The measurements are:
1. Bust
2. Waist
3. High hip
A. Bust to waist
B. Waist to hip

Take these measurements and write them down.

Mine are:
42, 36, 41, 5, 4 inches, respectively. Now that I know these measurements, I can use my gauge to figure out how many sts to decrease for the waist and when to work them.

I don’t want a super fitted waistline, I just want to take it in about an inch on each side, and then increase back out for the hip.

Another measurement I’m going take is from under arm to waist, which on me is about 9 inches.

Gauge:4.5 sts & 6 rows to one inch.

If I want to take the sweater in by about an inch on each side, I’ll need to decrease 4 stitches before the piece is 9 inches (54 rows) long from the under arm.

I like the slope created by working the decreases about 8 rounds apart, so I want to start them 54 -16 = 38 rows from the under arm.

Then, I’ll need to increase back up to my desired number of stitches for the hip. I like this slope to be made of increases about 6 rows apart. I’ll work those increase rounds, then knit to desired length before hem.

More Olive:

You can see how the neckline is going to come together by looking at hers. I can’t wait!!

I dyed this yarn myself using low-impact dyes in the crockpot…what feels like AGES ago with my friend, Cindy.  It’s got some white spots where I had tied the skein to keep it from tangling.  See how every so often there’s one white stitch? So, I think I’ll have to go back with a paint brush and touch those spots up when I’m done.  Maybe it won’t bother me as much when the whole thing’s knit, but they’re driving me crazy now.

In general, though, I love the color! It looks much darker in the hank than it does knit up.  I think I did a good job of adding depth to the color without it taking on a trippy look, and of keeping it from pooling.   So far, it looks like I’ll have plenty of yarn for at least a short-sleeved yarn with pockets.  Would have been handy to have some notes on the yarn!  I know it’s a BFL, and a light worsted weight.  I’m using 7s and I like the fabric I’m getting.  If I went up to 8s, it’d be too loose a weave for my taste.

I threw some bust darts into the front of my sweater, and now I’m just knitting down to a few inches below the bust, so that I can do a bit of waist shaping.

The pattern isn’t written to have any shaping, but I’m going to put some in this one. Tune in next time to see how I do it. I’m not going to do a full calculation like I do in my Fit Your Knits class, but I’ll show you how to nip in the waist a bit for a more flattering silhouette. I left it out of the original pattern because this is really meant to be a sweater that you pull on over a tee or Henley, a great casual top layer.  When I designed it, I wouldn’t have wanted (or needed) a shaped waist at all (Olive was about 6 months old!)

I’m actually finally losing some baby weight and want mine to be a bit more fitted.

YEA! PROGRESS!

Last night I stayed up knitting until I finished the yoke.

The first couple of rows are pretty easy. They set up the increase structure and the simple lace repeat for the front details.

Next, you’re instructed to repeat the last 2 rows a certain number of times. This does mean to repeat them x more times, ending with a WS row (ready to work a RS row.)

In the above photo, I’ve worked through all of the increase rows and have started the Separate Sleeves and Join the Body section.

Here, I’m using a darning needle and length of yarn recycled from my swatch to put the second sleeve on waste yarn.

I’m ready to knit around to the second front, and start working in the round.

How are your Surfer Tees coming??

We are just getting home from the Fancy Tiger event (so fun!) and I’ve decided to knit myself a Surfer Tee to match the little raglan sweaters with kangaroo pockets that I knit for Mazie and Olive.

This out-take picture is pretty fuzzy, but a good representation of how the girls were during the event! There were cookies, and many were eaten by Mazie and Olive! (Which = major sugar rush and much crawling & climbing & squirming.)

Here’s Olive with the famous Ladies’ Fancywork Society deer:

The girls were wearing their Surfer Tees, and I’ve got the urge to make myself one, too! Want to join me? If you’ve got the book, this is a great project to start with…perfect for unpredictable spring weather!

Or, just go grab the free sweater pattern from Craft Foxes (previous post) and let’s knit ours together!

I’ve cast on and worked a few rows…this is going to be a great TV knit. Maybe I can even get it finished this weekend if I do a short sleeved version.

This week, they’ve got a really fun contest running, where if you knit a Surfer Tee from my new book “Mom & Me Knits” you have a chance to win a $50 gift card to Michael’s Craft.

Here’s an excerpt from their blog:

We’re celebrating Mother’s Day by asking you to show off your crafty talents.

1. Look at the Casual Tee Pattern

Follow the link to see Stefanie Japel’s pattern for a casual knitted tee. (In “Mom & Me Knits she titles it the Surfer tee.) The page includes a version for a mother and daughter. Decide if you want to make the one for an adult or child (or both). We also want to invite crocheters to interpret the pattern.

2. Envision Your Version of the Casual Tee

Maybe you’re going to decide to knit the tee out of a funky yarn that will make you look like a disco superstar. Or perhaps you’ll replace the front pocket with a flower. We want you to take inspiration from the pattern and create something unique.

 (The post continues on their site…be sure to click over & read more!)

Also don’t forget to read more about how to enter and what the rules are.

AND be sure to check the Mom & Me Knits errata section for updates!!

It was great.

SNAP was well run, organized, social, fun, and really inspiring. You can see that I’ve made lots of updates to my own blog after attending great workshops by creators / owners / writers of great sites like whippy cake, gussy sews, and dirty laundry and the next corner.

There were no times during the day that I didn’t find a great talk or panel to listen to. The food was fantastic, the swag bag full of amazing goodies, and the Queen Bee Market was packed with adorable DIY to bring home with me.

Also, the tulips were in bloom:

When Angela left, she left me with one of the looms, already warped, and with a “Stashbuster Scarf” already started & said that I could finish it and keep the end result! She had used scraps of tinsel, and even some wool felt fabric strips from Weeks Dye Works (Awesome fabric, threads, and more. If you haven’t checked out their products, do!) …I loved the scarf so far! And how much fun that my good friend had started it. It’s the one she’s working on in the picture above.

We had just come back from TNNA a few weeks before that, and I had some incredible carry – along yarns from SWTC that I’d been dying to try out.  Jonelle had given me a spool of String – Me – Along, which is a very fine yarn with sequins.

If you know me at all, you know that I love bright colors, sequins, glitter, and anything shiny. So, to me, stringing this sequined yarn along with my weaving yarns seemed like the perfect way to add some cohesiveness to the project. (Just wait…you’ll see!)

I combined that and a bunch of fun yarns including some O-Wool left over from my Shapely Boyfriend sweater, some Ozark Handspun, and more than I can even remember.

AND…I finished the Stashbuster!

I just can’t believe that I made this!! It’s so awesome. I love the stashbuster effect, in that the colors and textures of the weft are so random…but the warp really ties them all together in a pleasing way. I can’t wait to try more weaving on the Cricket. I’ll have to watch Angela’s Craftsy class to learn how to warp it, though!!

Gratuitous Olive pic:

I’m thrilled to announce that the winner is commenter number 80! I’ve emailed Margaret to let her know.

I’m teaching at Interweave Knitting Lab this October in New Hampshire! I always love the Interweave events, they’re so well-run, and I find that the students are really prepared, genuinely love knitting, and are just a joy!

And…Barbara Walker is the keynote! I can’t WAIT!

Last year, I taught several sold-out sections of both “design your own top-down sweater” and “fit your knits.” This year I’ve added a new class as well… “color theory for knitters.”

I know these images are tiny, so click on them to see the descriptions on the event website.

 (PS: Thanks to bitterpurl for permission to use her gorgeous yarn image in my class listing!)