Fenix Sweatshirt

I finished my Fenix sweatshirt just in time for our first stretch of moist, chilly weather. Most welcome, because any rain is good rain here on the Central Coast. We're hoping it signals the end of fire season.

I first noticed this Style Arc pattern on Thorneberry's blog and thought it looked like the sweatshirt of my dreams. Slouchy fit, loose sleeves that can be pushed up when necessary, cute pockets: check, check and check. And that side panel just asks for color blocking. 

A word of caution; these pockets are for hand warming, not carrying stuff. The opening goes from top to bottom, so your car keys or cell phone are likely to slip out at an inopportune moment. They do a mighty fine job of hand warming though. They feel like the traditional sweatshirt kangaroo pocket, but IMO they look classier.

 I decided to use a black sweat shirting from Cali Fabrics, my favorite cut-rate fabric store. I wanted some traditional, 100% cotton sweatshirt fleece, which was surprisingly hard to locate. This was $5.99 a yard, which delighted my fabric miser's soul. It was described as heavyweight, but it didn't seem especially heavy to me. Just as well, because you're stitching through four layers of fabric at lots of points, so heavyweight would not be your friend.

I decided on black, even though I have a Great Pyrenees. I was hoping the public side of the sweatshirt fleece would be smooth enough that the dog hair would kind of slide off, but no such luck. Sadly, I'm a Winter and I look like hell in Great Pyrenees colored clothing so I'm learning to live with a constant light coating of white hair.

Here's a closeup of the pocket, complete with stubborn Pyrenees fuzz.

The pockets are the only tricksy part of the construction, and I didn't do the best job. I think they're very cute though. 

Here's s side shot that shows the slight high-low hem. It's subtle, but it makes this oversize sweatshirt look a bit sleeker than it otherwise might.

And here's a back shot. I like that the band in back curves right under the butt. It conceals the most problematic aspect of a leggings-and-sweatshirt outfit.

I finished this top yesterday and I've been wearing it since, which makes it seem like I could do with another. If I can find the right fabric, I'll get right on that. 

My pattern review is on PatternReview.com here.

A Couple Knitted FOs

 These two sweaters got caught in my annual summer knitting slump. For me, knitting generally requires a blustery day, a nice fire and a hot beverage, so the dog days of summer are a wash. Kind of sad in this case because both of these items were this close to being done at the end of spring.

This one is Anker's Summer Blouse, by Petit Knit. Very simple, top down yoked knit. It's designed for a cotton/rayon/linen blend, but I used some Mission Falls superwash merino that I'd had in stash since the Yarn Dogs closing sale back in '02. Not the best choice, but it's wearable. 

I have some linen upstairs in a storm grey that I might use for a version two. The yoke pattern is just a knit one purl one rib, so this would be a nice knit for a beginner. I'm also thinking it would be easy to swap out the yoke stitches for something else, either another textured stitch or a bit of color work. 

The second one is called Canyon Clay, by Drops Design. Drops Design does a lot of cute, free patterns but I've always been afraid I wouldn't understand the instructions. I decided to give this one a try though, and, sure enough, I didn't understand the instructions. Luckily, kaylakitty had a very helpful comment on Ravelry which got me back on track. Basically, you're doing raglan increases like in any top down knit, but for part of the top you do two increases on each side of the front/back and no increases on the sleeves. I know, crazy talk, but that's what makes the raglan line curve sharply to the sides.

It has kind of a cute, squared neckline.

I'd be tempted to make another of these right away, but it uses a thicker yarn than I usually have in stash. The only stitches used are stockinette and 2x2 ribbing, so this is also a simple knit once you wrap your mind around the instructions for the increases.

I used some Berrocco Suede yarn that my friend Jessica gifted to me when she moved to Ashland last year. Only one year in stash - that's quick use for me!

The pattern calls for short sleeves, but when I tried it on for size I decided I liked the cap sleeve look. So literally all I had to do to finish this sweater was pick up the stitches at the underarms and immediately cast off. Why did it take me 9 months, you may ask? Summer slump.

My Ravelry notes are here, in case you're interested.