Girl's gotta have sweaters!

Here is Part II of my "What have I been doing" report.

I discovered for myself Japanese Lace Patterns. Well, decided to try one (or two) out.

Here is the first attempt:

and couple close ups:

The pattern is from Couture Knit 14 (Here it is on Raverly). Here is the picture from the magazine:

I LOVE -LOVE-LOVE how this sweater came out. It looks great. I am also proud to report that the yarn here is a re-claimed wool ( I think) from a sweater that was given to me to "get rid of". So, would it be a "recycling" or "re-using"? :)

The other sweater was made using the pattern from Couture Knit 7. The original sweater looked like that. Lovely, isn't it?

I started to knit this sweater with a full intention to replicate the original, but 2 inches into the project I realized that I would have to spend MONTHS (if not YEARS) if I wanted to do so. The combination of the pattern and the yarn just was not good for a quick knit. So, I have truncated the pattern. Here is what I came up with. (the sweater is still in a blocking stage). You can see the main pattern on the front panel.

Here it is finished:

 and a close up detail on a sleeve:

By the way, the yarn I used was SPA by Naturally Caron: Spa is a silky bamboo blend, multi-ply yarn that offers knitters and crocheters lustrous finish and ultimate drape for all your projects. ( Fiber: 25% Rayon from Bamboo; 75% Microdenier Acrylic; Weight: 3 oz / 85 g; Length: 251 yds / 230 m).

The finished sweater feels great, but I really do not recommend this yarn. I am a fast knitter and this yarn slowed me down because it splits into threads all the time. Plus, gets very stiff if sucked on by your 4-years old (don't ask - long story).

OK for now with Part II of the report. Still to be continued...

Happy Knitting Everyone!