PJKnits Sweater Tips

 Recently, I finished my Cozy Classic Raglan Sweater.  Along the way, I took some pics to share of some hints/tips that I use when knitting sweaters for me.  They might not necessarily be brand new to you, but I wanted to share them just in case.

For this particular sweater, there was one of those directions where you do something every other round.  The secondary round is a plain knit.  I put a green marker as I start that secondary round, to let me know as I come around to it that the previous row was just plain knit.  

Reasoning behind this for me is when knitting around a yoke with lots of stitches, I may put it down to get a cuppa or take a call, and when I get back to knitting that round, I would know by the green marker (signifying go) was a simple stockinette round with nothing special happening.

As I come around from the plain row, I would slip the green marker off, and put a red marker signifying that this round was other than just a plain knit row, for the same reasons above.

Just a little something to remind me where I was without having to look too hard at my knitting, especially on a dark yarn.

This is my sleeve, which most times looks totally odd and very different from the pattern.  You see, I have large biceps, ok, read that as fat arms, and along with picking up extra stitches under the arm when doing a top down sleeve, I have to change up most sweater patterns to accommodate my arms.

I keep my sweater measurements in my notes on my phone, so I always have them handy, wherever I am.  I can measure then to right above my elbow, where generally, I start the decreases to get down to my skinny wrist...why couldn't my biceps be in harmony with my wrist...LOL

To figure out how often to make these decreases used to take a lot of math, but now with just simple math,  and a really neat website, I put in some figures and the website tells me what to do.

The math I need to know - what is my row gauge right at that moment? Based on my wanted sleeve length, how many inches do I have left for decreases minus the ribbing?

I keep the website in my notes on phone as well, so I can easily get there.  It has been life changing for me.

https://www.worldknits.com/knitting-calculators

Because of this funky looking sleeve, it is almost impossible to measure length as I go.  To make it easier, I take a small ruler, laying it down at the underarm straight out, placing a removable marker in the sleeve.  Now, I have a place to measure down the sleeve for length.

While we are on the subject of sleeve length, when you don't have someone to measure the arm length for you, pull out ready-to-wear top from your closet and measure it.  Voila, the measurement you want.

One of my biggest problems with my knitted sweaters is, wait for it, which is the front and which is the back after you pull a sweater out to wear it??

  When weaving in ends in the back, which is normally the cast on thread.   I weave the yarn down the rib in the back, making a loop before going back up.  This tells me for all time which is the back when I go to wear it.  

And the final tip for today is - when weaving in your ends, don't trim them all the way down before you block, wait until it is all dry, and then trim the weaved ends.

Hope there are some helpful hints here for you and your sweater knitting!

Brrr, It's Cold Outside

 The end of January has brought Winter temps back for a couple of days and its gloomy today, but on the upside, after today, the sun is suppose to come out for most of the week,  and later in the week we will be up in the 40's.  OY, that is your weather report from Chez PJKnits.

I made a turkey chili this afternoon, and not to toot my own horn, but it was pretty good.  And it made a huge pot so there was plenty to freeze for another time and some for later this week. I used a recipe from a gal I recently stumbled across on Instagram, Downshiftology. 

Yesterday, I knit a few squares on my blanket for Scrappy Sunday.  I am finding that I want to knit more than just one right now on Sundays.

  I am rethinking where I am going to put the blanket when I am all done, from my bed to the spare bed, which is a full size instead of my queen bed.  I haven't thrown it on there yet to see how much more I have to go, but wouldn't it be nice if by then end of 2023 that this one is all done?!

I'll keep you posted next week.

I pulled out a WIP today to knit a bit on, Beatrice Mitts.  I just felt like knitting a little something different today, along with a cuppa to warm me up.

I was so comfy cozy, that I promptly fell asleep. LOL

There we go for the Monday report, Knit On!

And Suddenly It's A Saturday

 How does that happen?  Usually, that is the kind of thing that happens in the Summer, not in these long Winter weeks.  I turn around and it is a Saturday and I realize I have spent most all of the days for almost a week alone.  And I don't say that as a bad thing, because this past week has been one of those weeks where I just did not want to go out.  And when I mean out, I mean to see people.  I did go out several times this week to shovel the snow we got a couple of times, and I was content also to grocery shop a couple of times, But, for the most part, I was happy to just stay in with myself.

So, what have I been up to this week?

Well, I fixed myself a nice cuppa with some bourbon cream in it instead of regular creamer...but I did wait until mid afternoon and after shoveling a few inches of snow...hence the snowman in the picture below.

I did some planning on a couple of transitional sweaters that I want to knit before Spring gets here in March, so that I can wear them in the season and not be knitting on them IN the season.

I continued to slog through the knitting of the rib on Yume, where is the knitting fairy when you need her? I finally finished reading the second to last book in a series that is out by Diana Gabaldon that  I have been trying to read for at least the 2 1/2 years, and I swatched for my next sweater to be cast on.  Even blocked it!

I was going to swatch the second one above, but exercised some patience (who are we talking about, me??) and  decided that it can wait for a bit, since I am not 100% sure that I will get a chance to knit it this Spring.  No, really.  Can you believe that out of me?  I am surprising even myself.

Needed a bit of a break from the rib, so I knit a bit on Aise for Hospice and started the next book in the series, even though I told myself I would wait until I finished something from the stack below.

Sometimes, I just can't help myself in reading and in my knitting.

And finally, I finished the rib at the hem, and now am knitting along on the first sleeve.

Ahh, and so not its Saturday.  

Stacked my  RIPS (reading in progresses) and realized something about them.  They are much like my knitting WIPS.  Varied with no shaming of having multiple reads going at the same time too, one never knows when you might to read something else. 

Am I alone in this, or do you like multiple books going at once?  

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

A New Week

 This week at Chez PJKnits, might bring some snow a couple of times, but 

I find I am loving my scrappy blanket on Sundays, but its kind of fun during the week too.

I love Gromit!  Years ago, believe it or not, the Tall Guy turned me onto Wallace and Gromit and claymation.

Yesterday, we celebrated Christmas with my kids, wives and grandkids, so there was a bit of prep work going on here for the last few days.  

So for today, it's a me day, I think, and the task on hand is to get my Yume down to the rib.

With the help of a cuppa or two!  Let's make this OUR Week, shall we??

Finally Finished Friday

 There are sometimes, where after all of the sweaters I knit, when I still can't believe when one turns out so well!

I pop it on expecting that there will be something wrong with it.

Then, I look in the mirror, and say dang, it fits well!

This was one of those times!  I am loving my Cozy Classic Raglan by Jessie Maed.  A strand of Cumulus and Molly Girl Bass Line.  It fits wonderfully, the right length and just the fit I was going for.

Big thumbs up on this one!!  And done in time to wear it lots still this Winter!!

Mail Call

 I just have to share my mail last week, from Knitting Camp friend, Cathy.

Are these badges just not the coolest!  Thank you Cathy!!

Happy Monday!

 It's a New Knitting Year is up on You Tube, Episode 88.

You can find it here

It's a rainy Monday here at Chez PJKnits, so I am spending my morning with podcasts, knitting and a cuppa too!

I may make some oatmeal raisin cookies later today for the coming weekend, it's one of those stay in days, I am thinking.

And from an instagram account I follow, a challenge for me for the next 7 days.

My body is healthy

My mind is creative

My soul is calm.

Have a good week!!

Just Like Potato Chips

 Sometimes Scrappy Sunday is just like potato chips, I can hardly stop knitting on them this year it seems.

Today, I knit three and started a fourth, when I finally had to stop.

There was a bit of sunshine today, so this was my view from the knitting room.  My nephew bought me these before Christmas and hung them for me last week.  You see the podcasting/knitting room is also the Snoopy room.

These just make me smile.  Hoping you are having a smiling weekend too!

Burra Cowl KAL Update

All I can say, is all of a sudden last night, I realized how much I love my Burra Cowl the further I get into it.

 At first, I was loving it, then I went down to 90 stitches on the same size needle, and I wasn't loving it, then I cast on the 120 stitches way down to a size 1 needle, and it definitely didn't take me long to totally not love it and wonder, what the heck I thought I was doing.

Then last night, when I completed the snowflake, I was totally in love with it, remembering how much I liked the feel of the fabric I am getting with the size 3 and 90 stitches.

And in the sunshine that came out this morning, and a nice cuppa, I am even more in love with it.

I took it to Tuesday morning knitting and the overwhelming response was they loved it, the colors, the feel of the fabric and totally suggested I do a sweater version of it.

We will see.

How Was Your Weekend?

It is so cloudy this weekend here at Chez PJKnits, and the weather for next week is forecasted for cloudy as well...it certainly is January, but I am thankful there is no snow, and the temps are not so terribly cold either, so there is that.

The Tall Guy would have turned 68 yesterday.  I love this picture of him that turned up on my phone with our first Grandson some seven years ago.  

With Sunday, comes Scrappy Sundays!

I knit one today and then, 

because I was having such a good time with the first one, I knit a second mitered square.

And now, I'm back to sweater knitting this weekend, I"ll fill you in later this week, hopefully in a podcast but right here as well!  Have a great week!!
 

A New Year, A New Knitting Journal

 Yes, I am an office supply/notebook/journal fan.  I decided to do a new knitting journal each year.  This year, I am going to continue putting my project notes into it, and many of the same things that I put into it the 2022 version, but also, adding some new things to it as well.

I'll be podcasting about it all 2023 long.

I liked last year's journal so much, that I ordered the same one for 2023, only in a new color.  I added some stickers that were a gift from my friend, Brenda, for the outside.  The outside just makes me smile so much and brings me JOY.

And then for my birthday, my knitting friend, Kendra gave me also sorts of cool things to doll my pages up on the inside with!

Do you journal your knitting?  I find it so much like scrapbooks of old, yes, I did that as a kid too!  If not, you might want to try it or maybe you do it all electronically?  I would love to know!

A Girl and Her Projects

Funny, I do still call myself as a girl - 

My current projects and their bags

Cozy Classic Raglan

Musselburgh Hat

Burra Cowl

A sock from forever ago (originally cast on for my dear friend Norma, who has long since passed)

 Wouldn't it be nice to finish most of these by the end of January?  Not the Burra Cowl though, it is a KAL that will go for a few months.

If I did get these done, I'd feel pretty good.  But, no pressure.

And Now 2023

This is the blanket at the end of 2022.

As you can tell, it is almost as wide as my couch.

I am motoring on for 2023 just as I did in 2022, a square every Sunday, more if I am feeling like it.

And just like 2022, I am continuing my phrase for 2023 - Choose Joy!

On New Year's Day, practically everything I opened up to read, showed me signs, at least in the written word.

When the signs are all around, I believe we must follow them.  

So, this year, lets Choose Joy again!