The Back to School Sweater CAL is underway!

Our Back to School Sweater CAL started just one week ago... and it's just so exciting. It's probably in my top three most exciting crochet-related things that have happened to me along with getting a job at my local yarn store and teaching at the Houston Fiber Fest. I have really got to stop checking our hashtag #BackToSchoolSweaterCAL on Instagram so often. I've become quite obsessed. There are over 150 posts as I write this ... and every day there are more. And we have 50 voices in our CAL Ravelry thread in the Crochet Circle Podcast group. I've forgotten about ALL my other WIPs. It's all consuming.

I am making Zora by Dora Ohrenstein. I thought I'd get to know Dora a little better and if you read this blog or listen to my podcast version you know that I absolutely love my podcasts. I found an interview on the excellent Power Purls Podcast which took place around about the time that Dora released her book Top Down Crochet Sweaters.

Kara Gott Warner doesn't have many crochet guests on her podcast so that's an indication of how great Dora is and after listening to this I have a total fan girl crush on her and I've had to buy another one of her books called to The Crocheter's Skill-Building Workshop: Essential Techniques for Becoming a More Versatile, Adventurous Crocheter just to see if I'm adventurous enough yet. Maybe I am, maybe not! It's a technique book and I love techniques.

My Zora is not really going very well. My yoke is too wide. I'm on my third try. But I am loving it anyway despite my low level frustration and Dora's book Top Down Crochet Sweaters has a decent technique section to help. There are V stitches and lace parts with picots. It's lovely. Fortunately this week's blog post on our fabulous blog hop is on the subject of alterations. It's by Sam of Sing A Simply Melody. She is a crochet designer and tech editor (in fact she edited my leftover sock pattern). Check it out: Making Alterations.

Listen to the Audio Podcast

Book Review: Top Down Crochet Sweaters

It took me the longest time to get around to ordering Top Down Crochet Sweaters by Dora Ohrenstein but finally I did, it arrived and I've read it! It's just as good as I'd hoped. Back in December, I read a super review of the book by the wonderful designer Susan Lowman on her Crochet Architect blog and more recently I've been chatting about it on Ravelry on the Crochet Circle Podcast Group Forum. 

 

January I was in a spend nothing / feeling frugal phase. All that traveling and inevitable gift-buying had taken its toll on our budget.  Thank goodness for Christmas gift vouchers! My sweet sister-in-law gave me one from Knit Picks, they had a book sale and I obviously I had to add yarn to bring my order up to get free shipping. Free shipping is such a motivator for me!

 

The book focuses on top down seamless construction. Top down sweaters appeal to me for the same reason as toe up socks - you can try on your item as you go. And I'm just not fond of sewing seams. I know I'm not alone in feeling this way.

Part 1, pages 10 to 55, covers technique and was an absolute revelation. I hadn't really thought about patterns I've previously made as having raglan or circular yokes or given a lot of attention to the calculations. The book explains the principles of sweater design in a very simple and comprehensive language. It's been incredibly helpful for clarifying different aspects of sweater design in my mind such as: neckline and yoke shaping, underarm adjustments, stitch count fixes, meeting gauge, blocking, measurement and alterations. I'm not sure if I'll go so far as to design a sweater from scratch. I have a great respect for designers and the huge amount of time they spend creating patterns but I feel far more comfortable now about modifying an existing pattern for a better fit.
And of course I just love the expert tips such as to only use fingering to DK weight yarns for sweaters. (That's 2ply to DK weight if you're in the UK reading this.) Lighter weight yarn moves more fluidly over your body. Of course it does!

The second part includes fourteen original patterns (see them on Ravelry here) with seven different yoke concepts of varying difficulty. The garment pairs differ by yarn choice, gauge and other details. Now I just need to finish some of my current WIPs, choose a pattern and get going! Can't wait! 
   

Mainly hooking bobbles

All week I've been working on my new woollen diagonal bobble blanket inspired by Tamara Kelly's Blackberry Salad Striped Baby Blanket. The repetitive hooking of little bobbles is just what I need right now. The bumpy texture under my fingers is wonderful and the color combo pleases me so much! It's going to be hard to send away but I will remind myself it is for a good cause. 





As you can see though, I am definitely going to run out of yarn. I am woefully short of the required 36 inch height. I am down to two colors and the darker fingering weight wool I am having to double up. I'm adding rows to both top and bottom to keep the middle stripes as symmetrical as possible. I'm only going to get halfway with what I've got.

I visited yarnsub.com (SUCH a helpful site) and found out that my main bright colored yarn is discontinued and am currently working out suitable substitutes. The super online store Jimmy Beans Wool has free U.S. Flat Rate and First Class International shipping during February and a great selection. What great timing! I will return to my crochet garment-making (the Tunisian Entrelac crochet top) while I wait for more yarn to arrive...or perhaps read my latest book Top Down Crochet Sweaters by Dora Ohrenstein which came in the post this week. Yes, I ordered it at last. How exciting!

Anyway until next week, craft on my friends x