this lettlopi lunacy, however I was swallowed up whole and I’m loving it! What a great knitalong. Great pattern. Great yarn. Great fun!
Thank you, Kay and Ann! The push to cast on and, well, bang out a sweater, was a great motivation and a whole lot of fun. We all fall victim to startitis, and the thrill of discovery in a new project. (At least I know I do!) This was a fast enough project to sustain that rush.
And I will be doing that Riddari for my husband – how much longer can it take :)?
Just a few more minutes! And now you know the drill. Riddari is a gem.
Sigh, I’ve enjoyed reading the posts and admiring the sweaters, but can only dream of participation. My wool allergy is really restricting my yarny ambitions!
I also am allergic to wool but knitting this yarn has not caused any problems so far even though my hands have broken out when knitting wool socks. I know when I wear it, I will have to have a shirt underneath, but please don’t let your wool allergy stop you – it is certainly worth trying out!
My allergy is pretty annoying, even garments made with, 5% wool cause me a rash. Without being able to feel the yarn first, I don’t think I dare risk it (none of my local shops stock it as far as I am aware!). Hey ho, plenty of other patterns I can try I guess!!
Susie-I’m Knotsisters on Ravelry. PM me if you’d like some LettLopi sent to you. For some reason, I’ve got extra!
Blocked, lett lopi is less of a problem than in the skein but I can only wear it with a long sleeve, in cooler weather and a lower neckline. I’m a sensitive soul too!
Not only am I wearing my Stopover today, I am planning colours to knit one for my sister who drooled when she saw mine. Thanks for leading us down the rabbit hole.
I am already a huge Sigur Ros fan!
I have practically lived in my Stopover since I finished it (what serendipity for it to coincide with a proper cold snap over in the UK, it was -5 last night) to the point that I think I may need another one.
The entire Stopover team was super-fabulous!
I had fun, I learned a lot, and I can wear the results.
SO glad I participated.
Thanks to everyone.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for introducing me to the Stopover! I have wanted to make a Lopapeysa for years but never got around to it. I may not have finished (lost my dpns and had to order more from UK) but, once it’s done, there will be another cast on…and on…and on!
I thoroughly enjoyed observing from the sidelines! Someday casting on will happen and there will be a stopover when the autumn chill appears. For now I’m proud of myself for being patient. There’s way too much graduate research on my plate and I started a KAL at our LYS in January. Thanks for letting me follow along.
Stopover was a warm up for me. A 70th birthday Amæfli is on the needles. I am confident in finishing for a March deadline because I’ve been here before. There is no need to rush I’m an old pro. Stopover looks good over dresses, over jeans and more importantly with Pajama pants and handknit socks! Hurrah and thank you
I did not realize that the deadline was this week – I thought it was the 29th. I am within 10 rows of being finished! It really is a nice pattern and I hope to do it again soon – this time for myself!
There was never a deadline! We’ve just finished with the main blabbing about it and wanted to gather it all up in one place. Keep on banging!
The day I finished my sweater it was 70 degrees in OKC. Yesterday it was cold and rainy (I had been watching the forecast for days for a Stopover wearing day) and so I went out swathed in Icelandic wool. It was great. I didn’t need a coat but I also wasn’t overheated in the office. Loved the project and can’t believe I have such a wearable sweater.
I’ve been watching and drooling with fellow spectators. This one is definitely on my radar. Still hoping to hear about the non-yarn wearability and feel. Thanks to everyone who played along. Now back to Hitofude which is on a time on time schedule for a trip to Italy.
Thank you so much for inspiring and organizing us all. It’s been – actually, it continues to be – a wonderful experience. I’m in the middle of my second Stopover and thinking about a Riddari and maybe cardiganizing a Stopover – so many possibilities! Thank you, thank you!
Gee, is February over already?
It’s a short month but not that short!
Thank goodness. I thought my birthday passed without me! 🙂
Twas great fun. Thanks for the inspiration and entertainemnt along the way.I enjoyed the company.
You all inspired me to try this sweater – one of my first full sweaters and one of my first color work projects. I am not finished (or near finished), but I do have the sweater body done and anticipate the rest will follow with no problems, thanks to the great support from this community. Thank you all, especially those who posted on Instagram – it has been a joy to see the results!
If you would like some more inspiration, here is a post from Just Crafty Enough called “Sweater Girls”. I think it fits this group!! http://www.justcraftyenough.com/2016/02/iron-craft-16-challenge-3-sweater-girls/
Can I join the Iceland adventure without knitting a Stopover? (I’ve dreamed of touring Iceland, and how better to do that than with knitters?)
We will not be checking anyone’s luggage for a Stopover, Lee Louise. But what will you WEAR in Iceland?
This looked like so much fun, and the finished sweaters are wonderful! I might just have to buy the yarn and pattern and knit for next winter (it is really too late for this kind of garment if you tend to run warm and live in Virginia). Thanks for the inspiration! And knitting along after-the-fact would actually be the norm for me, a perpetual late-bloomer who still hasn’t figured out a career at forty-mumble years old.
Stopover February was the perfect activity for the state of mind in which I found myself just those few weeks ago. My mother died in mid -January at the end of 94 well-lived years. And after all the family gatherings and leave taking, I returned home and found myself in the mood to just sit and knit and contemplate “life’s persistent questions”. What perfect timing! And so, now I have all the answers to those prickly questions and a fabulous sweater to boot.
Well….actually, there’s just the sweater but it is a great one. Thanks so much!
Bless you Susan. When my mother passed I also knit. And knit. And knit.
Aw, Susan, you made me smile. Those questions do persist, don’t they? Very glad Stopover gave you something to do with your hands and mind at such a full-hearted moment of life.
I have not yet begun to bang (you had to know that you were dangerously close to suggestive with your wording) because of a previous sweater obligation, but I fully intend to get on the Stopover trend and create my own from stash. Stash in this case being Icelandic lamb fleece that’s been languishing in the spinning stash, and a bunch of LettLopi in various colours. Expect to hear back from me in a couple months. Is there a prize for being last?
Yes: it’s a sweater!
I’m in! (3/4 of a sleeve and the whole yoke to go with two Riddari’s- and one freeform topdown raglan’s-worth of lett-lopi on its way to me)
This was so much fun! I plan on making more and playing with other Icelandic patterns. My knitting group was fascinated as I was working on it during our group meet up. Can’t wait to show them the finished project.
Now just praying for colder weather in N. AZ so I can wear it! I knew if I knit this sweater in less than a week we would get warmer weather….and it happened the day I took it off the needles and blocked it! But at least it dried quickly in the sun.
Thank you ladies for putting this all together, was a real hoot!
What a great roundup! I’m taking a (short) break from Icelandic wool (2 sweaters knit this winter), but I’m already plotting another Stopover that I will cardiganize. Following Ragga’s excellent Craftsy class of course! The next one will be dark blue with bright green and gray accents. The possibilities are endless!
This was so much fun! Thanks for taking us on this journey. On to Iceland!
Just finished last night! Thanks for the fun knit along! Even my husband got excited about it.
Thank you for this help with the February doldrums. I didn’t do a Stopover, but I most definitely will attempt one sometime. I finished three UFO’s during this and I am counting that as a victory. Sign me up for the Iceland tour, but give me enough time to make a Stopover first 🙂 🙂 🙂
I kind of hate to tell you this but they sell lopapeysas everywhere in Iceland. Pressure is OFF. Let’s go!
I already have a guidebook. What were the dates again?
Let’s pencil in June 2017.
DONE! I’m already excited!
PS – I am an agreeable traveler, not whiny or bossy and up for most things. I should bullet point that on a resume.
I`m still banging away (i was a second wave starter – cast on during the superbowl) but absolutly loving it – determined to be finished in a month.
YOU CAN DO IT MARY.
Wait, wait for me! I just got to the “joining three tubes” place last night. It can’t be over yet…I’m not done, and it’s still February! I will keep on keeping on, though, and appreciate the virtual support and encouragement to get me to finally (finally!) commit to my first sweater.
Also, I love, “A person might not think there could be 1700 comments on the ins and outs of a single sweater pattern, but that person would not be a knitter.” So true!
Not trying to rush you Laura, but get a move on!
Seriously, I wrote this post not to end the knitalong or rush anybody, but because if I didn’t pack it all up nice and neat now, I might never get to it, and this way it’s all here, whenever anybody, anywhere, wants to knit a Stopover.
It IS still February. And a cold day, at least in New York.
Blogged my Stopover, and included links to this post, because of all the pictures and the VERY helpful list of links so knitters have all the pertinent BangOutASweater/Stopover info at their fingertips.
Thanks for linking the links. Very handy.
Well,I might make it before the official end of Feb. My sister will not believe I actually finished anything-she’s the intended recipient. She once bought me a t-shirt that says “Queen of the Unfinished Project.” Of note, it was at a quilting conference, so apparently that is a cross-hobby issue.
oh please do not tell my 2 grown daughters about that t shirt–I know they would get it right away for me!!
I want to make one of these as soon as I can afford the yarn. When my now 38 yr old daughter was a toddler we lived in Alaska and I knit her a lovely sweater out of Lopi yarn—such great yarn for that Alaskan climate! I have always loved Lopi yarn–which was a bit expensive even 38 years ago. I have really enjoyed seeing all the variations you have posted. Thanks!
Thanks, Ann and Kay, for enabling…er, hosting. Great fun to bang out a sweater in record time, and the pattern allows for such variety that the Instagram feeds are addicting. Looking forward to watching another wave of sweaters roll through them!
Thank you both for doing this – even though work has gotten in the way of my Stopover (even on the weekends!), I started the yoke last night, and see an end in sight. For the first time in my life, I’m hoping spring doesn’t come too soon, so I can actually wear it when it’s done!
Thank you for hosting! I had so much fun (and even finished with a bang!).
And today I found myself idly planning colors for the Lett Lopi vest. I could probably even do the math to do it at the Stopover gauge for that nice drape that’s useful here in OK.
Just a few more rows and I’m fini! The goal is to be blocking this weekend!
After spending hours looking at yarn, wanting to use Plutolopi but chicken, for now, I finally broke down on Sunday and ordered yarn. It will probably take me less time to bang out than I spent dithering. Can’t wait. #LateLopiStopover