#FFKAL Progress

Now that I’ve been back from the Retreat for a week, I’ve settled in enough to tell you about all the knitting I’ve been up to for the Fall Festival KAL. I promised pictures of my Peabody Pullover after the retreat, and boy oh boy, did Amy deliver. I’m lucky to have such a talented photographer for a boss.

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Here I am laughing at a RIDICULOUS dance Jackie was doing.

As you may remember, this is a CustomFit adaptation of Peabody by Leila Raabe. I made a few changes to the pattern as written (besides running it through CustomFit!):

  • Shortened the hem ribbing to 2″. The original has very long ribbing as a design element, but I knew that wouldn’t work for my hips. (Though my hips are definitely wider than my bust, you could say I’m a proportional shape due to my linebacker shoulders! Nevertheless, stretching a vast expanse of ribbing over my hips isn’t a flattering look for my shape.)
  • Changed the sleeves to 3/4 instead of long. This was entirely motivated by lack of yarn: I finished with a swatch and a half left, so I think I did a good job of maximizing the yarn I had!

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This is me trying to look cool. #dork

I was very happy with my yarn choice — Miss Babs Heartland. I think it would be a great option for a knitter who’s had trouble with their sweaters growing due to using superwash wool. It’s hand-dyed, but not treated to be superwash, so it has the great depth of color so many knitters crave, while retaining the “scales” wool uses to hold its shape.

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Just hangin’ on a dock in Maine, NBD.

If you’re a CustomFit Maker, look for more coming soon about how to adapt a traditional pattern like Peabody using CustomFit in the “Amy’s Tip” section of Maker Central. This sweater will be featured as the example — I’m finally famous!

Remember when I said I was going to knit three sweaters in three months for the Fall Festival KAL? So far it’s going swimmingly. After finishing Peabody, I dropped everything to knit a sample of one of Amy’s designs to be released at the Make. Wear. Love. Retreat. Thirteen days, size four needles, sportweight yarn … let’s just say it was a close one, but I’m so happy with the result. We’re releasing the patterns very soon, but here’s a quick preview for you …

Getting this 4x4 ribbing to line up was a pain, but truly worth it in the end!
Getting this 4×4 ribbing to line up was a pain, but truly worth it in the end.
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Here’s the three sweaters you’ll see coming soon… how tantalizing!

The good news is, I’m well on my way through the third sweater, and should finish all three with no problem at all. If you follow us on Instagram, you saw my ingenious swatch-drying machine (it involved a mesh office chair, bobby pins, and a fan…) and my progress thus far:

I love this color. Gold for days.
I love this color. Gold for days.

It’s going to be a simple cowl-neck pullover. I love the color of the yarn, but I’m not sure I’m sold on the fabric it makes… too bad I didn’t discover this until halfway through my fifth skein! More to come when I finish it, though sadly I won’t see Amy (and thus be able to coerce her into taking my photos) until after the KAL is over. My lazy iPhone shots will have to do!

How’s your progress coming? The KAL ends on November 15, so you still have plenty of time to knit a CustomFit sweater!

4 thoughts on “#FFKAL Progress

  1. Hi Lauren,
    Your sweater looks great.
    I had never heard that wool being superwash contributes to it loosing it’s shape, over wool that is not. Is this something that you could talk further about it a post?
    Thank you.

    1. Hi Serena, it’s a problem some knitters (though not all) may have. If you haven’t experienced it, then you’re probably safe! We’ll definitely add this to our list to post about in the future. You can also check out Jackie’s post, Why Swatches Sometimes Lie, for a little more information! https://amyherzogdesigns.com/2013/11/19/why-swatches-sometimes-lie/

  2. Weird comment: in those pictures, you really look like Taylor Swift! In a good way, of course!
    Lovely sweater 🙂

    1. Thanks Kendrea! Actually, you wouldn’t believe it, but I get that a lot … something about the blonde bangs!

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