And We're Off!! MAL Update Number One...
And we're off!!
Yes, the MAL has launched, and what a start we've made! So many people have been joining in (thank you to all you lovelies who've been in to buy yarn for it, but remember, you can use your stash too!) and it's been fab seeing all of your cast-ons in the Facebook Group.
I had technically already started the Felix Pullover (Knit #3) but I'm counting that as a MAL make...
And I cast on my Cande Pullover (Crochet #1) on the Sunday (because I was exhausted after the party on Saturday!), so I've got one of each on the go!
My Felix is progressing well, I've split for the arms, and I'm on to the body. Here I am trying it on midway...
...If you haven't bought some Tryon Tubes yet, I highly recommend them. They're those neon tubes holding my stitches at the bottom of the body and at the arms so I can try on the jumper. They push on to the end of your needle, and then you pull the silicone cord through your stitches until your needle is out - then tie them off. That way you have enough cord to stretch out your stitches so you can try on your garment to see how it fits!
I also use mine to hold my sleeves, because they then are holding the stitches for fitting as I work on the body...
You can get Tryon Tubes here.
I'm using West Yorkshire Spinners Fleece held double with the Rico Make It Tweed. The pattern actually asks for an Aran, which you then knit on 6mm to get a chunky tension, but the two yarns held together still had the right tension, so I should be all good.
My Cande however, is not fairing so well...
I'm holding 2 strands of Mohair together, because I wanted a super light floofy garment. I'm planning on making it cropped and short sleeved, so it's more of a funky t-shirt. The pattern asks for a 4ply, so this is slightly thicker, but I did get the right tension when I dropped down half a hook size.
When it came to starting, I actually cheated, as the pattern asks for a slip stitch rib. Which is painfully slow, and in the 2 strands of Mohair was just too much for my tired head when I came to cast on (and quite hard to see when using a 2.5mm!), so I did a DC rib instead.
The neck fitted pretty well, but as I've started on the short rows, I'm not loving the feeling of it. The mohair is lovely, but where I've had to go down half a hook size to get the tension, it's quite 'stiff'. So I'm going to start again on the 3mm (but not go up to the 3.5mm for the rib as asked, as I'm doing the bigger rib stitch). I have done the maths, and I think it will come out about 2 inches bigger across the chest, which I think is still an ok size for me...
Wish me luck!!
Hope you're all enjoying your top-down sweaters. There is still plenty of time to join in, this is definitely not a race. I think I might still be making the Cande this time next year 🤣🤣
Make sure you head over to the Facebook Group to see how everyone is doing, and of course to post your progress pics too!!
Mwah xx