red reign

Posted on Posted in projects, Uncategorized

oh boy, do i get a lot of knitting done when i don’t have to work or leave the house.
last night i finished my red sweater AND i finally thought of a name for it.

it’s my maple leaf rag.

doesn’t it look like it’s dancing? it’s knit with malabrigo merino in the sealing wax colorway. i started it on october 29th, when the foliage display was just past its peak, but still quite colorful. i finished it november 23, just after the last of them had been swept up off the lawn.

the back of the neck is my favorite part of the sweater, both inside and out

finally i have something that is truly soft against my neck, that is not cashmere (not that we don’t like cashmere around here . . .). this morning when i slipped it on it was 24 degrees—the soft (soft, i tell you!), cozy fabric wrapped me in warmth as i headed down to make the coffee. and while the coffee perked, do you know what i did?

got out the gigantic skein of briar rose grandma’s blessing and started thinking about my cardigan as i wound it into balls. this little guy is for swatching. i know i should wait til after christmas to start it. but then, if i just worked on gifts for the next month, i might not have much to blog about (this is where i turn into a sneaky, conniving, little knitter). so i might play around with it a bit, take a taste now and then. that’s harmless enough, isn’t it?

after all, i already have one gift done. well, almost done. it will be done a few hours from now.

it just needs edgings, and i can cross it off my list. these pictures are very washed out—this yarn is deeply colored; so deeply colored that you almost can’t see the variations in it. but i had trouble getting a good picture today. i’ll try for that when it is truly done.

it looks a little dreary, but i know from experience that these dresses improve 100% once the edgings are knit on. and, i think i will need to wash this one to take some of the crispness out of it. you can’t tell from this photo, but those pleats are stubborn—they want to squeeze together as tight as can be, which looks terrible. i need them to soften up a little so they look graceful toward the hem instead of hanging so stiffly.

so, off i go to finish that up. and dream on my new red yarn . . .
i might even be pursuaded to work on some gift socks . . . later.

16 thoughts on “red reign

  1. Ohhhh your malabrigo sweater is just lovely. The cables are gorgeous. I hope there will be a pattern available in the future!

  2. Your Maple Leaf sweater is beautiful and I like the textures. The little dress is just precious. Can’t wait to see it finished.

  3. The Malbrigo sweater is really nice. I’d love to see a picture of you wearing it. How do you like the fit of the raglans? Does the broad band of cables change the fit from a standard raglan?

    The dress is just “Aww…”. I’m seeing white tights and little black shoes being worn with it. And a warm and comfortable child. I look forward to seeing it completed.

  4. The sweater is wonderful and I know that color will be fabulous on you. And the jumper! Oh, I want to make one for my granddaughter!

  5. I just love the sweater. Will you publish the pattern? I look foward to seeing the finished product!! Your cable sweater is beautiful and inspiring. I can almost feel the soft warmth around my neck when you write about it!!

  6. I love that name. “Maple Leaf Rag” is perfect!
    The dress looks adorable. I’m sure the little recipient will look very sweet in it!

  7. Oh my goodness, is that sweater just perfect or what?! I especially like the neck and shoulder detailing and the variegated yarn sets things off just right.

    Is the little jumper your design as well? If so, I’d be interested in purchasing it.

  8. oh! a malabrigo sweater!!!! i so want one, and i don’t care about the pilling or fuzz, because that yarn is sinfully soft against the skin, without the high price of cashmere 🙂
    i have been daydreaming of a nice fitted turtle neck, maybe with bell sleeves (which means i’d have to knit some lovely wrist warmers to match!).
    but no, not at this time of year, with all the not-s0-stealth gift making.

  9. So cute – I LOVE the dress. I am waiting for a pattern, and waiting for one of my friends to announce that a girl is on the way (so far there is one boy, but I’m not making him a dress because his dad would balk).

    Great job on the red sweater – what a neat cable design. I am making very slow progress on my red sweater…

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