Beatnik- Sweater

My favourite kind of delivery!

Hey folks, how have you been?

Life has been pretty busy in our neck of the woods. My work life is crazy right now, so I am happy when I have some knitting in my hands by the end of the day and can see what I can accomplish there.
In the middle of February I finished a project I was looking forward to for some time and it was so much fun to knit, I will definitely do it again. It's the Beatnik-Sweater, a free pattern on Ravelry by Norah Gaugan.
There is so much about the pattern that appealed to me: the aran-style cables, the short sleeves, the neck, the 60s feel about it. And what can I say? The pattern is totally easy to follow, even the cable pattern gets easy after a little while and after all this fair-isle sock-knitting it was feeling like a break to knit in only one colour.

Don't you just love cables?

The sweater is knit in parts, back, front, sleeves are all knit apart from each other and then sown together. The only part you knit onto the whole thing is the neck.

My skin is super sensitive with wool, so I was a bit afraid that the Drops Nepal I used would be a bit too itchy. On instagram I read about washing wool with a bit of conditioner, which makes sense, after all, it's hair, too. And it worked. The yarn wasn't scratchy at all and the sweater fits better than any other piece of clothing I ever knit. I am really happy with the end result. Due to its material and the several layers the cables form, it is pretty warm, but as there still is very cold evenings I am sure I will be able to wear it a few times in spring as well.

Dita likes the Beatnik too

The Back is done!

Soaking in the Bath

Proud and wearing it for the first time!

I made a mistake in the front part which will haunt me till the end of my life I guess. But it's only one cable that is turning the wrong way. Admist all those other cables you don't really see if, if you are not looking for it. So I am ok with it, I am no perfectionist anyway.

Wearing it in the Scottie, looking fat, but happy. 

Fits perfectly!

While I took a friend who just started to knit yarn-shopping ( I am such a self-less friend, don't you think?) I happened to find some pretty well-priced bright red and dark grey yarn, which I already had an idea for. Mr. Schön had managed to get me two Norwegian knitting-books. "Kofteboken I and II" which sport a lot of beautiful Norwegian patterns of those traditional cardigans, called Kofte, that are knit in the round and later cut open. I have written about my first Kofte before.
This time I just want to knit a sweater however (a genser in Norwegian) and the pattern looks so different in grey and red, compared to the black and white in the book, but I love how it is turning out. Apart from the knitting chart, I don't understand that much from the book, as everything is in Norwegian. But I am thinking of knitting it just like the Beatnik-pattern as it fit me so well. I hope it will work out, as of course the beatnik wasn't knit in the round...

It's amazing, how different colours work

Love the pattern!

Do you remember Opus the Octopus and his brother? My cousin has seen my Opuses online and asked me, whether I would knit one for their kids as well. So of course I started immediately, very happy to have found the perfect project for blue and green yarn a friend had given to me as a present years ago. It looks perfect as an octopus. I will show you the finished project soon.

TGIF, work really is a hazard at the moment and this afternoon we will take the van out for another adventure. Have a great weekend, everybody!

A cabled hat I made in between