Projects
Simple Swoncho: Sleeve Island
Dear Ann,
Once I got to the bottom of the body of my Simple Swoncho on Tuesday, I was determined to finish the sleeves and have a completed sweater by today.
Easy!—I thought. The Simple Swoncho’s sleeves are not meant to cover the whole arm–due to the low placement of the sleeve openings, they are the length of the forearm.
So, off I went. I started each sleeve with the 9 rounds of stockinette that I’d eliminated from the yoke, to make up that bit of length on the sleeve, and then I worked 1 x 1 ribbing for 7 or 8 inches and bound off.
As a clever reader pointed out to me, the Simple Swoncho’s sleeves don’t really make you a castaway on Sleeve Island—you can cross it in a short hike.
Yesterday afternoon, I hunkered down, watching two episodes of Masterpiece Theatre’s Us, a rueful and faintly funny drama about a couple who go on a tour of Europe with their teenage son after one of them has declared the marriage over. (It’s ultimately quite good, as you’d expect from Tom Hollander and Saskia Reeves.)
Those 3+ hours of knitting got me halfway across Sleeve Island, and that’s where I had to leave it at the deadline for this post. So close!
I think a wet block will lengthen it a bit more, but hopefully not much more, as I like where the hem hits.
The Yarn: Neighborhood Fiber Company’s Organic studio worsted in the Palisades shade.
I love the feel of this sweater almost as much as the color. Organic Studio Worsted has a marvelous spring on the needles, and an equally wonderful swing to the finished fabric. It feels smooth, substantial, and bouncy. The stitch definition is so good it makes me regret, a little, that I swapped in garter bands instead of going with the design’s original cables. Oh well, I’ll just have to use this yarn again, for a cable project!
Help! I have resting Mom face! (text me when you get there.)
It’s not too late to join the Karidalong—our knitalong of Karida Collins’s designs for MDK Field Guide No. 18: Beginnings. You too could have a Simple Swoncho for swanning around the fall fiber festivals! Come on in!
Love,
Kay
I love that color! I finished my second sweater this past winter with Jill Draper’s Monhonk in Denim and it’s a similar color. That yarn kept me going and allowed me to finish the sweater, even though I’m not crazy about the fit. My next sweater will be the Swancho pattern with the deep orange color.
I love it! And I have Beginnings. Now I have to add that to my rather long list of items I want to knit.
the eyelets do define shoulder line so nicely. Springy yarn, oh boy!
I like your sleeve placement much better than the original. Gives it a classic look. I can see myself living in this sweater.
It looks great on you! The sleeve mod was a brilliant idea, made this design more appealing to me. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Me too! The yoke/sleeve mod is a game changer for me, looks more like a sweater. But I would do the cables, I can’t resist anything cabled;)
Boy that’s gorgeous. I had been holding off on the Swoncho because I have so many things to knit……but seeing that color just pushes me to get busy and start it! Such a beautiful comfortable Rhinebeck sweater!
I was kind of “meh” about the Swoncho when I first looked at it, but I’ve been really impressed with how adaptable the pattern is. I like this version a lot—and the yarn is fabulous!
That color is EVERYTHING! Congratulations on another beautiful knit!
Us was very good too!
Now I have Gilligan’s Island theme song stuck in my head 🙁
Now mu brain is trying to repeat the song. Now is the time I hope my memory blips kick in.
Love that yarn and the richness of the blue.
For your listening pleasure! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcIFlmm_WbU
Beautiful!….color, model, venue, and sleeves!
For you to watch TV and knit, you must knit without looking. Please address how to get started on learning to knit by feel in one of your posts. thanks!
I think the only way to learn is to practice. Shut your eyes, knit one stitch, see what you’ve done. You can develop a feel pretty quickly, especially the feel when your needle is doing something wrong. I watch TV while I knit, but I take quick glances at my hands frequently. But if my pattern is simple enough I can do subtitles, which is handy.
That color is absolutely gorgeous and I am trying to resist purchasing the yarn as I already have other knitting plans in the queue!!!!
I like the garter bands!
Very Eileen Fisher-y… but better.
I like this length on you. Is it as the pattern is written or did you shorten it?
I shortened the yoke by about an inch and a half, but otherwise followed the pattern. Note that I knit the second size, even though I normally knit the third or fourth size, because I wanted less of a poncho, more of a loosely skimming sweater fit. If I’d knit my true size it would have come out a bit longer.
Was this because you didn’t do the 13 rounds and only did 4? Or had you previously taken out the inch and a half?
That’s exactly right. I had omitted 9 rounds on the yoke before the division into sleeves and body, and realized that would make my sleeves start higher on the arm, so I added back those 9 rounds on the sleeves before doing the ribbing. Worked great.
Since I never added those 9 rounds back to the body, it’s shorter that it would otherwise be.
Fall fiber festivals? I think delta has other ideas. Thanks to the brilliance of Unistatesians and their oh so strong leaders.
I love this in the purple and especially with your mods. The garterstitch looks great! Let the cables happen in your next Organic Studio worsted.
Resting Mom Face? Too funny! Please describe, in 25 words or less, what that means to you. It took me years to lose the Teacher Face when I retired.
I used to work in the same office as my Hubby, apparently my Ugh staff meeting face is the same as my Counting cast on stitches face.
Oh wow! You really must not be sleeping! Looks great!
Oooh, Springy and Swingy sounds divine! I’m gonna to put on some jazz, throw caution to the wind and go full swing in Thomas Circle on size 2 (my size), despite being a ridiculously short-waisted human.
P.S. Your matching sandals peeking through are perfect!
This looks FANTASTIC! This color! So good.
Kay I love your modifications–going to copy you when I knit mine. 🙂
(Text me when you get there.) Ha! I love you so much.
Resting mom face! 😀