Button, Button! Who's Got the Button?

I do!

Now.

So, all the sweaters that I've declared "done" this summer?  Yeah, you guessed it.  "Done except for the buttons..."  Hey, give me a break, it was July, it's not like I was gonna wear a worsted weight wool sweater anyway.

Anyway, a couple of trips to my button box and the local Joann's Fabrics, and I think I'm set.

These wee little flowers are for Alice.  Simple and sweet.

I wanted something kind of funky and maybe a little rustic for Harvest.

(Ardys didn't actually need any buttons, so it really is done.)

And then there's my latest FO, Myrna.  She's still blocking (and still damp), so I can't do a full-on, modeled "TA-DA!" post yet, but here's a teaser shot:

My foot is totally hiding a stain in the carpet.  Move along folks,
there's nothing to see here.

I'm debating a couple of different button options.  I found these two in my button box:

Of the two, I think I like the white and gold better, but I'm not entirely sold.  I may end up back at Joann's before all is said and done.

(I hope none of you noticed that none of these pictures actually show actual buttons on actual garments...)

Summer of the Sweater

This has been the Summer of the Sweater.  Since May I've knit Harvest, by Tin Can Knits, Ardys, by Laura Aylor, and now Alice in Wonderland by Justyna Lorkowska.

That's three sweaters!

That's right, Alice is done, baby.  BOOM!

I would show you the front, but I haven't fixed the button band yet.
The front view's a bit ... revealing.

I am so pleased, and proud of this sweater.  It's my first time doing top-down set in sleeve construction--which wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it might be.  For the most part, the pattern was clear and well-written, though not for the faint of heart (or inexperienced).  There were a couple of places where it essentially said "keep doing what you ought to do in this spot..." so if you didn't know what you ought to do, you'd be kind of screwed.

I mostly did though, so that's alright then.

I used Knit Picks Stroll Tonal, which is a tonal sock yarn that has enough color variance to almost count as variegated.  I swapped out skeins every two rows to keep it from doing any weird flashing or pooling or what-have-you.  That seems to have worked pretty well, though it did make for a billionty ends to weave in.

Lessons learned:  I wish I'd made it a size smaller than I did. It's supposed to have negative ease, and it's a smidge loose throughout the bustular region.   I also decided to skip adding buttonholes to the front placket because I figured I'd never wear it open anyway.  I'm regretting that life-choice.  Not a major deal, but I wouldn't do it that way if I could go back in time and do it again.  

Project Specs

Needles: Knit Picks Options, size 6

Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Tonal, Canopy
Pattern:  Alice in Wonderland by Justyna Lorkowska
Started: July 22, 2014
Finished: August 30, 2014


So now what?

I don't have a sweater problem. You have a sweater problem.

P.S. Don't worry, Sarah -- your Gnomes are back on the radar.  

Wee Gnomes All in a Row