Rogue Sleeve
It's been so long since I worked on a sweater project that I've sort of forgotten that completed sleeves do not always make for an exciting blog post. This is my first sleeve for Rogue, really meant as a big swatch. It is also confirmation that my original swatch was telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. My gauge for the swatch and my gauge for the sleeve are pretty much the same thing.
Since I'm knitting the smallest size, that meant that the sleeves were just about the right size in terms fo circumference. I added a few extra rows after the final increases to get them to be the length I thought they should be. And my skein of yarn ended just after the sleeve cap did. So at this point, all's well with the Rogue.
I really do like doing cables this way... a simple but stunning motif set off by a good deal of stockinette. I can respect all over cabled sweaters, but I don't have the patience to actually knit them. Sweaters like Rogue give me a few good moments of cable goodness without delaying the "wearing the sweater" gratification too much.
For anyone else considering using the Bartlett yarn, I highly recommend giving this yarn a bath before you start knitting with it. I was commenting to Bonne Marie that while I liked the color, the stuff was almost painful to work with because the yarn felt so rough against my skin, but that my bathed swatch was respectably soft. Bonne Marie suggested what should have been obvious to me on my own (especially since I would never knit with handspun that I hadn't given a bath): why don't you soak the hanks before you knit with them? It worked like a charm. The yarn poofed out and gave up a good deal of dusty gunk. I expect the remaining hanks will be much more pleasant to work with.
Onto the next sleeve!
I believe that Santa will be bringing me the yarn for Rogue (grey BFL) so I think that this will be my next sweater. Or cardigan because I can't make my mind up.
I love the colour of yours too, it shows the cabling well doesn't it?
Have you ever bathed coned yarn? I ahve some that would be more pleasant to wortk with after a bath (and I want to learn how to dye some of it, so it'll need a bath first), but I don't really know a good way to get it off the cone. Perhaps tying the end to my swift and hand-turning the swift? (Then washing the [sturdy wooden] swift a bit to removing the spinning oil...)
That looks great! I love designs where there is only a small piece of cabling, as otherwise I think the sweater is too fussy and overdone to wear. However, I LOVE cabling and would gladly do it allover. Crazy.
Oh, I LOVVVVVVVVVVE Rogue. So glad to see someone else knitting it. Are you doing the pullover, or making it with the zippered-cardigan modifications? (Me loves the cardy, myself).
I'm using Briggs & Little yarn, in nearly an identical color (but I think I mentioned that to you at some point) and indeed it is painful to knit. So much so that I had to put Rogue down. And every time I think about picking it up I cringe. Washing the yarn however... what a great idea.
Do you think that changed your knitting gauge though? I'm reluctant to change up mid project for fear that just the feel of the yarn will make me knit a little differently.
I just finished a plain-jane raglan cardi of my own design with Bartlett spun in the raspberry colorway, and I couldn't believe how disgusting the water was after it's first "bath." It didn't seem too much cleaner than some of the raw fleece I've washed. I had stored the yarn in a closed plastic bag, and when I opened the bag, the chemically, petroleum smell was almost overpowering. I *would* use the yarn again because the sweater is soft and nice, but I would also recommend washing the yarn before working with it. Your Rogue is lovely---I have that one in the que, but I'm considering Peace Fleece.
I think about knitting the Rogue but I'm afraid the hood would be too big for my small head. And I wash a lot of yarns too, Peace Fleece being one of them. Your sleeve is looking good!
I agree with you about knitting sweaters with a beautiful cable piece, but just one or two, not all over. I think doing that much cabling is just not appealing to me. Washing the yarn is much better than knitting with rough stuff. I can't stand that at all.
just a word of advice that I unfortunately hear the hard way:
Washing yarn can change your guage so knitting 1 piece with un-washed and the rest with washed yarn can result in drastic guage issues. I'd wash the finished sleeve and compare it to sleeve 2 as it's being knit just to be sure they are turning out the same. I'm sure you've thought of this and everything I just don't want you to have to deal with the same issues I did.
Chialea -- I've never bathed coned yarn, but the thing that might help you is a tool called a reel. Alternatively, I think you could use your swift to do the same thing.
Mary -- I will likely be cardiganizing Rogue. I just have a feeling that I'll get more use out of the sweater if it has a zipper.
Carla -- I'd suggest that you wash your swatch from the yarn before you washed it and see how it behaves. If it grows or shrinks, you'll probably see similar things from the yarn after you wash it. It's not a perfect measure, but it probably beats knitting with 1400 yards + of yarn that will hur your hands.
Brenda -- I never got that chemically smell, but the yarn was stored in the open air. Especially given what you've noticed, I'd definitely wash this stuff before using -- esp. since it's all hanked up anyway and is easy to do.
Jayme -- That's exactly what I'm going to do. I did, however, wash the swatch I made, and I didn't see too much change, so I'm optimistic that there won't be too many significant changes. But you're definitely right... you never know. What you see in the picture is the sleeve after washing and blocking as well.
Gorgeous sleeve. I look forward to seeing you cardiganize your Rogue!
Oooh, that is some pretty sleeve! I was unfamiliar w/ the sweater, but just googled it, ooooh ooooh! We can sometimes get bartlett pretty cheap (being in Maine), but it does have the drawbacks you mention...at the LYS (last day today, so sad, but a good state job ahead) I tell people it is "rustic"...meaning scratchy, in part because of the chaff spun in w/ it. I remove it as I knit. And I think it is often pretty dirty. I knit then wash, and it generally needs more than just a couple rinses. Good luck w/ your sweater, it's in a pretty color.
Oh, that's so purty. I should have prewashed my Peace Fleece, too. I've still got a callous from knitting that green sweater. Lesson learned.
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Do remember, that your gauge with washed yarn will be different from the unwashed! Worst case, your sleeve will have a different size from the rest of the sweater.
That is just really beautiful!
Wow, that was a big "No Duh" moment! I followed suit and washed the Bartlett I bought last year for my husband's gansey (which, incidently, I haven't knit in part due to the pain caused by swatching!) and it's so much nicer feeling now! Thanks for pointing out the obvious solution! Your Rogue looks lovely so far, by the way.
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